BATON ROUGE, LA — This January, in honor of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.'s legacy, the Walls Project hosted MLK Fest 2024. Outstandingly, over 1,000 volunteers signed up to help reactivate Eden Park in Baton Rouge. Individuals and groups from all over the Capital Area participated in this year's event, a true testament to the spirit and dedication that defines our community and makes these events deeply impactful.
Events Galore at MLK Fest 2024!
This year's fest was packed with meaningful projects designed to uplift and rejuvenate the community. Here’s a summary of what happened this weekend:
38th and Cain Street Pocket Park
With the support of volunteers, artist Bryson Boutte refreshed the basketball court mural, added new asphalt games, and painted a community fridge structure.
CAWSC Mural Restoration
Artist Jennifer Carwile returned to help restore the mural on the CAWSC building, on the corner of 47th Street. With volunteers, they repainted the fading facade.
BREC Gus Young Park Mural Restoration
Volunteers contributed to revitalizing this iconic park mural with artist Geeta Dave.
Billops Street Garden Reactivation
On Billops Street, an existing garden bed received a facelift with new cinderblocks, dirt, and a colorful paint job thanks to the support of Baton Roots and volunteers.
GEEP Neighborhood Elder Home Painting
A local elder in the neighborhood was selected to receive a fresh paint job by volunteers.
37th and Gus Young Garden Build
The Baton Roots crew worked with volunteers to build and fill garden beds near 37th Street.
General GEEP Area Blight Team Clean-Up:
Work around the CAWSC Building on Gus Young Ave to clean and beautify the area.
MLK Celebration Festival
MLK Celebration Festival was hosted by the City of Baton Rouge at BREC Gus Young Park on MLK Monday 1/15/24. Exciting activities included appearances from Mayor-President Sharon Weston Broome, Councilmember LaMont Cole, a battle of school bands, live musical performances, a resource fair, and food trucks.
Petit-Pisto Award - At the MLK Celebration, the Petit-Pisto Award for action in communities and propelling the Walls Project's mission was awarded to Pat McCallister-LeDuff. To read more about the award and Pat, click here.
MLK Fest BR 2024 was made possible through the support of:
L'Auberge Casino & Hotel, Denise Marcelle, Bakery Project, Louisiana Conservation Corps, Teach For America, Chosen Family, BASF, Girl Scout Troop 10573, GIVE 365 BR, LSU Tiger Life, Ochsner Health, GEEP Neighborhood, LSU NOBCChE (National Organization for the Professional Advancement of Black Chemists and Chemical Engineers, LSU MLK Day of Service, Chase Bank, Star Girls, Our Lady of the Lake, Alpha Kappa Alpha sorority Inc, Beta Delta Tau Youth Sorority, Inc., Diamond Stars #846, Order of the Eastern Star, EAG GC, BRYC, Target T1369 and Friends, Amazon - BTR9, CPEX