We hosted our second Black Family Wellness Expo in tandem with the Metro-Manhattan Chapter of The Links, Incorporated on Saturday, March 21, 2026. The day was a powerful expression of service, partnership, and community impact in the heart of Harlem. This free and open to all community event was held at the state-of-the-art Dr. Calvin O. Butts III Educational & Cultural Center at Abyssinian Baptist Church. This year’s Expo welcomed over 300 participants and brought together more than 30 community partners committed to advancing health and wellness across generations. From the Mount Sinai Mammography Mobile Unit providing lifesaving breast cancer screenings to on-site health screeners offering critical preventive care, the day was grounded in access, education, and early intervention. Attendees benefited from a wide range of services including colorectal eligibility screenings, STI testing, blood pressure monitoring, and more, ensuring that care was both comprehensive and accessible in one place. We also provided families with a delicious, thoughtfully prepared lunch while they engaged in meaningful conversations about their health and wellbeing.
Beyond screenings and education, the Expo delivered tangible support to meet every day needs. We partnered with Food Bank For New York City to provide families with healthy pantry staples, while the Links Baby Bank provided essential diaper giveaways to support parents and caregivers. We offered a host of door prizes, raffles, and giveaways throughout the day to sustain the excitement throughout the day, which was complemented by music from our DJ that kept the room vibrant with joy, from the Electric Slide to a full Soul Train line. The Kiddie Corner created a warm, engaging space for children, ensuring the entire family could participate fully in the experience, while our calm meditation session offered a moment of stillness and restoration amid the day’s activities.
A highlight of the day was our compelling panel discussion, “State of Harlem: Black Family Wellness,” featuring board-certified physicians and healthcare experts who led an honest, solutions-oriented conversation about the realities and opportunities shaping community health. We created an event to meet the needs of our Harlem community while equipping them to take charge of their health and wellbeing.
We are thankful to our sponsor T-Mobile and all of our community partners who made the event possible.
