BLACK HISTORY COMES ALIVE™: A Masterpiece Concert in Living History™

Come as the Ancestors. Come as the Icons. Come as the Story.

BLACK HISTORY COMES ALIVE™ is a groundbreaking Black History Month concert that turns traditional performance into a living museum of Black history. This concert invites both performers and audience members to arrive in Cultural Tribute Attire honoring Black historical figures, cultural icons, movements, and ancestral legacies. Rather than observing history from a distance, participants become history, walking, singing, dancing, and gathering as living embodiments of Black excellence across centuries and continents.

This Masterpiece Concert blends music, dance, spoken word, and visual storytelling to celebrate the breadth of the Black experience, from Africa to the Diaspora, from resistance to renaissance, from ancestral wisdom to future vision.

By placing costumed icons among the audience, the concert dissolves the boundary between stage and spectator, creating an interactive, intergenerational cultural encounter where history breathes, speaks, and sings.

Presented by: New York African Chorus Ensemble, Inc.

Location: P.S./I.S, 210 Twenty First Century Academy for Community Leadership 501 West 152nd Street (on Amsterdam Ave.)NY, NY 10031 (C Level)

Date: Sat., February 21, 2026

Time: 5 PM -9 PM

Admission: FREE

Who’s invited: Youth, elders, artists, families, and community members

Participants are encouraged to dress in Cultural Tribute Attire representing:

• Black historical figures (e.g., Harriet Tubman, Malcolm X, Nina Simone, James Baldwin, Fela Kuti, etc.)
• Cultural movements (e.g., Harlem Renaissance, Civil Rights Era, Afrofuturism, and Hip-Hop Golden Age)
• African royalty and ancestral heritage (e.g., African kings & queens, Orisa-inspired attire, and Diaspora traditions)
• Creative interpretations (e.g., Spirit of Freedom, Black Excellence, Mother Africa, and Future Ancestors)

This is not about perfection. It is about honoring a figure, a movement, or a moment in Black history.

HONORING THE BUILDERS, HEALERS & CREATORS OF BLACK HISTORY

This marketplace is more than a place to shop; it is a living extension of Black History.

Across Africa and the African Diaspora, Black people have always been traders, artisans, healers, farmers, cooks, spiritual leaders, and entrepreneurs. Long before modern economies, our ancestors built systems of trade, medicine, beauty, food, and craftsmanship that sustained entire civilizations.

Each vendor here has been thoughtfully invited to represent a Historical Icon or Cultural Tradition.
As you explore the marketplace, we invite you to learn, engage, support Black-owned businesses, and celebrate the enduring brilliance of Black culture.

Grow your business while supporting cultural arts in the community.

Retail Vendor Fee: $50 (includes table & chair)

Food Vendor Fee: $75 (includes table & chair). Note: Food vendors, please sell $10 sample packages.

Refund Policy: No refunds are available.

Space is limited!

Audience Choice Award – $300 prize

Best Group Tribute - $200 prize

Best Youth Tribute - Certificate

Best Afro-Futurist Look - $100 prize

Best Afrocentric Tribute- $100 prize

Winners receive: Cash prizes, Certificates, Featured photos on NYACE website & social media, and or Gift Cards.

Help bring history to life! Join our volunteer team. Volunteers are needed before and during the event.

At a time when history is often questioned or erased,BLACK HISTORY COMES ALIVE™ affirms Black presence, brilliance, and contribution, placing our heroes among us, visible, honored, and alive.

Follow and tag us :

Facebook: @wearenyace

Instagram: @ny_africanchorusensemble

Sponsors

This program is supported in part by public funds from Assemblyman Al Talyor, New York City Department of Cultural Affairs in partnership with the City Council and Council Members Gale Brewer and Shaun Abreu. Additional funding is provided by West Harlem Development Corporation.

This activity is not sponsored or endorsed by the New York City Department of Education.

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Host or Publisher New York African Chorus Ensemble, Inc.