On Aug. 21 the Dudley Street Neighborhood Initiative (DSNI) gathered community members at the Mary Hannon Park to celebrate its 29th Annual Multicultural Festival.
For over 30 years, DSNI has created initiatives that tackle issues impacting the Dudley area. Luis E. Cotto, Executive Director of Egleston Square Main Street, who is familiar with their influence has noted that their work and involvement are a “living example of how residents and other stakeholders can come together to create sustainable communities”.
The DSNI Multicultural Festival was first created with the intention of using arts and culture to support and empower the Roxbury and Dorchester families. As the Executive Director of DSNI, Juan Leyton, stated: “the Multicultural Festival honored the cultural history of this community and reinforced our shared values.”
In preparation for the celebration, members of the community spent over 6 months engaging and gaining the support of local sponsors to resist the displacement of families and bring about a positive change in their neighborhood.
This year’s festival has highlighted powerful live performances from Afrika Rainbow and Samba Viva that kept the 500 community members dancing to traditional music. The 29th Multicultural Festival also offered food representative of the ethnic backgrounds that make up this community, interactive games for the whole family and featured special artists such as Robert Gibbs, Katryana Tovar, and Richard Gomez among others, who joined in the vibrant celebration.
Dudley Street Neighborhood Initiative is a non-profit community-based entity that aims to empower residents in the Dudley area to organize and create opportunities for the economic success of its community members. DSNI has built a strong network of members from diverse backgrounds and has invested in their youth as a way to continue elevating the future of their neighborhood.
