programs & events

Join us for an eye-opening conversation featuring clips from Critical Condition: Health in Black America, the powerful NOVA and Firelight Films documentary by Oscar-nominated filmmaker Stanley Nelson. The film investigates why Black Americans are nearly twice as likely to suffer from high blood pressure, diabetes, and heart disease—and why their life expectancy is five years shorter than White Americans—despite no meaningful genetic differences between races.

Featured voices from the film will discuss its themes and the pressing realities of health and equity today, exploring how pseudoscientific myths about race continue to influence medicine and how the lived experience of discrimination impacts the health of Black Americans. This session connects history, science, and lived reality, offering an urgent dialogue on health equity and justice.

The conversation will be followed by a reception, offering space to continue the dialogue and connect with fellow attendees. The full film is available to stream for free on PBS.

Partner and Sponsor
We are honored to collaborate with NOVA to bring this session to life and are grateful for their generous support, which made it possible.

Partners
Thank you to Howard University Hospital, the Georgetown-Howard Center for Medical Humanities and Health Justice, WETA, and WHUT for their partnership.

Speakers:

• Cyndee Readdean: Producer, Critical Condition
• Dr. Joseph Wright: Senior Vice President and Chief Health Equity Officer, American Academy of Pediatrics
• Dr. Vanessa Northington Gamble: University Professor of Medical Humanities, Professor of Medicine, and Professor of Health Policy and American Studies, George Washington University
• Michon Boston: Founder, Michon Boston Group | Moderator

Directed by Christine Swanson, Albany Road follows Celeste as she prepares for an important work trip, only to find herself sharing a tense car ride with her ex-fiancé’s mother, Paula.

After the film, join us for an honest and revealing community dialogue on improving how we share our lives and thoughts with the people we love.

Sponsor
Presented through support from The Black Leadership AIDS
Crisis Coalition powered by AHF

Speakers

• Lisa Arrindell: Actor
• Christine Swanson: Director
• Dr. Henry Gregory: Clinical Psychologist in Community Mental Health and Family Systems
• Sonja Richmond: Hospice Medical Director, Blue Ridge Hospice

Each year, the March On! Festival hosts a powerful film competition that showcases the work of emerging and student filmmakers using their craft to explore civil rights, social justice, and equity.

Step into the glittering world of the Harlem Renaissance, where art, politics, and pleasure converged in a swirl of brilliance and defiance. Inspired by the legendary gatherings at A’Lelia Walker’s Dark Tower salon—the top floor of her Harlem townhouse on 136th Street—this closing celebration channels the glamour, intellect, and audacity of an era that redefined Black creativity. The Dark Tower was the gathering space for the luminaries of the day—artists, writers, musicians, poets, their patrons, and friends from Walker’s travels abroad.

Poetry drifts through the crowd, an aerialist twists gracefully overhead, and the rhythms shift through an intellectual and emotional journey on the history of Black music—from the swing of the 1920s to the grooves of funk, the pulse of hip hop, and the global beat of Afro Beats. A spirited conversation between A’Lelia Bundles, granddaughter of the original “Joy Goddess,” and March On! Artistic Director Isisara Bey will bring to life the stories, style, and cultural impact of Walker’s famed salon, connecting its legacy to the artistry and activism of today.

Thought-provoking dialogue intertwines with artistry, as reflections on legacy mingle seamlessly with the thrill of the moment. Laughter mingles with the clink of glasses, rich flavors tempt your palate, and a table of carefully curated books invites you to take a piece of the experience home.

More than a party, it’s a living tribute to a cultural awakening—an afternoon to be inspired, to connect, and to carry the spark forward.

Special Guests:

• A’Lelia Bundles, author of Joy Goddess: A'Lelia Walker and the Harlem Renaissance, the vibrant biography of her great-grandmother and daughter of Madam C.J. Walker.
• Dr. Msia Kibona Clark, Associate Professor of African Studies, College of Arts & Sciences, Howard University
• Chi Akano, aerialist
• DJ R WE ON THE AIR?!
• Bookstore Activation by Mahogany Books