10/07/2026
A year ago tomorrow, Bryant Benoit pulled the cloth off the first official Creole Culture Day artwork on the stage of the Delta Grand. That painting became his last piece. As I sit here tonight thinking about it, watching him stand beside it and talk us through it was an honor.
That same night we launched Hands of Heritage, our collaboration book, powered by Cecilia Spice Co.., with a forward by Ja'el "Yaya" Gordon, spoken word and live music. Ruth Anita Foote was one of the writers who gave her words to that book.
We lost both Bryant and Ruth this year. With their families' permission, we named two of our stations at Creole Culture Day after them, so their legacy and their names stay alive: the Bryant Benoit Indigenous Art Station and the Ruth Anita Foote Heritage Hub.
Tomorrow, October 1, the first day of Creole Heritage Month, we open the month with an event for the fifth year in a row. Cecilia Spice Co. is with us again, this time sponsoring the premiere of The Old Way Still Cuts: A Creole Boucherie- our second Documentary Film! And we will introduce Jessica Young Broussard as the artist for year two of our official artwork.
None of that is by accident. Culture Barrier is a word that gets used loosely. For us it means names, families and memory, kept on purpose. We do this work to preserve and to honor the people who carried it before us. The art, the books, the exhibits, the film and the names on our stations all serve that purpose.
The men in this film became brothers along the way. We lean on each other and make room for each other.
Today we lost our cousin, the nephew of our co-founder Alfa "Mac" Sinegal. Creole Culture was founded by cousins, and we are all blood, Sinegals from Maurice, Louisiana. This loss put everything else in perspective, and it made me appreciate the people around me a little more. Please keep our Sinegal family in your prayers.
Creole Culture Day started with about 40 people to preserve our culture and the French language authentically. In less than five years it has grown to thousands, and I have watched it happen. It was created to be authentic, not commercial.
And yes, the boucherie happens rain or shine. This is not an act. This is real life, and in real life, when you plan a boucherie, the weather is not always perfect. Everything a boucherie stands for still is. So pull out those rain boots. This was never a show. It has always been about sharing our true, authentic culture.
My father taught me that my name matters, and so does what I stand for. When our plans for Saturday had to shift, this community showed up with open arms and said, let's figure this out. Because of who we are and what we built together, that pivot was not complicated.
More updates on the 5th Annual Creole Culture Day will be announced tomorrow. We ask for a little time, as this loss touches all of our co-founders.
If you or someone you love is struggling, you are not alone. Call or text 988, the Su***de and Crisis Lifeline, any time, day or night.
See you tomorrow night at the Delta Grand.
Milton Arceneaux
Co-founder, Louisiana Creole Culture
