M I S S I
O N
The committee for Acadian Heritage Week hopes to celebrate and promote
the Acadian heritage of Louisiana, and to develop greater awareness
of the history of the
Acadian people of Louisiana through the designation of the fourth
week of September as Acadian Heritage Week.
We hope to develop and encourage events throughout the state of Louisiana
highlighting the folk ways, cuisine, music, traditions and history of the
Acadian community.
Our primary objective is the inclusion of a revised curriculum of Acadian History
in the Louisiana history classes in the 8th grade statewide.
Our first and most important goal is the implementation of a uniform and permanent
teaching method of a multidisciplinary Acadian history thematic unit for the
teaching of Acadian history in the Louisiana history classes of the public
schools statewide. Unfortunately the teaching of Acadian history in the public
schools
is haphazard. Text books currently in use do not deal with Acadian history
in a meaningful manner. This is particularly unacceptable in light of the various
teaching tools available which include the works of Louisiana historians Carl
Brasseux and Shane Bernard, the award winning television documentary Against
the Tide (co-produced by Louisiana Public Broadcasting and Action Cadienne)
and
most importantly the curriculum guide for the teaching of Acadian history developed
by the Department of Education itself. This guide is currently being revised
by the Department of Education in collaboration with the committee for Acadian
Heritage Week. The resulting curriculum guide will integrate the teaching of
Acadian history into a general program tailored to include subjects included
on yearly standardized tests.
We feel that the time has come for Acadian history to be taught in the public
schools in a systematic, uniform and in-depth fashion. The teaching of the
history of the Acadians of Louisiana is relevant first of all because of the
influence
of the Acadians on the general history of the state of Louisiana. All of the
people of Louisiana, regardless of their ethnic heritage, have been touched
by the contributions of the Acadians to our state. Their history should be
taught
to every student in Louisiana. Furthermore, the history of the Acadians can
be used as a positive model of resistance in the face of oppression, and persistence
in the face of travail. Most importantly, the history of the Acadians can be
used to promote the ideals of tolerance. The deportation of the Acadians is
an
example of “ethnic cleansing” in its most brutal form The teaching
of this history is conducive to an enlightened examination of intolerance and
its consequences which will be of benefit to all of the students of Louisiana
public schools and will have a positive influence on our society as a whole.
In this year, 2004, the 400th anniversary of the founding of Acadie, and in
light of the recognition by the Queen of England via her ministers in Canada
accorded
to the Acadian people and the suffering which the Deportation of 1755 entailed,
it is especially timely to dedicate one week during which the heritage of the
Acadians and their history will be celebrated by the State of Louisiana which
has benefited greatly from their contributions.
|
photo
by Kent G. Hutslar
Community members gather
to launch Acadian Heritage Week.
Front
row (l-r): Eddie Richard, Conféderation
des Associations des Familles Acadiennes / Confederation
of Associations of Families Acadian (CAFA); Kristi Guillory, Action
Cadienne; Brenda Trahan, Acadian Memorial; Scott
Long, Longevity Design; John Hernandez Jr., Symposium
Judge Allen Babineaux; Carl Brasseaux, University of
Louisiana at Lafayette Center for Louisiana Studies.
Back
row (l-r): William Arceneaux, La Fondation
CODOFIL; Charles Larroque, Louisiana à la Carte; John
Hernandez III, Louisiana State Bar Association, Section Francophone; Zachary
Richard, chairman of the Committee for Acadian Heritage Week; Mayor
Hazel Myers, Town of Scott; Warren Perrin, Acadian
Museum of Erath; David Cheramie, CODOFIL; Dee Stanley, City
of Lafayette; Philippe Gustin, Centre International
de Lafayette; and Dale Bourgeois, Lafayette City-Parish
Council.
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