The Democratic National Convention starts off with a cause complimented by some Cajun tunes.
by Rhea Boyd
photo by Rhea Boyd
On Sunday, August 24 the Democratic National Convention kicked off with a concert hosted by Friends of New Orleans – a Hurricane Katrina relief group. 6,000 Democratic Delegates attended the party put on to raise money for the rebuilding of New Orleans.
Headliners consisted of the New Orleans band Voice of the Wetlands All-Stars, Irma Thomas, and Randy Newman. The Voice of the Wetlands All-Stars is a compiled band made up of famous Cajun blues artists. Tab Benoit, Anders Osborne, and Cyril Neville where some of the highlights of the band. An interesting visual and auditory pleasure was the Mardi Gras Indians who appeared onstage with the All-Stars during their performance. Each one has a personal tie to New Orleans and depicted the love for their homeland in their attitude and music. Motivation and support for the cause was thick in the air as the Delegates had a great time listening to music, dancing and socializing. Other speakers included of Howard Dean, former presidential candidate and present Chairman of the Democratic National Committee, and Donna Brazile, author and political activist. The big name speakers and politicians did not attend the opening night, but the spirits were nonetheless high.
Hurricane Katrina was a class five-hurricane storm that struck New Orleans and other surrounding areas in 2005. It destroyed the levies protecting the city from other fierce tropical storms. The hurricane wrecked houses, buildings, and much of the natural landscape of the Gulf Coast.
Even today Katrina’s mark in still heavily imprinted on New Orleans. The disaster that shook the city clean of its people and much of its culture is still lingering today. New Orleans has yet to rebuild much of its infrastructure, and the surrounding wetlands are quickly disappearing. This is why supportive events are still being held periodically to raise money.
The Democratic National Convention was held in Denver for the first time in one hundred years. It is historic because candidate Senator Barak Obama accepted the nomination to be President of the United States. The DNC is conducted to bring more attention and praise to the Democratic Party for the upcoming election.
The Friends of New Orleans benefit concert was also held at the Republican National Convention last week. No matter your political views, helping New Orleans rebuild not only their city but their culture too is a beneficial cause and was well executed on the 24th at the DNC.
