Essence Fest Celebrates Black Music, Culture

Blues singer Thais Clark rehearses Wed., July 1, 2009 in preparation for her debut at the Essence Music Festival in New Orleans. (AP Photo/Cherlyl Gerber)

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"We're back in a city that's rebounding heroically after one of the worst major disasters in the world and the Essence Music Festival is bigger and stronger than ever before," Michelle Ebanks, president of Essence Communications Inc., told an event-launching news conference Friday.

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"When the festival returned after (Hurricane) Katrina, it was like a psychological salve healing the wounds of New Orleans," New Orleans Mayor Ray Nagin said. "The festival helped accelerate the city's recovery and gave its citizens something they could look forward to."

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