1	"Celebrating the Heritage" Celebrating the Heritage of New England Acadians at Grand-Pré by Lucie LeBlanc-Consentino August 13, 2004
2	George Charles LeBlanc & Rosanna Lévesque
3	Who Am I? The daughter of George Charles LeBlanc born in New Bedford, MA 1896 and Rosanna Lévesque. The granddaughter of Damien LeBlanc and Odille Doiron who married Shédiac, New Brunswick and the first of our line to migrate to Massachusetts.
4	The Diaspora Though thousands of Acadians were deported to the Colonies in 1755, it is not certain that any remained in New England. Our Acadian Ancestors who settled in the New England States did so from the mid to the late 1800s as they migrated looking for work as did their French-Canadian counterparts of Quebec.
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6	We didn’t know we were Acadian! We believed we were French-Canadian Father Clarence d’Entremont awakens the Acadian within us
7	Acadian Survival Father Clarence d’Entremont goes to Fairhaven, MA He attends French community meetings He realizes they have become some kind of melting pot
8	Why we were forgotten… Authors forgot us Researchers forgot us Acadian Historians forgot us Our own cousins forgot us
9	Awakening of the Acadians In spite of the climate in New England Acadia had not died in the hearts of its children. Ties to faith, to family and to homeland maintained
10	Acadian Migration to Massachusetts 1850: first contingents of Acadians arrive in fishing ports and ply their trade 1860s: about 20 Acadian marriages 1871: Acadian immigration expands
11	Where did they come from? Arichat, Cape Breton Ile Madame, Cape Breton Southern Nova Scotia New Brunswick Prince Edward Island Quebec
12	Where did they go? Connecticut Maine Massachusetts New Hampshire Rhode Island Vermont
13	No New England Acadians invited to First Acadian Conventions 1881: first Acadian Convention held in Memramcook 1884: 2^nd Acadian Convention in Prince Edward Island
14	How Acadians struggled to find work to keep their families together to keep their faith alive to remember who they were as a people to remain connected
15	Finally invited yet still forgotten 1890 – Nova Scotia Convention Acadians in New England all but forgotten La Société Mutuelle l’Assomption organized
16	CMA 2004 At last we have not been forgotten CMA Web site CMA Theme Song Invitations to participate
17	The Acadian Emerges Some Acadians knew who they were Many did not as late as in the last 15-20 years
18	How then will they know? We need to tell our stories Encourage historians to take note Through research
19	We have come full circle Today, we have come full circle. I was invited to this historic place so that we might celebrate our New England heritage. It is thus with great fervor, gratitude and pride that I represent all New England Acadians no matter what state they hail from.
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21	"In this time and place..." In this time and place that is Grand Pré, I represent all American Acadian women remembering too that our grandmothers were the heart and backbone of the Acadian family.
22	"So then," So then, it is with great passion that I have returned to my roots at Grand-Pré where my 6th great grandparents André LeBlanc and Marie Dugas; Jacques LeBlanc and Catherine Hébert settled as early colonists in this hallowed place.
23	"It is here in the..." It is here in the parish of St-Charles des Mines that they were married, raised their families and were buried in the parish cemetery toward the mid 1700s.
24	"Yes…" Yes… we New Englanders have come to celebrate our Acadian heritage… At long last, we have come home! Vive l’Acadie – May Acadia live forever in our hearts!
25	George Charles LeBlanc & Rosanna Lévesque