Contemporary performing arts and culture of the African Diaspora

Emily Anadu, a visionary in global brand and data-based marketing, with the help of 4 friends, founded The Lay Out in June 2020, a Brooklyn-based community platform dedicated to centering Black joy through Black expression, social impact and cooperative economics. With a career spanning diverse industries including confectionery, wearable technology, and gaming, Emily is renowned for leveraging authentic cultural connections to drive brands growth. Notable roles include Senior Product Manager and Director of Marketing for the Dragon Ball and Street Fighter videogame franchises, respectively, and Nike’s Global Product Marketing Director for the SNKRS app, where she helped introduce groundbreaking initiatives. Emily’s commitment to community building extends beyond her role as CEO of The Lay Out; she serves on Brooklyn’s Community Board 2 and was a founding board member of NY Forever, a post-pandemic recovery non-profit. Based in Fort Greene, Brooklyn, Emily enjoys boxing, cooking, and nurturing her plant collection. Her journey exemplifies a profound dedication to community building, empowerment and social impact.

Cynthia Gordy Giwa is a writer, filmmaker and founder of the online publication Black-Owned Brooklyn, which she runs with her husband Tayo Giwa. Through the website and Instagram account, established in 2018, she documents and preserves stories of Black business, culture and history that are often erased in gentrifying communities.

Cynthia and Tayo also collaborate on documentary filmmaking. Their latest work, The Sun Rises in The East (2022), chronicles the history of The East, a pan-African cultural organization built by young people in 1970’s Bedford-Stuyvesant. Their short film Soul Summit: Doin’ It in the Park (2000) tells the story of Fort Greene’s iconic Soul Summit house music party.

In addition, Cynthia and Tayo curate and produce large-scale events that celebrate Black culture, creativity and community. These projects have included a notable holiday pop-up at Atlantic Center showcasing 50 local Black businesses, as well as an annual Juneteenth Food Festival held in collaboration with Weeksville Heritage Center.

Cynthia’s commitment to amplifying Black voices extends to her extensive body of writing on how race, class and gender collide with public policy. With nearly a decade of journalistic experience, she served as Essence’s first White House correspondent and the magazine’s news editor, as well as senior political correspondent at The Root. Her work has also appeared in Slate, The Washington Post and NPR.

As the former deputy communications director at the racial justice organization Advancement Project, Cynthia spearheaded local and national media strategy for campaigns on voting rights, juvenile justice and police brutality. In her role as director of marketing for ProPublica, she expanded the newsroom’s stories beyond the website with dynamic editorial events nationwide.

Cynthia lives in Bedford-Stuyvesant.

Erica Harper is currently the Vice President of Learning and Engagement at Weeksville Heritage Center in Brooklyn, NY. In her role, she is responsible for the vision, strategy, and implementation of both the education and programming departments. Previously Erica served as Head of PK12 Initiatives at The Phillips Collection, a museum of modern and contemporary art in Washington, DC where she provided vision and strategy for the museum’s school partnerships. Central to her work was ensuring that these programs were culturally responsive and supported diversity, equity, access, and inclusion. She managed Phillips’ team of educators who provide engaging experiences across museum audiences – including students, families, and older adults. Her passion for education was deepened during her decade-long tenure at a local DC non-profit called “Live It Learn It,” which focused on experiential learning. There she developed an intimate understanding of the DC educational landscape, particularly its schools, museums, and monuments. She also cultivated partnerships and relationships with professionals locally, regionally, and nationally. Erica received her bachelor’s degree in sociology from Duke University in 2005 and was raised in Memphis, Tennessee. Her favorite author is Toni Morrison and she is an August-born Virgo sun.

Fatima Jones is an accomplished cultural strategist and a seasoned marketing, public relations, and reputation management leader. Recently appointed Chief Marketing and Communications Officer at Dance Theatre of Harlem, she oversees all facets of integrated marketing and communications, including advertising, social media, press, audience development, and design.

With a track record of success, Fatima previously held the position of Chief Marketing and Communications Officer at The Apollo, where she spearheaded numerous impactful campaigns for the renowned institution, including the opening of The Apollo Stages at The Victoria.

As the former Director of Communications at the Brooklyn Museum, she led media relations and social media efforts for high-profile exhibitions such as David Bowie Is, and We Wanted A Revolution: Black Radical Women.

She has extensive arts management experience spanning nearly a decade at BAM and consultancy work with esteemed organizations like 651 ARTS and Ronald K. Brown/Evidence Dance Company.

She is a former Bessies Dance and Performance Awards voter and has served on many granting panels, including NYSCA and the Mid-Atlantic Arts Foundation. She has been recognized for her contributions to the field, with features in Essence, PRSA, and PRNet, and has been a guest on various podcasts, including Smart Communications and Deep in The Work.

Fatima is a member of Sigma Gamma Rho Sorority, Inc., PRSA, and Color Comm, and she is deeply engaged in her community.

Based in Brooklyn, New York, she balances her professional achievements with her roles as a mother, wife, sister, and friend.

Connect with Fatima on LinkedIn at @FatimaJones.