Voices Gala Events

Past Voices Events

VOICES 6: Inspire. Invest. Impact.

The Brotherhood/Sister Sol held our 6th Annual Voices gala on May 6, 2010 at the Cedar Lake event space located at 547 West 26th Street in Manhattan. This festive event was attended by over 350 people and was a celebration of our youth and allowed us to honor members of the local, national and international community whose voices, activism and efforts have inspired us all.

This year at Voices 6 we honored Harry Belafonte with our Paul Robeson Award for Art & Activism, Harvard Law Professor, Charles Ogletree with our Ella Baker and César Chávez Award for Positive Community Development and Writer & Producer, Esmeralda Santiago with our Frida Kahlo Award for Innovative Creativity and Artist & Humanitarian. This special evening also featured a cocktail reception, a silent auction, words and performances by our members including Lyrical Circle—an award winning collective of poets. The night’s festivities were hosted by Roland Martin, CNN Analyst. The leading actress Joy Bryant was a guest presenter. The event provided a fantastic opportunity for our dynamic supporters to celebrate BHSS’s commitment to helping Black and Latino youth develop into critical thinkers and community leaders.

In previous years we have honored Danny Glover (actor & activist); Cesar Perales (President & Director Counsel of Latino Justice); George C. Wolfe (Tony Award winning director); Elaine Jones (at the time, President & Director Counsel of the NAACP Legal Defense & Educational Fund); Derrick Cephas (CEO & President of Amalgamated Bank); Sekou Sundiata (Grammy nominated poet); Iris Morales (Executive Director of the Union Square Awards); and the Hispanic Heritage Foundation. At previous Voices events, Susan L. Taylor, Editor in Chief Emeritus of Essence Magazine and President of National CARES Mentoring Movement has offered words of reflection, and hosts have included the award-winning actresses Kerry Washington, Tracee Ellis Ross, and MTV Journalist Sway.

VOICES 5: A NIGHT TO REMEMBER

VOICES 5, The Brotherhood/Sister Sol’s Annual Benefit, was a tremendous success! The event, held on Thursday, May 14th, 2009 at The Metropolitan Pavilion in New York City, was a wonderful opportunity for our supporters to see performances by our youth and meet our staff, as well as fellow BHSS supporters. On this special evening, Tony Award winning director George C. Wolfe was presented with the Paul Robeson Award for Art & Activism by Rosie Perez (previous recipients were Danny Glover and Sekou Sundiata), Susan L. Taylor, Editor in Chief Emeritus of Essence Magazine & founder of The National CARES Mentoring Movement, offered words of reflection, and the actress Tracee Ellis Ross hosted the night’s festivities. The event included a cocktail reception, a silent auction, words and performances by our members including Lyrical Circle, an award winning collective of poets, and music from celebrity DJ Beverly Bond and the Jazz band KrisKraft. To view photos, video & media coverage of the event click here.

May 15, 2008 Voices IV: Youth Leaders Today, Change Makers Tomorrow. The Brotherhood/Sister Sol celebrated the fourth annual Voices awards benefit. The event was sold out with over 300 people in attendance. The organization honored Mr. Derrick Cephas, President & CEO of Amalgamated Bank and Iris Morales, a community activist, educator and filmmaker. The evening, hosted by MTV Journalist Sway, was a night during which we celebrated our members and their powerful voices. This special night was composed of a cocktail reception, a silent auction that included art from internationally renowned artists Ed Clark and Elizabeth Catlett and VIP tickets to an upcoming Stevie Wonder Concert, an awards program, and performances by Lyrical Circle, our award winning collective of youth who write poetry and perform throughout the City. The event provided a fantastic opportunity for dynamic young professional supporters to celebrate BHSS’s commitment to helping Black and Latino young women and men develop into critical thinkers and community leaders. Celebrity DJ Beverly Bond provided music for the evening and our media partner was the noted Michaela Angela Davis. Click Here for images and sponsors.

June 13, 2007 Voices III: A Celebration of Our Youth is held at The Lotus Space. The Brotherhood/Sister Sol honors Christopher Gardener (philanthropist, businessman and inspiration for the movie The Pursuit of Happiness staring Will Smith), the late Sekou Sundiata (Grammy nominated poet and playwright) and the Hispanic Heritage foundation. MTV Networks correspondent, Sway hosted the event and noted writer and activist and 2008 candiate for United States Congress, Kevin Powell offered words of reflection. Again, Lyrical Circle brought down the house and nearly 250 people, a standing room only crowd, were moved by the powerful words of our youth. Click Here for images and sponsors.

March 25, 2006 Voices II: Here I Stand at the National Black Theatre Benefit honoring Danny Glover and Sheena Wright, hosted by Kerry Washington and featured inspiring performances by The Lyrical Circle and neo-classic soul artist, Abby Dobson. Nearly 300 people attended this memorable evening filled with laughter, great food and a wonderful ambiance. Click Here for images and sponsors.

June 3 , 2004 Voices I: is held at The Westside Theater. The Brotherhood/Sister Sol honors Elaine Jones (President & Director-Counsel, NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund), Madeline Lee (chief Executive Officer, New York Foundation), and Cesar Perales (President & General Counsel, Puerto Rican Legal Defense and Educational Fund). The event was hosted by Rah Digga and over 200 people attend the celebration and are moved by the powerful words of courage and creativity offered by Lyrical Circle, our award winning poetry collective, and view an art exhibit featuring the artwork of our members. Click Here for images and sponsors

Additional Events

June 10 , 2010 The Friends of The Brotherhood/Sister Sol hosted the summer party Sankofa Raices at Dash Gallery/DD 172 in Tribeca. With open bar and the sounds of DJ Reborn and DJ Ben on the 1 and 2s, over 100 guests partied to raise money for our summer programs Summer Day Camp, Youth Employment Opportunity Program and the International Study Program to Ghana. Each guest received a complimentary gift bag including a custom Bro/Sis "Celebrating 15 Years" t-shirt printed by DD 172. Event Sponsors: Belvedere, Winebow, Cola Lacaye, Sonu Water; Wilhemina Brown Event Photographer: Jessie Adler Invite Designer: Ariana Proehl, Ariana Aguilar.
Click here for event slideshow

December 5 , 2007 The Brotherhood/Sister Sol and the Diversity Committee of Paul Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison LLP hosts a panel discussion entitled, "Getting Rich by Giving Back" featuring panelists who have demostrated their commitment to public and community service while pursuing personal and career success at some of the world's top institutions. 125 attendees are informed by the highly engaging panel moderated by Susan Chapman (Global Head of Operations, Citi Realty Services) and featuring a panel of Ted Wells (litigation Partner, Paul Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison LLP), Derick Cephas (President & CEO, Amalgamated Bank), Kevin Powell (2008 Democratic Candiate for US Congress) and Andrea L. Mason (Director of External Partnerships, Global Workforce Diversity, Citi). Click Here for Flier of event.

April 4, 2009 The Friends of The Brotherhood/Sister Sol hosts "We Wear the Masks: Masquerade 2" featuring DJ Eli Efi and DJ Reborn at the Rush Arts Gallery. Over 100 guests partied for a cause – raising money for this year’s International Study Program to Brazil.
Event Sponsor: Citi; Event Photographer: Jessie Adler; Invite Designer: Valerie Caesar (BHSS staff). Click Here for event slideshow.