CBH Talk - The Big Anniversary: Fort Greene’s Soul Summit Music Festival Turns 20
In June and July the Center for Brooklyn History opens its doors for limited, live public programs! Before renovations to our ground floor begin, join us in the building for one or more of these live programs and whet your appetite for CBH’s grand reopening later this year.
Join the Center for Brooklyn History as we commemorate the 20th anniversary of the popular community event, Soul Summit Music Festival, founded in 2002. Presented annually in Brooklyn’s Fort Greene Park, people from all walks of life gather to celebrate music, dance, and the arts. This event has become a popular attraction and an example of the ways music can unite people, especially during complicated times. Soul Summit co-founder DJ Sadiq L. Bellamy, Sundae Sermon Music Festival founder DJ Stormin’ Norman, and co-founders of The Lay Out Emily Anadu and Manushka Magloire, discuss the history and legacy of Soul Summit, the power of Black joy, the role music plays in fostering community, and the social, political, and economic challenges of sustaining creative and free community events.
Preceding the discussion we will screen the documentary short film, Soul Summit: Doin’ it in the Park, directed and co-produced by Tayo Giwa and co-produced by Cynthia Gordy Giwa.
Plus, immediately following the discussion, guests are invited to pose for dance-inspired portraits by Hakim Mutlaq which will be shared after the event.
The event is moderated and guest curated by Souleo.
Participants
DJ Sadiq L. Bellamy, along with DJs Jeff Mendoza and Tabu co-founded the Soul Summit Music Festival. Launched in 2002, the event takes place in Brooklyn’s Fort Greene Park on Sunday afternoons during the summer. Always free and open to the public, the festival showcases artists of various backgrounds, including DJs, bands, dance companies, fashion designers, filmmakers and photographers, to name a few. Over the past twenty years Soul Summit has become an institution, developing a loyal following that brings the hills of Fort Greene Park alive with families, food, and dancing. The festival provides the backdrop for access to music, networking and other activities. The Soul Summit Music Festival has become one of New York City’s highly anticipated outdoor events, successfully creating a hub of activity in the immediate community and beyond, attracting visitors from all over the world. For more information: or SoulSummitMusic.com or IG: @SoulSummitMusic
DJ Stormin' Norman originally hails from East London, UK and is now a resident of Harlem, USA. In the ‘90's, he was part of a groundbreaking DJ collective which brought “The Thunderstorm Mix” to WBLS,107.5FM in NYC, introducing live mix shows to daytime radio and setting a new precedent. For over 20 years, DJ Stormin’ Norman has played major New York clubs, exclusive and elite private events, sports events, TV, fashion shows and world touring. He is resident DJ at Red Rooster in Harlem and a regular DJ for SummerStage Festivals in NYC. He is widely known throughout the tri-state area as the DJ, founder, and executive producer of Harlem’s most anticipated summer festival, Sundae Sermon Music Festival. For more information: SundaeSermon.com or IG: @SundaeSermon
Souleo curates entertaining and informative events, exhibitions, and cultural programs. Souleo has collaborated with noteworthy institutions and brands, including the New York Public Library, Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture, the Museum of Arts and Design, Columbia University, Barnard College, Newark Museum of Art, Stax Museum of American Soul Music, Leslie-Lohman Museum of Art, and AARP. Souleo's work has been widely covered in outlets including the Associated Press, NY Times, The New Yorker, NBC, and more. For more information: SouleoUniverse.com or IG: @souleouniverse
Emily Anadu and Manushka Magloire are co-founders of The Lay Out. Since its inception in 2020, following the murder of George Floyd, The Lay Out has championed cultural moments centering Black presence, visibility and expression.
Tayo Giwa and Cynthia Gordy Giwa are a husband-and-wife filmmaking team and the creators of Black-Owned Brooklyn, a publication and Instagram account documenting local Black business, history and culture. In this work they seek to preserve and celebrate stories that are often erased in gentrified Brooklyn. Their debut film, the 2020 documentary short Soul Summit: Doin’ It in the Park, examined Soul Summit, a beloved open-air house music party based in Fort Greene Park. Their latest film, The Sun Rises in the East, is a feature-length documentary about The East, a pan-African cultural organization built by young people in 1970s Bedford-Stuyvesant.
Please Note:
For all indoor Center for Brooklyn History and BPL Presents programs, guests must provide proof of vaccination and wear masks while onsite at all times. In-person capacity is limited and will be conducted on a first-come, first-served basis.
We are not able to accept negative Covid test results (PCR or rapid antigen tests). In addition, we ask that you conduct a self-assessment before arriving and again onsite to ensure that you are not feeling unwell and have not experienced any symptoms attributable to COVID-19, nor had contact with a person suspected or confirmed to have COVID-19 within the last 10 days. Please also keep a physical distance of six feet from those who are not within your own household whenever possible and remember to wash your hands/use hand sanitizer frequently.
