MLK Day of Service 2024

As we approach the New Year, High Voltage is excited to announce our MLK Day of Service project. This year we will paint a Light Box in honor of Mr. Donald Richardson, Legendary Band Director of the Andrew J. Bell Marching Crusaders. He was a culture bearer in Treme neighborhood.  Donald Richardson created a band program at Andrew J. Bell Junior High School that would help fuel New Orleans’ brass band revival in the late 1900s. Prior to the 1960s, black schools weren’t allowed to march in Carnival parades. As desegregation allowed, Richardson built the Marching Crusaders into a powerhouse. They practiced before school at 7:15 a.m., after school, and on Sunday afternoons. Mr. Richardson sometimes directed the band from the second floor of the fire escape overlooking the Bell courtyard.  He trained many of the popular musicians in New Orleans.  You can participate in our MLK Day of Service by volunteering to draw or paint..(skilled volunteers), sharing our newsletter,  or making a donation to support this project.