Third Annual Summit Doubles Down to Protect and Uplift Black and Brown Creators
Newark, NJ-Newark Symphony Hall’s (NSH) flagship event is back for another year of impact! From June 18-20, 2025 the Black Creative Economy Summit (BCE) will gather black and brown creatives to drive critical conversations around equity, expanding investment opportunities and increasing economic impact. This event series will feature panel discussions to reveal a massive revitalization effort for the Lincoln Park area; provide an inside look into the film industry; explore the multi-billion dollar Black beauty empire; tech insights for “Think Tank Black;” and more.
“Facing an economic environment that continues to dismantle protections and opportunities for Black and Brown people, our third annual Black Creative Economy Summit has become more relevant and more significant than ever before,” said Talia Young, President and CEO of NSH. “As New Jersey’s oldest and largest Black-led arts and entertainment venue, this institution has served as a cornerstone for cultural innovation and community empowerment for nearly a century. Our summit theme, #StrongerTogether, signals our renewed commitment to giving locally-sourced artists, not only a space to create and showcase, but to push honest conversations around what they need to thrive.”
Drawing more than 1,000 attendees in 2024, this will be NSH’s third summit series. Events will feature key leaders NJ Lieutenant Governor Tahesha Way, Newark Mayor Ras Baraka; Felicia Hatcher of Black Ambition; film-industry leaders John Wayman and Elizabeth Parchment; Black Tech industry leader Citi Medina and more.
“Newark is one of the world’s most dynamic crossroads, and at the heart of our intersection is Art,” said Newark Mayor Ras J. Baraka. “Ever deeper and more expressive, wielded through every medium and tech advancement, through every layer of entertainment and retail and commerce, Art, at our core, is plied and conjured by Black and Brown creators. In Newark, art is connection and connection is art, melding the people of our city, and churning toward advancement and economic wellbeing. I invite every maker, player, creator and dreamer to take part in any or all of this three-day summit and celebrate their place in #StrongerTogether.”
Newark has always been at the center of massive economic opportunity. Home to powerhouses such as Prudential, Audible, Lionsgate, Panasonic, PSEG and the city recently attracted a new McKinsey & Co hub just last year. In addition, through partnerships with many of these companies, millions of dollars in grants have been dedicated to help up-and-coming creatives to thrive–and NSH has been a driver to move these efforts forward.
For more information on this event series, or for an interview with Newark Symphony Hall CEO, Talia Young, please contact Samantha Gordon, Samantha@kempseystrategy.com or (609) 240 1253.
