NEW ORLEANS (press release) – One Book One New Orleans (OBONO) is excited to host Juleps in June, which will be held at the home of Honorary Chair Leah N. Engelhardt on Friday, June 28, from 6:00-9:00 p.m.
“This year, One Book One New Orleans is taking a deeper look at how the arts can contribute to social justice,” says OBONO Executive Director Dr. Megan Holt. “Our Juleps in June honorees, photographers and activists Keith Calhoun and Chandra McCormick, embody this mission.”
Both born in the Ninth Ward, Calhoun and McCormick have documented the soul of New Orleans and a vanishing Louisiana: the last of the sugar cane workers, the dockworkers, the sweet potato harvesters, and the displacement of African Americans after Katrina. They photograph the traditions of black church services and religious rituals; community rites and celebrations such as parades and jazz funerals; and the cruel conditions of the Louisiana State Penitentiary at Angola.
Calhoun and McCormick will be signing their new book, Louisiana Medley, at Juleps in June, an event aimed at raising awareness and resources for members of our community who lack access to books. Ticket sales benefit OBONO’s literacy outreach efforts and its annual festival, Words & Music.
Guests will enjoy desserts from the Cupcake Collection, empanadas from Empanola, a Jazz Trio from the New Orleans Jazz Orchestra, and more! Guests will be automatically entered for door prizes, and there will also be a prize for the best hat! Flowers for will be provided by Pistil & Stamen. Of course, the mint juleps will be flowing!
“One Book One New Orleans would like to thank sponsors Young Leadership Council of New Orleans, the Southern Food and Beverage Museum, and Val Grubb & Associates for their generous support,” says Holt. “Join us at Juleps in June and help make New Orleans a more literate city, One Book at a time.”
