HARLEM WEEK 2026 will take place August 1-16 celebrating the theme, “Honoring Our Legacy”

New York City (March 2, 2026) –HARLEM WEEK will take place August 1-16, 2026 with a stellar line-up of live and virtual events celebrating the arts, cultures and rich history Harlem is known for, along with conversations about matters central to the community. Centered around the theme “Honoring Our Legacy,” this year’s festivities will remain true to the mission of HARLEM WEEK – to provide direction, hope, inspiration, leadership, focus, and unity to the “Harlems” of our nation and beyond.

Today, HARLEM WEEK, Inc. announced the appointment of Marko Nobles as chairman, L. Adé Williams as first vice chairperson, Tamiko Evans as second vice chairperson, Michael Flanigan, PhD as secretary, and Kristian Greene as treasurer of one of New York City’s longest-running and most prominent cultural festivals.

Born in Harlem, Marko Nobles is an experienced professional in the fields of radio, public relations, marketing, event production and entertainment. A self-described “Child of HARLEM WEEK,” he has been involved in the festival for over 40 years – beginning as a summer youth worker, as an intern, then working in public relations, serving as director of public relations, executive director, board member, and most recently, second vice chairman of the board of directors. Nobles also owns and operates internet radio station RhythmAndSoulRadio.com, which for almost 20 years has been a home to independent music and independent artists.

L. Adé Williams, who also serves as the festival’s senior program director and former executive director, is the son of Lloyd A. Williams, the co-founder of HARLEM WEEK, who directed the festival for over 50 years. The Williams family has been actively involved in the community since 1919. Previously, Adé served as the director of community programs at the Apollo Theater for more than 10 years, producing events featuring notables such as Harry Belafonte, The Dance Theatre of Harlem, Reverend Al Sharpton, Doug E. Fresh, Talib Kweli and others. He also is the creator, chief, and co-host of The Harlem Connection Radio Show, a sonic journey where listeners of 8 radio stations explore Harlem’s rich history, vibrant culture, and current events through eclectic, curated selections of Harlem-connected music spanning over a century.

Tamiko Evans, who first joined HARLEM WEEK as an intern at the age of 14, returned in 2020 to serve on the organization’s board of directors. With more than two decades of experience as a marketing and communications executive, Evans held senior marketing and vice president roles across agencies within the WPP and Omnicom networks, leading integrated marketing campaigns, brand strategy, business development, and experiential activations across global agency platforms. She later joined the American Association of Advertising Agencies (4A’s) as Senior Vice President of Marketing, where she led marketing, communications, and events, convening leaders across the media and marketing industries. During the COVID-19 pandemic, Evans helped produce the festival’s first fully digital HARLEM WEEK. She is Managing Director of Marketing and Communications at REFORM Alliance, leading marketing strategy, digital platforms, and integrated national campaigns, and is the founder of Brandation Nation, a consultancy supporting emerging female CEOs.

HARLEM WEEK Inc.’s Secretary, Dr. Michael Flanigan, is the Director of Corporate & Foundation Engagement and Development at the Borough of Manhattan Community College (BMCC), part of the City University of New York (CUNY). Prior to this role, he was a Senior Associate at The Greater Harlem Chamber of Commerce and served as Director of the Caribbean Research Center at Medgar Evers College (CUNY). Before his time at Medgar Evers, Dr. Flanigan was Vice President and Director of Community Relations for JPMorgan Chase and Citibank, overseeing community relations in Brooklyn, Manhattan, and Staten Island, and chair of the American Foundation for the University of the West Indies.

Kristian Greene returns to HARLEM WEEK, Inc. as its Treasurer. Greene spent his college summers interning as a HARLEM WEEK Exhibitor Coordinator. He now has over thirty years of experience in banking, financial sales, and treasury management for some of the nation’s leading financial institutions.. He currently serves as the Director of Treasury Operations and Assistant Treasurer for one of the world’s largest privately-funded not-for-profit organizations. Excited to return to where his professional journey began, Greene will focus on strengthening HARLEM WEEK Inc.’s long-term sustainability.

HARLEM WEEK’s new executive board will work with longtime board members Dietrice A. Bolden, Timothy Burwell, Stephanie Francis, Dianne Henderson, Penda Howell, Debi Jackson, Deon Levingston, Gilbert Paschall, Jr.; Michael Preston, Jackie Rowe-Adams, Robert Tate, and Donna Walker-Kuhne, the latter of whom said,“We are proud to announce the appointment of our new executive officers–all who rose through the ranks of HARLEM WEEK and who will fortify HARLEM WEEK as one of America’s most prominent cultural festivals. Our 2026 theme is ‘Honoring Our Legacy,’ and our new executive officers showed they’re ‘walking their talk,’ because one of their first acts was to create an advisory board consisting of trailblazers Inez E. Dickens, Larry Frazier, Marvin Kelly, Tina McRae, Voza Rivers, and William Anthony Rogers, who have the institutional knowledge needed to ground us in our mission.”

Nobles added, “The executive board aren’t the only ‘Children of HARLEM WEEK.’ Some of the new general board members are the literal children of HARLEM WEEK co-founders and community leaders. Crystal D. Crawford, JD; Alana C. Dasent, JD; Kim Dowdy, Joy Zoh Ebanks-Frederick, Rah-Jah Kelly, Andre Robinson, Akiysa Sanders, Shay C. Stevens, Dena Williams, CPA; and Tabitha C. Williams are entrepreneurs, producers, lawyers, accountants, creatives, and strategists dedicated to delivering a festival worthy of our historic community.”

The City College of New York (CCNY) is in Harlem and is part of the CUNY system, the largest urban public university system in the United States. Their president, Dr. Vincent Boudreau, said, “CCNY’s support for HARLEM WEEK has been one of the college’s joyful traditions, and I’ve been pleased to make sure that our participation remained strong over the years. In 2026, we look forward to continuing to support HARLEM WEEK as it enters its new chapter under the wise leadership of Marko Nobles, Adé Williams, and the board.”

For more than 50 years, the festival has brought cultural programming to uplift the residents of Harlem. Organized by Hon. Percy Sutton in 1974, the week started as HARLEM DAY as a one-day event to create much needed positivity and pulling the greater Harlem community, businesses, religious, educational, arts and cultural institutions out of the most severe economic and social doldrums that New York City and the nation had faced in generations. The event was produced by Blackfrica Promotions, a Harlem-based arts and cultural organization, with key members Joseph Roberts, Voza Rivers, Marvin Kelly, Larry Frazier, Tony Rogers, Stephanie Francis, and led by the late Lloyd Williams. Declared by the legendary actor, producer and HARLEM DAY co-founder Ossie Davis as the “Beginning of the Second Harlem Renaissance,” HARLEM WEEK has been instrumental for providing job opportunities while improving infrastructure, transportation, and other areas that directly benefited Harlemites and their neighbors.

For more information, please visit HARLEMWEEK.org.

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EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE

  • Marko Nobles, Chairman
  • L. Ade Williams, 1st Vice Chairperson
  • Tamiko Evans, 2nd Vice Chairperson
  • Kristian Greene, Treasurer
  • Michael Flanigan, Ph.D., Secretary
  • Winston Majette, Executive Director

MEMBERS

  • Dietrice A. Bolden
  • Timothy Burwell
  • Crystal D. Crawford, JD
  • Alana C. Dasent, JD
  • Kim Dowdy
  • Joy Zoh Ebanks-Frederick
  • Stephanie Francis
  • Dianne Henderson
  • Penda Howell
  • Debi Jackson
  • Rah-Jah Kelly
  • Deon Levingston
  • Gilbert Paschall, Jr.
  • Michael Preston
  • Andre Robinson
  • Jackie Rowe-Adams
  • Akiysa Sanders
  • Shay C. Stevens
  • Robert Tate
  • Donna Walker-Kuhne
  • Dena Williams, CPA
  • Tabitha C. Williams

ADVISORY BOARD

  • Hon. Inez E. Dickens
  • Larry Frazier
  • Marvin Kelly/M.Sin
  • Tina McRae
  • Voza Rivers
  • William Anthony Rogers