The Annual Black Heritage Festival kicks off Friday, March 8-10, 2013 in Lake Charles, LA. If you’re hungry for mouthwatering food, terrific music and great family fun then this is the place for you. Entertainers perform gospel, zydeco, blues, spoken word and more on the Kids and Main Stages. There are approximately 70 vendors displaying and selling a wide variety of goods and services. Food booths will serve plenty of great tasting Louisiana Creole and Traditional African-American foods, including gumbo, jambalaya and Barbeque. The vendor marketplace will be open with an array of art, books, jewelry, African artifacts, clothing, collectables, Greek paraphernalia and lots, lots more.

In addition to great food, music and fun the festival provides educational opportunities through workshops and seminars.

Youth programs consist of KIDS ZONE, Diaper Derby and Healthy Baby Contest, Fashion Show, performing arts stage, and many free chances to win bicycles and other giveaways.

Maze featuring Frankie Beverly
Lake Charles Civic Center
Sunday, March 10, 2013
5:30 pm
Info: (337) 491-1257
Purchase Tix: www.ticketmaster.com

CALVIN MACKIE, Ph.D.
President and CEO, Channel ZerO Group, LLC
Executive Vice President, Golden Leaf Energy

Dr. Calvin Mackie is an award winning mentor, a former engineering professor, an internationally renowned speaker, and a successful entrepreneur. His message as a mentor, speaker, and entrepreneur continues to transcend race, gender, ethnicity, religion, and time. After starting college in remedial reading because of weak SAT scores, Calvin Mackie earned a Bachelor of Mechanical Engineering from Georgia Tech and a B.S. in Mathematics from Morehouse College in 1990, a M.S. in 1992 and the Ph.D. in 1996 in Mechanical Engineering from Georgia Tech. He served on the Tulane University faculty from 1996-2007, where he received tenure and was promoted to Associate Professor in 2002. A professional speaker, in 1992 he founded the Channel ZerO Group LLC (CZG), an educational and motivational consulting company. Through his national and international travels and online mentoring presence, Mackie reaches millions of youths and professionals annually.

A member of the Phi Beta Kappa, Pi Tau Sigma and Tau Beta Pi National Honor Societies, his passion for scholarship is well established. His leadership qualities and social justice advocacy are well documented. In 2005, former Louisiana Governor Kathleen Blanco appointed him to the Louisiana Recovery Authority (LRA), the guiding agency to lead the state’s rebuilding efforts following Hurricanes Katrina and Rita. Possessing instant social, political, cultural, and technical credibility, Mackie was featured prominently in Spike Lee’s HBO Katrina documentary, When The Levees Broke: A Requiem in Four Parts (HBO 2006) and it’s successor If God Is Willing and Da Creek Don’t Rise (HBO 2010, and has appeared on numerous national and local news shows including the PBS News Hour with Jim Lehrer and the Tom Joyner Show. Mackie received international acclaim during and after a 2006 visit to the country of Kuwait as an ambassador of the LRA and the guest of the U.S. Embassy in Kuwait, appearing on Good Morning Kuwait and in numerous international Arab newspapers. In 2004, President Bush awarded him the 2003 Presidential Award for Science, Mathematics, and Engineering Mentoring in a White House Ceremony. Mackie has received numerous other awards including the Black Engineer of the Year Award for College Level Educators. In 1996, he received a patent on a device to retrofit luggage stowbins on 737 and 757 Boeing commercial airliners.

In 2009, then Louisiana Lt. Governor Mitch Landrieu appointed Dr. Mackie to the Louisiana Council on the Social Status of Black Boys and Black Men and he is leading the state’s effort to create policy and programs to positively impact the quality of life of Black males and families in the state of Louisiana.
Most recently, Dr. Mackie was awarded the highest honor bestowed upon a graduate of Morehouse College, A Candle in the Dark’s “Benny” Award for his many academic, professional, and entrepreneurial achievements, as well as receiving the United Negro College Fund’s prestigious Legacy Award for his accomplishments in Leadership, Education, and Mentoring by encouraging students and/or colleagues to realize their potential, and help others to achieve their best.

Mackie is currently a partner in Golden Leaf Energy (GLE). GLE produces and distributes biodiesel from waste streams.

He is the author of the books: best-selling “A View from the Roof: Lessons for Life and Business” and “Grandma’s Hands: Cherished Moments of Faith and Wisdom”, which recently received a silver medal in the prestigious Living Now Book Awards. Dr. Mackie is a devoted husband to his wife, Tracy, and father to his two sons, Myles Ahmad and Mason Amir.

7th Annual Black Heritage Festival Scholarship Seminar
Aug 25, 2012
9:30 AM – Pryce/Miller Recreation Center
Albert @ Belden Sts
Lake Charles, LA

The Black Heritage Festival in partnership with the Phillips 66 Black Employee Network (BEN) will sponsor a scholarship seminar focusing on preparing to fund a post-secondary education.

On site will be representatives from Associated Builders and Contractors Trade School , Grambling State University , LSU, Louisiana Tech, McNeese State University , Southern University, SOWELA Technical Community College , University of Louisiana – Lafayette and Xavier University of New Orleans. All of these under one roof. Don’t forget to check out our One-Stop-Shop for Scholarships and other important information.

Maze featuring Frankie Beverly
Lake Charles Civic Center
Sunday, March 10, 2013
5:30 pm
Info: (337) 491-1257
Purchase Tix: www.ticketmaster.com

2013 Queens Group Photo

Black Heritage Festival pageant entries are accepted annually from October through January. Divisions open for girls and women ages 2 to 20. Pageants are held at the Lake Charles Civic Center in Lake Charles, Louisiana. Cynthia Metoyer is the Pageant Director.

2013 Queens Photo

Download Pageant Form: Click Here

Contact Information:
Cynthia Metoyer, cynthia.metoyer@bhflc.org
Pageant Executive Director