The event, to be held on May 2, 2018, will honor Sean “Diddy” Combs, Vy Higginsen, Karen Hunter, Robin Williams & Ericka Pittman.
Sponsors include Airbnb, Upper Manhattan Empowerment Zone & Barefoot Wine and Bubbly.
This year’s honorees
Harlem, NY — For the past 37 years, the Harlem Business Alliance (HBA) has honored black brilliance with their annual awards gala. This must-attend celebration is the pinnacle fundraising event for the non-profit. This year’s theme, ‘The Art of Success’ shines the spotlight on the preeminence of black creatives. Black Art and Creativity is the seed from which the entire world has grown. From the intellect and ingenuity that constructed the pyramids to the swagger and acumen that inspired the latest internet sensation; their ideas have transformed the globe.
This year’s honorees are: Sean “Diddy” Combs, COMBS ENTERPRISES, (Chairman’s Award, Mogul and recently named ‘One of the Greatest Minds’), Vy Higginsen, Mama Foundation for the Arts (Community Service Award, Author, Playwright, Radio/TV Personality), Karen Hunter, Sirius XM Urban View (Percy E. Sutton Award, Pulitzer Prize Journalist, Professor, Publisher, and Creator of #1 Voting App), Ericka Pittman, AQUAhydrate (Business Person of the Year, Chief Marketing Officer & Global Strategist) Robin Williams, Uptown Dance Academy (Entrepreneur of the Year, International Dancer and Choreographer).
Past honorees include Sylvia Rhone (Music Executive and Icon), Marcus Samuelsson (Chef & Restaurateur), Lisa Price (Founder, Carol’s Daughter) and Rhys Powell (President and Founder of Red Rabbit).
“I am ecstatic with this year’s theme and honorees. As adults, we find ourselves surrounded by boundaries either self-imposed or set for us. We are separated from our inner child year over year and our creativity is eroded. I consider myself, childlike, which enables me to consistently tap into my inner child to bring a unique approach to everyday business. The late Professor George Land conducted a test in 1965. His study revealed 98 percent of children age 5 tested as highly creative. By the time they were 25 years old, only 2 percent tested at that same level. The 2018 HBA Awards ceremony salutes those that never put creativity on pause. We all need to take note; your inner child is just sitting there, why not tap into it,” says Gina Ramcharan, Consultant-in-residence.
The Harlem Business Alliance has pledged its service as an advocate for the preservation and retention of Harlem’s business community for over 37 years. Programs include, but are not limited to: Harlem’s first co-working space; first adult stem program; 10,000 entrepreneurs served through programs and services; 2,000 entrepreneurs received one-on-one counseling and over 1,200 workshops. With HBA’s guidance, their client’s small businesses bloomed from concept to tangible product, street vendor to store owner and food enthusiast to food artisan. Disrupt Harlem Code Squad was launched in Fall 2015, the first hyper-focused program to connect young adults with entrepreneurship options via technology. Lastly, the HBA acknowledges when you educate a woman, you educate a generation; this inspired the groundbreaking Lillian Project, a tailored entrepreneur incubator for native-born African American women.
Share in the brilliance of black creatives as we salute ‘The Art of Success’ at the 37th Annual Harlem Business Alliance Awards Gala, scheduled for Wednesday, May 2rd, 6pm to 10pm at Mist Harlem (46 West 116th Street). Tickets can be purchased at https://theartofsuccess.splashthat.com. Tweet and follow the event live at #THEARTOFSUCCESS.
About the Harlem Business Alliance
The Harlem Business Alliance (HBA), was founded in 1980 by a group of prominent Harlem business leaders who recognized the void that had resulted from years of disinvestment and abandonment in Harlem and the critical need to mobilize the existing businesses and organizations to come together as a collective voice. Incorporated in 1990 as a class 402 501(c)(3) corporation, HBA has worked diligently to establish Harlem as an economically self-sustaining community. For more information, visit www.hbany.org.
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