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Essence Festival marks its 20 year anniversary

By WTOP Staff

CHEVEL JOHNSON
Associated Press

NEW ORLEANS (AP) — It’s been 20 years since Essence magazine first brought its “party with a purpose” to New Orleans and organizers say this year’s goal is more, more, more.

Michelle Ebanks, president of Essence Communications Inc., said the team began planning the 2014 celebration of black culture and R&B music 14 months ago.

“It was our ambition to make it bigger and better than ever,” she told The Associated Press. “This weekend, we’re launching with nearly twice the programming, 20 stages of content starting early with our day events and ending early with the night ones.”

Prince, who headlined the festival’s 10th anniversary, returns 10 years later. Ebanks said they’ve turned over the Superdome’s main stage to him and his friends — including Nile Rodgers and Janelle Monae — for a July Fourth experience.

The festival kicks off Thursday with Family Day in Woldenberg Park along the Mississippi River and its new “Now Playing” concert, featuring rapper Nas and R&B heartthrob Trey Songz later in the Superdome. Other performances throughout the weekend include Lionel Richie, Charlie Wilson, Jill Scott, Mary J. Blige, Tamar Braxton, Ledisi, Erykah Badu, Tevin Campbell, Doug E Fresh, Sevyn Streeter, Elle Varner and New Orleans’ own August Alsina.

A shooting early Sunday on Bourbon Street that injured 10 people, half of them visitors to New Orleans, has unsettled the city but law enforcement and festival organizers rushed to quell the anxiety.

Police Chief Ronal Serpas said a contingent of 500 police officers will patrol the French Quarter and other tourist-heavy areas throughout the weekend in addition to Louisiana State Police troopers who will help in whatever capacity they’re needed.

Essence Festival launched in 1995 as a one-time special event to mark a quarter-century of the magazine. Now, it’s an annual, sought-after affair.

The festival has an annual $241 million economic impact and last year drew more than 540,000 people to New Orleans.

National Urban League president Marc H. Morial, who was mayor of New Orleans when Essence began discussions about how they wanted to commemorate the magazine’s milestone anniversary, said no one saw this coming.

“It’s bigger than they ever could have imagined,” he said of then-Essence executives Ed Lewis and Clarence Smith and then-Editor-In-Chief Susan Taylor, who pitched the festival concept. “They were intent on making the event purposeful and not just entertainment. And with George Wein and Quint Davis on board as producers, who had experience with multiple-stage music events, it took off like a rocket ship.”

Wein is the founder of the Newport Jazz Festival and the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival, which Davis produces.

Morial said the festival has given the city another signature event in the vein of Mardi Gras, the Bayou Classic and Sugar Bowl. “They’ve opened the eyes of the hospitality and tourism community of the value of the African-American consumer and that consumer’s buying power,” he said. “In that first year, those industries were a bit reluctant to embrace the festival. There were several businesses in the Quarter that closed down. Now, that’s far from the case.”

Morial said the festival can maintain its relevance by continuing to evolve.

Ebanks agreed. “This year, we’re more interactive than ever. We want attendees to have a clear take-aways and be able to ask questions and actually get the answers they want and need.”

Morial encouraged city leaders to do whatever they must to keep the event in New Orleans. The festival is in the final year of its latest contract.

“Essence and New Orleans go together like coffee and beignets,” he said. “I encourage them to renew that contract.”

Copyright 2014 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Don’t Settle for Student Loans to Pay for Online Education

By WTOP Staff
Online college programs are becoming a more popular choice for prospective students, with one study finding that more than 6 million students enrolled in at least one online course in fall 2015. The popularity of these courses can be attributed in part to their flexibility with working adults' schedules, students' ability to progress more quickly through online programs and, oftentimes, cheaper tuition. [See 10 low-cost online bachelor's programs for out-of-state students.]Online degrees can be beneficial to many college students, but some studies have shown online learners complete their programs at lower rates than students at traditional brick-and-mortar campuses. Individuals with student loans but no degree comprise two-thirds of defaulted borrowers. Though these numbers are not encouraging, just like for traditional programs, there are ways to reduce how much you'll need to borrow for an online program to ensure you won't become one of these statistics. Don't just settle on borrowing student loans to cover the whole cost of your program and living expenses. Instead, start thinking about how to cut costs and cover your balance in different ways, such as the following. -- Grants and scholarships: Even though you are taking an online course, you can still apply and receive grants and scholarships. But your first step should be to complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid, commonly referred to as the FAFSA, which will allow you to receive a Pell Grant if your expected family contribution is low enough. The EFC criteria and award amounts are adjusted annually, but the 2017-2018 academic year awards range from $606 to $5,920, which could significantly lower the amount you borrow annually. Your next step is to apply for scholarships. You can start by checking online scholarship search engines, such as the Salt Scholarship Search, College Board's BigFuture and Peterson's. But don't forget to take advantage of local organizations and your school's financial aid office. Both may offer scholarships that you can't find with a national scholarship search. [Review these 10 sites to kick off your scholarship search.]For instance, organizations like the Elks Club, Knights of Columbus or the Rotary Club typically offer scholarships annually to local students. Just because you're going to school online doesn't mean you're ineligible. Visit your local library for scholarship listings, and ask around town. You might be surprised how many local organizations offer scholarships. While these scholarships typically aren't large, every little bit counts. Each dollar you receive in a scholarship is a dollar you don't have to borrow and pay interest on. -- Work-study: Another option for online students may be work-study awards. Not all students enrolled in online programs are eligible, but students at some schools -- including, for example, SUNY Empire State College and Liberty University -- are. Work-study awards are not given upfront like scholarships and grants. In most cases, they are an offer to earn up to the awarded amount if you secure an eligible work-study job. While there is a misconception that all work-study jobs must be on campus, students can work for off-campus, nonprofit or public employers as long as the work is in the public's interest. You may be able to work for a for-profit employer if the job is relevant to your course of study. No matter who the outside employer is, it will need to have an established agreement with your college for you to receive work-study funds. Remember, to be eligible for federal financial aid, you must be enrolled and pursuing a degree or certificate. If you're not working toward a credential, Pell Grants and work-study won't be option, but you may still be able to take advantage of private scholarships -- just be sure to read the eligibility criteria carefully. [Explore what to know about financial aid in online programs.]-- Pay as you go: One of the great benefits to enrolling online is the flexible schedule, which can allow you to complete your college coursework around your responsibilities. But prospective students often overlook using their part- or full-time job earnings as an option for paying for college. Almost 80 percent of college students in 2015 worked at least part time while attending classes, according to the National Center for Education Statistics. By budgeting and thinking strategically about your college costs, you can likely reduce your dependence on student loans by paying a portion out of pocket. Many -- but not all -- online programs are less expensive than traditional programs and often have shorter payment periods. Six, eight or 10 weeks are common course durations. Because of the frequency of payments in an online setting, you may be well-placed to pay as you go and possibly avoid borrowing altogether. Attending college online and avoiding student loans may be challenging, but if you are willing to put in the effort, you can limit the amount you need to borrow. More from U.S. News Q&A: Understanding Student Loan Discharge Eligibility Student Loan Refinancing Isn't Right for All Borrowers
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