The New York Urban League presents the BLACK PITCH series, a two-part pitch program that helps you get pitch perfect and prepared to nail your three-minute pitch for cash prizes. Competition entrants must submit a ONE-PAGE EXECUTIVE SUMMARY for committee review for the possibility of making it to the stage, which will bring you one step closer to one of three cash prizes. BLACK PITCH competitors will pitch in front of a panel of judges from entrepreneurs and corporate mavericks.
August 1, 2023 6:00 pm est – PITCH BLACK COMPETITION
How much money can you make in 3 minutes?
A substantial three-minute pitch can land four figures in your bank account.
The Small Business SOLUTIONS Center is hosting a pitch competition sponsored by TD Bank and the UP Foundation.
See the criteria below:
Business Model Solves A Problem Business < 3 years Black Owned (majority ownership) Received less than $125K in funding Company Principal must live in Manhattan, Bronx, Staten Island, Queens, or Brooklyn
Submission of a 1-Page Executive Summary is required for Competiton Entry.
Harlem Week
Spectrum 1 interviewed Lloyd Williams, the president of the Greater Harlem Chamber of Commerce to discuss Harlem Week on “In Focus.”
Williams reflected on late Harry Belafonte’s history with Harlem and his impact and talked about events that will honor Belafonte.
Harlem Week is now 49 years old and the conversation moved onto business recovery in the post pandemic world
Williams shared this year’s Harlem Week theme and what to expect for the celebrations.
Make sure to plan on attending the virtual and/or in-person events during Harlem Week 2022.
Sponsored by The Greater Harlem Chamber of Commerce, HARLEM WEEK is now 48 years old. Since its founding, the festival has grown to showcase the diaspora of African, Caribbean, Hispanic and European cultures, alongside Harlem’s rich social, economic, and political history.
There will be 10 days of live and virtual celebrations of the people, arts, culture, and entertainment that reaffirm Harlem as the source of this nation’s cultural heartbeat. The theme this year is “INSPIRATION. IMPACT. LEGACY,” and there will be events for seniors, teens, families, music lovers, film buffs, live performances, virtual dance parties, as well as a jobs and careers fair.
Virtual Dance at Home Party every night from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m., beginning Friday, August 12, 2022. The dance parties will feature DJs spinning a wide spectrum of music that definitely will make you want to dance!
Uptown Saturday Nite Virtual Concert at 7 p.m. on Saturday, August 13, 2022.
Charles B Rangel Systemic Racism Summit at noon (ET) on Tuesday, August 16, 2022. This summit will feature the tough discussions the entire country needs to continue. It will offer an unfiltered examination of systemic racism in our country and probe the effects on the African-American, Caribbean-American, Hispanic, and Asian-American populations.
Economic Development Day on Wednesday, August 17, 2022. The live and virtual summit will feature key discussions on community development, cyber security, digital development, and inclusion of small businesses.
Virtual Health Summit at noon (ET) on Thursday, August 18, 2022. This summit will bring together some of the foremost medical experts to discuss the effects of health issues and disparities on communities of color, including the ongoing impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. The program also will cover alternative medicine modalities and mental health issues
Arts & Culture/Broadway Virtual Summit at 3 p.m. (ET) on Thursday, August 18, 2022. This summit features conversations with actors, producers, directors, and those behind the scenes, discussing The Impact of Building a Culture of Diversity on Broadway–Environmental Justice
Panelists include: Aaliytha Stevens, Founding member of Black Theatre Coalition
Brian Moreland, Producer “Thoughts of A Colored Man”/ “The Piano Lesson”
Khady Kamara, Executive Director, Second Stage Theater
Gennean Scott, Diversity Officer, The Broadway League
Shanta Thake, Chief Artistic Officer, Lincoln Center
Healing, Joy, and Liberation: Mental Health and the ArtsVirtual Gathering at 8 p.m. (ET) on Thursday, August 18, 2022. Presented by The Apollo Theater; the CUNY School of Medicine at the City College of New York; the American Composers Orchestra; the National Black Theatre, and the NYC Department of Health and Mental Hygiene.This event features artistic rituals for healing, visual art, musical performances, and a panel discussion with mental health experts to encourage participants to get, keep, and spread joy.
And if you’re anywhere near Harlem, be sure to check out these in-person events:
Percy Sutton Harlem 5K Run & Anti Gun Violence Health Walk at 8 a.m. on Saturday, August 13, 2022. Sponsored by New York Road Runners and The Greater Harlem Chamber of Commerce, the event starts at 135th Street and Nicholas Avenue.
Great Jazz on the Great Hillfrom 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. on Saturday, August 13, 2022, at Central Park’s Great Hill.
Jobs & Career Fair from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Wednesday, August 17, 2022, at City College of New York.
HARLEM WEEK/Imagenation Outdoor Film Festival on Wednesday, August 17, 2022, from 6 p.m. to 10 p.m. at the Richard Rodgers Amphitheater in Marcus Garvey Park.
The two-day NYC Children’s Festival begins Saturday, August 20, 2022, from noon to 5 p.m. at the Howard Bennett Playground on West 135th Street, between Malcolm X Boulevard and 5th This live event for children, ages 5-12, and their family members, will include storytelling, dance performances, step shows, theater, poetry and vocalist. There also will be arts & crafts, a double-dutch competition, face painting and information on health services.
The Alex Trebek Children’s Spelling Bee will also be held August 20, 2022, from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m. for children in first through fifth grades. The event will take place at the Schomburg Center For Research In Black Culture.
Harlem would get two new connectors that would allow families, joggers, and cyclists to ride around Manhattan, traffic free.
This is a huge project that involves years of engineering and environmental impact analysis, but it really could be a game-changer for enaging with the waterfront in a car-free environment.
On August 13th, youth interns (ages 14-24) enrolled in the Outdoor Play Cohort at Concrete Safaris’ Outdoor Leadership Academy will host JungleGym 2021 Summer Series, a NYC Open Streets event, celebrating its 14th birthday party and 9th annual obstacle race and active living fair on East 106th Street between Lexington and Third Avenues. A 20-obstacle race and active living fair for children (ages 5+) and their families will run from 1:00 to 5:00pm.
The Youth Host Photo Expo & Streetscape Garden Tour will take place on Friday, August 13th from 10:00am to 1:00pm on Second Avenue between 112th and 115th Streets.
In addition, Youth Host Virtual Photo Expo will take place on the same day from 2:00 to 5:00pm.
This event will bring youth interns (ages 14-24) enrolled in the Gardening & Health Media Cohorts at Concrete Safaris’ Outdoor Leadership Academy to host an Outdoor Photo Expo and Streetscape Garden Tour at Jefferson Gardens at Jefferson Houses, 300 East 115th Street in East Harlem. In addition, an online Photo Expo at concrete safaris.org will take place from 2:00 to 5:00pm.
28th Precinct’s Build the Block – Friday
A Great Day in Harlem on Thursday!
The Celebration of this historic street co-naming event will take place on Thursday, August 12th from 2:00 to 4:00pm. The entrance for guests will be at East 126th Street between Madison and Fifth Avenues. Click here to Register. This is a free event.
“Uptown is proud to honor the deep-rooted history of jazz here in Harlem, along with the visionary man who conceived and took this iconic photo more than 60 years ago,” shared Diane Collier, Chair of Uptown Grand Central. “Along with the Harlem/East Harlem residents, we are pleased to memorialize this wonderful event with a street sign on the block where it all happened.”
Harlem Week is On
Find out more about fantastic Harlem Week events here:
Barbara Ann Teer speaks about the inspiration of her sister in forming and developing the National Black Theater at this groundbreaking dedication clip (click on the chevron pointing right on the text, below) :
And to hear more about the devistating fire that (in part) sparked the rebirth of the National Black Theater, see:
Randall’s Island to Get $1,000,000 (almost) For Improvements
The total of $950,000 recently awarded by Assembly Member Robert Rodriguez, Manhattan Borough President Gale Brewer, and Council Member Diana Ayala will further ongoing efforts by the Randall’s Island Park Alliance, working in partnership with the NYC Parks Department, to restore and develop the Park as one of New York’s premier destinations for sports, recreation and relaxation. The generous support will help realize a vision of Island-wide pathway improvements to better connect visitors with Park resources, a goal set forth in the 2012 RIPA Strategic Plan, developed in collaboration with NYC Parks, the RIPA Board of Trustees, local stakeholders, elected officials, and on-Island agency stakeholders.
Guided by the Strategic Plan, RIPA is undertaking a comprehensive and innovative complex of access improvements to improve connections between the Island’s main bicycle and pedestrian access points and popular destinations including Icahn Stadium, the Park’s many playing fields, and the Urban Farm and adjacent playground. New pathways will also facilitate multimodal travel through better connections between these destinations and the Park’s major parking lots, bus stops, and new Citibike stations.
“I am pleased to contribute funding that will provide increased accessibility to a Park that is an oasis for New Yorkers,” said Robert Rodriguez, New York State Assembly Member. “The contribution will help move this initiative forward, and fosters RIPA’s careful plan that focuses on access improvements alongside sustaining and programming the Island’s resources.”
“Increasing accessibility within the Park by creating Island-wide pathway improvements will better connect New Yorkers with Park resources and RIPA’s free educational and family-friendly programming,” said Manhattan Borough President Gale A. Brewer. “Direct access to the Island’s restored natural areas and green space is beneficial for all, and we are glad to contribute to these efforts.”
“Randall’s Island Park is a precious resource for the City of New York, and we are glad that we are able to contribute funding that will accommodate the continuously growing number of visitors and commuters traveling through the Park by foot and bicycle,” said New York City Council Member Diana Ayala.
“For almost 30 years, with the support of the City of New York, the Alliance has spearheaded the restoration and development of the Island. We truly appreciate the continued support of Assembly Member Rodriguez, Borough President Brewer, and Council Member Ayala as they help us achieve our mission to provide equitable access to green space, free educational programming, and world-class facilities to all New Yorkers, especially our neighbors in East Harlem and the South Bronx. Increasing the pathways throughout the Park will contribute to these efforts and benefit the over four million individuals who visit the Island annually,” said Deborah Maher, President of RIPA.
The combined projects build upon decades of public-private partnership to create unprecedented connections that will foster environmental exploration and augment access to recreational facilities and free programming for the millions of New Yorkers who visit each year. In coming years, these connections will foster access to exciting developments including an expanded Sportime Tennis Center, the new Drive Shack golf center, and a central Nature Center hosting RIPA’s many public programs.
Head over to 125/Madison today through August 15th, to order a Slutty Vegan burger at Shake Shack. This limited time offer is a collaboration for Harlem Week
To learn more about the burger and its genesis, see:
What originally started as a one-day tribute to one of the most culturally rich neighborhoods in the world has now become a month-long celebration enjoying its 46th year. Recognizing this year, 2020 is unlike we have ever seen HARLEM WEEK this year will take place from August 16 – 23 and it will take place virtually. For many years people have planned their vacations around the dates HARLEM WEEK to travel to Harlem to participate in our festival. This year HARLEM WEEK goes to the world as a virtual event sharing the culture, history, resilience and strength of Harlem.
The traditional Harlem 5k Run will this year be a virtual event taking place throughout HARLEM WEEK 2020!AUG165:01 AM – 11:59 PMVirtual Exhibitor Vendor Village
Shop, get information, win prizes, get free gifts when you visit the HARLEM WEEK Virtual Exhibitor Vendor village. Shop with local businesses from around the world and visit with reps from Fortune 500 corporations. The HARLEM WEEK Virtual Exhibitor Vendor village has something for everyoneAUG166:00 AM – 11:59 AMHARLEM WEEK/Imagenation Film Festival
Enjoy Films that speak to our HARLEM WEEK Theme of “Movement of The People”, celebrate the 100th Anniversary of the Negro Baseball League and the 100th Anniversary of the Harlem Renaissance.AUG1610:00 AM – 11:00 AMChildren’s Corner
Parents, have your kids join us each morning of HARLEM WEEK in the Children’s Corner. Our daily space just for kids up to age 12. Youngsters can enjoy book reading, performances, cooking classes (done with adult supervision) and more.AUG1611:00 AM – 12:00 PMDance Workshop Presented by NJPAC
Every day during HARLEM WEEK take time to dance, move and groove with us and our partners at New Jersey Performing Arts Center with special guest instructors .AUG163:00 PM – 7:00 PMA Great Day In Harlem
Join us online and celebrate A Great Day In Harlem, featuring performances and appearances from local, national and international performing artists including Hezekiah Walker, Erica Campbell, Dance Theater of Harlem, The Harlem Music Festival All Star Band led by Ray Chew and much more!AUG167:00 PM – 7:10 PMA Taste Of Harlem
Harlem has some of the worlds most iconic restaurants and we invite you to experience them virtually throughout HARLEM WEEK 2020. See how some of the mouth watering dishes and delicious beverages are made, join us and enjoy “A Taste of Harlem.”AUG175:00 AM – 11:59 PMSupport Harlem Now Virtual Harlem 5K Run Honoring Percy100 and Charles Rangel 90
The traditional Harlem 5k Run will this year be a virtual event taking place throughout HARLEM WEEK 2020!AUG175:01 AM – 11:59 PMVirtual Exhibitor Vendor Village
Shop, get information, win prizes, get free gifts when you visit the HARLEM WEEK Virtual Exhibitor Vendor village. Shop with local businesses from around the world and visit with reps from Fortune 500 corporations. The HARLEM WEEK Virtual Exhibitor Vendor village has something for everyoneAUG176:00 AM – 11:59 AMHARLEM WEEK/Imagenation Film Festival
Enjoy Films that speak to our HARLEM WEEK Theme of “Movement of The People”, celebrate the 100th Anniversary of the Negro Baseball League and the 100th Anniversary of the Harlem Renaissance.SEE FULL CALENDAR
