June 2026
Pathways to Power
2026 West Harlem Summit
June 5 – 7, 2026
West Harlem · Governors Island · New York City
Presented by The LOHM & West Harlem Development Corporation
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About the Summit
Three days of healing, leadership, and community power.
The 2026 West Harlem Summit is a three-day gathering that brings together the West Harlem community, allies, and community leaders committed to transformation, healing, and leadership. The summit features a FOWI Rewriting Herstory Book Tour Stop, breakout workshops on financial wellness, digital literacy, mental health, and public speaking, a short film screening with talk-back, and intimate Women Over Dinner experiences.
Through storytelling, shared learning, and creative expression, attendees will walk away with tangible tools and a renewed sense of connection. Programming is designed for justice-impacted individuals and their families, with a focus on reentry resources, economic empowerment, and community healing.
This summit centers the stories, leadership, and brilliance of those most impacted by the criminal legal system.
“When people who have been through the system pick up the mic, the pen, or the camera, they don’t just tell their story. They change who gets to shape the narrative.”
WOW X WE NATION RE ENTRY SUMMIT 2024 RECAP
The Weekend
Three Days. Four Venues. One Community.
Day One
Friday, June 5
Osbourne Association · Bookstore TBD
Rewriting Her Story Book Talk
A powerful conversation around the FOWI book collection, stories of resilience, healing, and transformation from justice-impacted women.
FOWI Book TourOne Decision Workshop
Khalid Barber, author of One Decision, leads a workshop for young adults ages 17 to 24 on choices, transformation, and building your path forward.
Youth WorkshopGrow with Google Workshop
Nia Crosby leads an intro to digital skills, professional email, online tools, and job readiness through Grow with Google.
Digital SkillsBook Talk at Bookstore
An evening book talk and conversation, venue to be announced. A space for storytelling, community, and connection.
FOWI Book TourDay Two
Saturday, June 6
Dwyer Cultural Center, West Harlem
Registration & Community Welcome
Check-in, light breakfast, resource tables, and music by a local DJ. Community resource hallway open with reentry services, housing support, mental health providers, and workforce programs.
Opening Ceremony: Why We’re Here
Welcome from The LOHM and West Harlem Development Corporation. Grounding exercise to set a healing tone for the day.
Morning Keynote: From Surviving to Leading
A justice-impacted leader shares a personal story of reentry, healing, and community leadership. Focus on hope, agency, and the power of collective organizing.
KeynoteCommunity Lunch & Resource Fair
Catered lunch with Lightning Talks from legal aid, housing advocacy, and youth programs. Resource fair continues throughout.
Breakout Workshops, Block 1
Four concurrent sessions: Mental Health & Healing, Grow with Google Digital Literacy, Financial Wellness with Frsh, and Branding & Storytelling Using AI with Starling Thomas.
Choose Your TrackThree concurrent sessions: Public Speaking & Entrepreneurship with Lucinda Cross, Advanced Digital Literacy, and Reentry & Rights panel.
Choose Your TrackShort Film Screening & Talk-Back
A short film screening followed by a moderated conversation on storytelling, representation, and the power of film.
FilmClosing Plenary & Celebration
Report-backs from each track, community visioning, acknowledgments, and a raffle. Music, photos, and resource packets.
Sunday, June 7
Filmshop House, Governors Island
Behind the Lens: Filmmaker Workshop
An intimate workshop led by Starling Thomas, justice-impacted documentary and narrative filmmaker and founder of The LOHM. A journey through lived experience, craft, and why who holds the camera matters.
Invite OnlyPrivate Film Screening
A closed, invite-only screening on Governors Island, followed by a pause for reflection.
Private ScreeningTalk-Back: What You Saw & What It Stirred
An intimate conversation between Starling and invited guests. Not a panel, a dialogue about storytelling as resistance, reclaiming narrative, and what felt true.
Women Over Dinner
An intimate, invite-only dinner honoring the strength and brilliance of justice-impacted women. Candlelit dinner with affirmations, conversation cards, and a guest storyteller. A toast to transformation.
6:00 to 8:00 PMSaturday Workshops
Choose your path.
Mental Health & Healing
Licensed Therapist + Peer Leaders
Facilitated healing circle on trauma, grief, depression, anxiety, and stigma. Practical tools for grounding and accessing free mental health care.
Grow with Google: Digital Literacy
Nia Crosby
Hands-on workshop: professional email, résumé building, Google Drive, online safety, and job searching. Support for those new to computers or returning from incarceration.
Fresh Start Financial Wellness
Frsh
Budgeting on irregular income, understanding credit, dealing with debt, opening bank accounts, and planning for housing, education, and business.
Branding & Storytelling Using AI
Starling Thomas
Build your personal brand and tell your story using AI tools. Hands-on session on content creation, digital platforms, and amplifying your narrative across mediums.
Public Speaking & Entrepreneurship
Lucinda Cross
Speaking with confidence in interviews, court, and community meetings. Turning skills into services, pricing, marketing, and accessing microgrants.
Reentry & Rights
Legal Advocates & Lived Experience Panel
Rights at work with a record, discrimination protections, voting, parole navigation, and community organizing around policy change.
Sunday Evening
Women Over Dinner
An intimate, invite-only dinner honoring the strength and brilliance of justice-impacted women. A space for healing, connection, and restoration, the summit’s closing act of sisterhood.
Sunday, June 7 · 6:00 to 8:00 PM · Invite Only