StepFest founder: 'Our goal is to enlighten, uplift and inform our youth through arts, dance and creativity'

StepFest is returning to the city of Houston after a two-year hiatus due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

According to a release by the organization, the focus of the event is to be family friendly while “enlightening the youth and about Historically Black College or University (HBCU) culture.” StepFest will be at Worthing Early College High School in Houston on Saturday at 3 p.m. It is a step show for middle and high school step teams to showcase their talents, learn about HBCU campuses and win prizes. The organization has partnered with Kraft Heinz and Lemon-Lime Light Media for the youth community event.

"We are excited to partner with Kraft Heinz to bring this amazing community event to our youth,” said Houston StepFest founder La’Torria Lemon. “Our goal is to enlighten, uplift and inform our youth through the arts, dance and creativity. As a proud graduate of Clark Atlanta University, I am excited to bring local students to my HBCU campus. With the help of Kraft Heinz, we plan to make dreams a reality one student at a time.”

The show will be hosted by Kiotti of 93.7 The Beat, with entertainer De’Karr Bradshaw co-hosting. This year’s event will include students and youth receiving insight from representatives from colleges including Atlanta University, Texas Southern University and Morehouse College. They will also hear from the HBCU Alumni Association and HBCU campuses.

Houston StepFest’s inaugural event was at Texas Southern University and attracted more than 900 attendees and 10 local step teams. There was a cash prize of $1,000 for the winning teams, as well as $5,000 in additional prizes.

This year’s winning team will receive a free paid college tour presented by Kraft Heinz to Morehouse College, Spelman College and Clark Atlanta University in February. There will also be a $2,000 prize for the team and a $100 gift card for each participant. They will also have a photo shoot.

“Here at Kraft Heinz, we honor our core value, ‘We Demand Diversity,’ through community partnerships that reflect the consumers we serve,” said Brittany King, senior manager at Talent Acquisition-Talent Intelligence & Diversity. “As an organization that chooses to welcome everyone to our table, we are delighted to partner with Lemon-Lime Light Media and HBCUs across the U.S. to help bring this event to life. Our journey to inclusive excellence continues, and we are excited that this event will help us connect with top talent from diverse backgrounds in the Houston area.”