By David Vitrano
L’Observateur

LUTCHER – Heralded by a parade featuring the marching bands of Lutcher and East St. John high schools and the St. James High Reserve Officers’ Training Corps, the Town of Lutcher recently held its third annual celebration of black history.

With the theme “Celebrating the Past, Captivating the Present, Cultivating the Future,” organizer and Lutcher Alderwoman Darlene Riley explained to the crowd gathered at the Lutcher High auditorium the reason for the gathering.

“The truth is the journey is still under way,” she said.

What followed was a program of inspirational songs and monologues that did not so much dwell on the struggles of the past as much as celebrate the potential of the future.

As usual, one of the highlights of the program was a fiery speech by minister and Lutcher native Benita Zazueta, who, through a gold-smelting analogy, gave the audience the means to remove “impurities” from their lives.

“We are a people refined in the fire,” she said. “Our freedom is in the fire.”