Social Empact Corporation

Social Empact Corp. launched Juneteenth Freedom Fest NYC in 2021 in Harlem New York to serve central Harlem with a safe space to engage with local art, artists, educational and workforce resources for free. Inspired by the unjust and tragic death of George Floyd in 2020 and as a response to the isolation the country experienced via COVID-19 lockdowns, our festival was the answer to a community in desperate need of empowerment and camaraderie. We sought to create a space for people of all ages and races to uplift and celebrate African American culture without bias. At the time of our launch, only one other Juneteenth observance existed in Harlem, and the community still had little awareness of the holiday or of the scale of Juneteenth celebrations in other cities, such as in Buffalo NY and Galveston TX. Since our inception, we have been the inspiration for others across the five boroughs to create Juneteenth festivals with similar missions. We invited the leaders of these organizations to join the African-American Coalition for New York City, in partnership with the NYC Mayors Office, a collaborative body we created.

We started as a humble block party on 129th Street and the community support was immediately evident, with over 2,000 attendees and local news coverage by PBS, ABC, & CBS networks. We were able to provide free exhibition spaces for local visual and performing artists as well as a free vendor marketplace for local entrepreneurs. Through the success of our inaugural event, a longstanding partnership with Harlem Children’s Zone was forged, where their growing enrollment, free educational resources for families and talented student body performances and artistry continue to be highlighted. We were also able to gain the attention of the NYC Mayor’s Office, and established the Community Highlight Award, given to leaders in various industries across the non-profit, health and education sectors.

Since 2021, Juneteenth Freedom Fest NYC has grown to a community staple with over 6,000 annual attendees. Recognizing the need for a larger venue to accommodate the public’s interest, along with our vision to serve the community more widely, we established a relationship with the State Office Building to utilize their outdoor Plaza, securing a prominent location on 125th Street and Adam Clayton Powell Blvd., in the heart of Harlem. Our successful launch drew the attention of a plethora of organizations desiring to partner with us, and we were thoughtful in only moving forward with partners who centered the needs of the community, the culture, and the arts. With our growth, we’ve generated higher visibility for local artistry and more intentional culturally enriching activities, such as live arts & crafts projects for the youth, live bands and jazz musicians, coding & technology installments, resume review in partnership with the Small Business Association and live yoga and line-dancing instruction. Our festival allows attendees from all ethnic backgrounds and ages to celebrate and learn about African-American culture through a positive lens.

2026 marks our fifth annual festival where we are still serving the community in Central Harlem. Each year, we seek to instill a deeper appreciation of Black culture and artistic contributions. Our goals are to motivate Black creatives to push the culture forward and to educate the masses on Black history and achievement. Our plan is to create an on-site community mural directed by local artists that is presented to one of our partners in thanks for their support. We also plan to have installations that will highlight the history of Juneteenth and major contributors to Black history and culture. By working with local and regional creatives and influencers across the performing arts, we hope to increase sustained engagement and participation in the arts with our attendees. We are seeking to create new high-quality programming that continues to highlight Black culture and the arts with our existing partners via direct touchpoints in the community throughout the post-festival calendar year.