23andMe Joins as Benefactor Sponsor of Festival Celebrating Mixed-Race Families

    LOS ANGELES, CA, April 28, 2017 /24-7PressRelease/ -- 23andMe, the leading personal genetics company, has signed on as a Benefactor Sponsor of the Mixed Remixed Festival, the nation's largest gathering of mixed-race and multiracial families and artists. The Festival will take place at the Los Angeles Theatre Center in downtown Los Angeles (514 S. Spring Street), June 10, 2017.

Now in its fourth year, the Festival celebrates stories of multiracial Americans and families, the fastest growing demographic in the U.S. A free public event, the Festival brings together film and book lovers, innovative and emerging artists, and multiracial and multicultural families and individuals for workshops, readings, performances, and film screenings. Families can enjoy interactive craft activities, free face painting, and interactive storytelling time.

"We are extremely pleased to have 23andMe as a sponsor," says Festival Founder Heidi Durrow who calls herself an Afro-Viking because she is African-American and Danish. "The company provides a valuable service that helps people discover the complexity of their backgrounds. The DNA stories 23andMe reveal highlight how the Mixed experience is one that we all share."

"We are excited to support such a wonderful event," said Joanna Mountain, PhD, population geneticist and Senior Director of Research at 23andMe. "Our country's rich and diverse history is reflected in our DNA. Exploring your family's genetics is just one way to connect with and discover more about your family's unique story."

The Festival, a 501(c)(3) non-profit arts organization, is produced by Durrow a New York Times best-selling writer, and a talented team of entertainment professionals and artists.

In 2016, the Mixed Remixed Festival attracted close to 1000 people from across the country and featured dozens of writers, scholars and performers including TV and film star Taye Diggs who published a best-selling children's book Mixed Me! This year the Festival celebrates the 50th Anniversary of Loving v. Virginia, the Supreme Court decision that allowed people of different races to marry nationwide.

Registration opens May 1 for the fourth annual Mixed Remixed Festival, a free event that is open to the public. The complete Festival schedule will be available when registration opens at www.mixedremixed.org.

Festival sponsors and funders include: 23andMe, Mixed Chicks, the Leo Buscaglia Foundation, and the Puffin West Foundation.

The Mixed Remixed Festival, a 501(c)(3) non-profit arts organization, celebrates stories about mixed-race and multiracial experience and identity with an annual film, book and performance festival.

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