The 2026 Harlem Week is adopting the theme of “Honoring Our Legacy,” in celebration of both the history of Harlem and the legacy of the festival, which runs from August 1–16.
As the celebration moves into its 52nd year, it will be the first without Lloyd Williams, who was one of the co-founders and served as CEO and president of the Greater Harlem Chamber of Commerce, which produced the event each summer. Williams died in August 2025 at age 80. Last year marked a time of transition as it also saw the death of longtime treasurer Belinda Burwell at age 78 in November, and co-founder and director of New Heritage Theater, Voza Rivers, stepping down as first vice chair for Harlem Week.
The new executive leadership of Harlem Week was announced in March, highlighting a passing of the torch to new leaders who have spent most of their lives or many years learning from the previous generation. Marco Nobles, who began working with the organization as a child, serves as chairperson, with L. Ade Williams, son of Lloyd Williams, taking the mantle as first vice chair; Tamiko Evans as second vice chair; Michael Flanigan as secretary; and Kristian Greene as treasurer, in addition to several others who grew up around Harlem Week. “There’s a whole team of us who have the Harlem experience as teenagers [and] college students doing what we’re supposed to do, which is taking the legacy and opportunities that the older generation gave to us; we’re trying to carry it forward,” Williams told the Amsterdam News. He said the new leadership often refers to themselves as the “Children of Harlem Week.”
He described the current atmosphere at the office as hectic but also exciting, similarly to every year around this time.
Although the loss of his father has been a personal challenge, Williams said he is confident in knowing his mission of carrying forth the legacy.
“While it is not at all the same without him, there’s no question about what we are supposed to be doing,” Williams said. “I would want my dad to be proud of what I’m doing … but most of Harlem doesn’t know us, most of Harlem didn’t know my dad personally. The real challenge is to make sure that Harlem is proud of what we are doing … that Harlem does not feel a noticeable difference with the fact that he is no longer here.
“When you are going to our events, it’s not about us, it’s about you — the community. As long as the community feels satisfied, then we are doing what we’re supposed to do,” he continued.
Timothy Burwell, 52, is taking on the legacy of his mother Belinda, who not only served as Harlem Week treasurer but also on its Board of Directors for more than 35 years and had been involved in its leadership since the early 1980s.
Burwell fondly recalls his first impressions of the festival at age 7 or 8, witnessing African kings who had been visiting. This was his first time learning about both Africa and African royalty, which had an empowering, lasting impact on him. As a teenager, he would be given jobs like selling T-shirts and working as a summer intern.
“All of us grew up in Harlem Week,” Burwell said. “We all want to keep it going because that’s the legacy of our mothers and fathers and uncles and aunts [who] have shaped Harlem Week into what it is today.”
While Burwell resides in North Carolina, he follows in his mother’s footsteps, serving on the board and the finance committee. According to Burwell, Harlem Week was his mother’s “baby” that she loved and cherished until her final days. He recalls he and other family members jokingly telling his mother that she would never retire, despite her claiming many times that she would for more than 20 years. He said even to her last breath, she was discussing the celebration.
“When she passed, she was doing the thing that she loved the most, and that was working with Harlem Week,” Burwell said.
With the arrival of America’s 250th anniversary, Williams said this year’s theme is intentional in acknowledging the critical footprint of Harlem and the rich legacy of civil rights leadership that came from the neighborhood and greatly influenced the country. Prominent civil rights and liberation leaders who emanated from Harlem include Adam Clayton Powell Jr., Malcolm X, James Baldwin, Marcus Garvey, and W.E.B. DuBois, among many more artists and professionals who influenced the movement. Historic spaces like the Hotel Theresa on Adam Clayton Powell at 125th Street was where A. Philip Randolph originally planned the March on Washington in the 1940s, and also served as the headquarters of Malcolm X’s Organization of Afro-American Unity in the 1960s.
The festival was originally established in 1974 as Harlem Day, an initiative from Percy Sutton who was Manhattan borough president at the time, in collaboration with Lloyd Williams, who was working at the then Uptown Chamber of Commerce, and with lifelong friend Voza Rivers. They partnered with luminaries like Harlem’s own James Baldwin, Maya Angelou, Harry Belafonte, and more to celebrate the neighborhood, which had been struggling.
“Harlem Week was created at a time when the news about Harlem, the reputation of Harlem, was generally negative,” Williams said. “The legacy of Harlem Week was a bunch of Harlemites saying, ‘No, we’re not going to let the outside world tell us how to feel about ourselves or what to think of this community’… Those leaders found a way to celebrate Harlem … it helped make Harlemites feel better, and it helped change the reputation of this community.”
At a time when Harlem has faced challenges including gentrification and a lack of housing affordability, the most important lesson from Harlem Week and its story, Williams said, is community members supporting and defending their neighborhood.
“The most important thing for Harlemites is to see the value of the community,” he said. “When you see the value in something, you invest in it, and even if you see a flaw, you work to restore it. When you don’t see the value, you look to either get rid of it or look to get away from it. Part of the challenges we have had is people not understanding the value, whether it was supporting our institutions or supporting one another.”
Each year, Harlem Week celebrates and gives tributes to prominent Black figures and Harlem icons. This year’s honorees include Prince, Brooklyn-born artist Maxwell, Richard Smallwood, Celia Cruz, Harlem native Rob Base, and more to be announced.
Signature events, all of which are free of charge and can be found on the website, include outdoor celebrations such as A Great Day in Harlem, Summer in the City, and Harlem Day, along with Senior Citizen’s Day, the Black Health Matters Summit, Children’s Festival, Percy Sutton 5k Run, Hazel Duke Family Health Walk, and more, with most of the activities being livestreamed for those who can’t attend.
Williams emphasized that support and donations in the form of $5 or $10 are critical to the festival’s success as a not-for-profit organization.
“The goal of Harlem Week is not for people to see the importance of this community from August 1st to the 16th and then forget about it for the rest of the year. The goal is to put a spotlight on the magic of this community so that it is valued and reinvested all year round,” Williams said. “The real, important legacy of Harlem Week is to invest in your community, support your people … have faith and find ways to come together.”
