This petition is submitted to show support of the Creole Heritage Center to request necessary funding to help sustain its mission to document and promote the Creole culture and heritage. The Center has demonstrated tremendous success in cultural conservation, historic preservation, and recognition. The signers of this petition are in agreement with the Creole Heritage Center's contention that the Creole culture and heritage, rarely acknowledged in spite of its uniqueness, is worthy and deserving of attention and preservation; without it an important part of the American experience could be lost. Congress recognized the importance of the Creole community with the establishment of the Cane River Creole National Historical Park and Heritage Area. This legislation (Public Law 103-449), Nov. 2, 1994) listed as a purpose to this act to “…recognize the importance of the Cane River Creole culture as a nationally significant element of the cultural heritage of the United States…” The Center believes that this significance should be extended to cover ALL people that identifies with the Creole culture. There has been a growing unease demonstrated by Creoles from across the nation regarding the survival and preservation of their culture and heritage. Due to its established national recognition as the official voice for Creoles, it is imperative that the NSU Creole Heritage Center continue to address its mission and act upon these concerns. Our past devastations have threatened the survival of the cultural links that are so representative of Louisiana Creole life and its links nationwide. The Center’s track record supports its ability to appropriately deal with these issues. By signing this petition I/we agree and request that our legislators, both state and federal recognize the importance of allowing today’s people to self identify without discrimination, that you are in full support of the Creole Center’s efforts to request funding to initiate and implement programs that will serve to document and accurately portray the historical contributions of the Creole people to this country’s history.

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