As National DNA Day approaches on April 25, the New Orleans Public Library’s City Archives and Special Collections (CA&SC) hosts its free annual Genealogy Festival on April 5.

The Black Wall Street Times interviewed presenter, Ja’el “YaYa” Gordon, to speak about the 2025 Gen Festival, the importance of community gathering, and not allowing misinformation to dissuade those interested in their heritage.

“New Orleans is a staple location, so it kind of shows reverence and respect, being that New Orleans was a huge port of slavery. And so, bringing back a lot of descendants to get to know more about their ancestors and learn their histories is extremely important,” Gordon said.

New Orleans, Louisiana, is known for its in-depth colonial history, African and Caribbean influence, and precious architectural gems.

Fortunately, HBCU Dillard University’s Professional School and Sciences Building is the home of the second annual Genealogy Festival.

Notable figures connected to the university’s historical lineage (Straight University) include Alice Dunbar-Nelson and Rodolphe Lucien Desdunes. In addition, the president of Disney Branded Television, Ayo Davis, and actor and comedian Garrett Morris attended Dillard University.

To add more importance, the CA&SC holds records from Louisiana’s Spanish colonial period (1773).

These intentional steps hope to encourage Louisianans to use public spaces and records as resources.