Bread and Roses Heritage Committee Inc

The Bread & Roses Festival is a free
one day open-air celebration that occurs every Labor Day. The program that
makes up the festival has had a continuous history of success in integrating
music, art, and crafts from all of the individual communities that make up the
larger community of Lawrence and draws between 4,000 to 7,000 visitors. The Bread & Roses Festival is dedicated to
accessibility for all, providing ASL interpreters and accommodations for the
handicapped.
Generally
the festival is organized around four stages. Three of the stages are dedicated
to music, dance, and performance. We have featured artists from an impressive
number of cultures: Puerto Rico, Vietnam, Cambodia, Peru, Ireland, the
Dominican Republic, Lithuania, Korea, Italy, Jamaica, Poland, China, Thailand
and West Africa to give just a sample. Among the musical traditions celebrated
have been reggae, meringue, ska, bluegrass, Irish fold and step dancing, swing
opera, fado, and more.
Our
fourth stage is dedicated to Lawrence History Live!. Lawrence History
Live! was created in 2008 to give labor history, labor education, and the
unique immigrant experience of Lawrence a much more prominent place in The
Bread and Roses Heritage Festival. In a tent right in the center of things,
there are seats and a platform set up where historians, writers, union
representatives, artists and relatives of families linked to strikers will
present their insights on Lawrence's history. Lawrence History Live! also
includes a segment on present-day issues facing Lawrence’s and the nation’s
workers. In a question-and-answer format, festival visitors are able to
participate and contribute their views. The festival also welcomes food vendors
from a variety of ethnic cultures as well as informational vendors from various
community, union, and social justice oriented organizations.