Baton Rouge pastor, reformed criminal trying to unite city with One Blood Revival event

BATON ROUGE, LA (WAFB) - Reggie Morgan and Devin O’Neal may seem like an unlikely pair.

Growing up in Baton Rouge, Morgan led a troubled life. “Dad not at home, and so I end up, trying to work to help Mom pay the bills,” Morgan said. “And cutting grass, and then I saw that that wasn’t really working, so it made me stop breaking into cars, breaking into houses, just to help my Mom."

O’Neal, on the other hand, is a pastor at the Dream Center of Zion Church, and has dedicated much of his work to helping drug addicts. While their backgrounds are different, they both share a disdain for the problems plaguing Baton Rouge.

“The city still has some of the worst statistics in the nation,” O’Neal said. “The murder rate, the STD rate, the drug addiction rates. We still have these things that are happening in the Baton Rouge area.”

That’s why O’Neal, Morgan, and some local native american tribes are planning a huge event in April, which they’re calling One Blood Revival. They’ve invited local churches, community leaders, and musicians.

They are set to pack Memorial Stadium on the twelfth and thirteenth. Morgan, now a local barber who’s dedicated to his faith, wants to send out a message of unity through music and motivational speakers.

“What it’s gonna do is, it’s gonna unite,” Morgan said. “The church is gonna unite unity in us. Black and white, it’s not no color man. It’s about the one blood.”

The event is free to the public. Organizers are hoping to attract thousands from across the southeast to attend. O’Neal and Morgan are looking for churches and musicians that would like to get involved. To get involved, you can contact O’Neal at (225) 937-1234. You can also email him at onebloodbr@yahoo.com.

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