The New York Association of Black Journalists invites supporters to gather for a fundraising evening honoring achievement, fellowship, and the enduring power of Black media.

The New York Association of Black Journalists is preparing for an evening that brings together elegance, community purpose, and contemporary style through its Sneaker Ball and Awards Ceremony fundraising event. Set for Friday, October 23, 2026, the occasion is presented as a signature gathering for supporters of journalism, culture, and civic connection in New York City.

At the center of the invitation is Cynthia Horner, president of NYABJ and CEO of Right On! Magazine and Right On! Digital. Her presence anchors the announcement with a sense of history, leadership, and continuity, linking the traditions of Black journalism with the evolving platforms that continue to shape public conversation.

The event will take place from 6 p.m. to 10:30 p.m. at the Alhambra Ballroom, located at 2116 Adam Clayton Powell Jr. Boulevard in New York, New York 10027. The venue places the gathering in Harlem, a neighborhood long associated with cultural influence, creative excellence, public leadership, and the work of institutions that have shaped American life.

The Sneaker Ball and Awards Ceremony carries a distinct personality. It blends formal recognition with the accessible spirit of sneaker culture, creating a setting where achievement can be celebrated without losing the warmth and individuality of the people who sustain it. That combination gives the event a modern character while remaining grounded in the values of professional distinction.

The invitation’s visual language reflects that balance. Deep blue, gold accents, a formal ballroom sensibility, and sneaker imagery all work together to signal an evening that is polished, festive, and rooted in community. The design presents the gathering as both celebratory and purposeful, giving the fundraiser a strong sense of identity before guests even arrive.

A President’s Invitation

Cynthia Horner’s role in the event gives the fundraiser a personal and organizational center. As NYABJ president, she represents a chapter devoted to supporting Black journalists, strengthening professional networks, and advancing visibility within the media industry. As CEO of Right On! Magazine and Right On! Digital, she also brings a recognizable legacy connected to entertainment, youth culture, celebrity storytelling, and Black cultural documentation.

Right On! Magazine has long held a place in the cultural memory of readers who followed music, television, film, and popular culture through a lens that recognized young Black audiences with seriousness and enthusiasm. Right On! Digital extends that sensibility into the present, where media platforms continue to adapt to new habits, new audiences, and new forms of influence.

By placing Horner at the center of the announcement, the invitation emphasizes leadership that understands both tradition and change. The media landscape has transformed dramatically, yet the need for thoughtful coverage, ethical reporting, mentorship, and representation remains constant. That continuity gives the fundraiser a purpose beyond the evening itself.

The New York Association of Black Journalists, established in 1976, stands within that larger story. The organization’s name on the invitation signals a professional community with decades of commitment behind it. Its members and supporters are part of a broader network of journalists, editors, producers, photographers, digital creators, educators, students, and communications professionals who contribute to the public record.

A fundraiser of this nature helps sustain the work that happens between public ceremonies. It supports the infrastructure of connection, the programs, sponsorship opportunities, tables, tickets, promotional partnerships, and outreach that allow professional associations to remain visible and effective.

The Sneaker Ball format also reflects the cultural fluency of the organization. Sneakers are more than casual footwear in contemporary style. They are tied to sport, music, fashion, entrepreneurship, design, neighborhood identity, and personal expression. Bringing them into an awards ceremony creates an atmosphere where guests can honor accomplishment while arriving with individuality.

That approach is especially well suited to a media organization. Journalism is built on observation, voice, context, and presence. A room filled with honorees, supporters, and guests in formal attire paired with sneakers becomes a living portrait of modern professional culture, respectful of tradition while open to reinvention.

The Alhambra Ballroom provides an appropriate home for the occasion. Its Harlem address, on Adam Clayton Powell Jr. Boulevard, connects the event to a corridor associated with public service, Black history, and cultural momentum. For guests arriving at the ballroom, the location itself will be part of the evening’s meaning.

Fundraising events often succeed because they create a sense of participation. Guests are not simply attending a program. They are helping sustain a mission. In this case, the mission is tied to journalism, representation, and the continued presence of Black professionals in the media spaces that inform public understanding.

The invitation encourages supporters to explore sponsorship packages, tables, promotional opportunities, and tickets. This range of participation allows individuals, companies, community partners, and media allies to support the fundraiser at different levels. It also reflects the practical work required to build a successful evening.

The early bird price is listed at $150 and marked as extended, giving interested guests additional time to secure a place at the event. The invitation also includes a QR code for tickets and event details, making the path from interest to participation direct and convenient.

A Celebration of Recognition

Awards ceremonies carry special importance in professional communities because they create public moments of affirmation. They allow peers to acknowledge work that might otherwise remain behind deadlines, production schedules, editorial meetings, field reporting, interviews, research, and the daily demands of media life.

For Black journalists, recognition also carries a broader significance. It acknowledges the skill required to report, produce, write, edit, photograph, host, and create while often navigating industries where representation and access have required sustained advocacy. Events such as this one offer space to honor that labor in a setting designed for celebration.

The Sneaker Ball and Awards Ceremony suggests an evening built for both recognition and connection. Guests may arrive to support honorees, reconnect with colleagues, meet emerging journalists, learn about NYABJ initiatives, or align their brands and institutions with a respected professional organization.

The fundraiser’s tone is clear. It is elegant without being distant, festive without losing focus, and contemporary without abandoning tradition. The image of sneakers against a refined gold and blue design captures the personality of the event with immediate clarity.

Cynthia Horner’s inclusion as president further humanizes the invitation. Rather than presenting the event only as an institutional announcement, the flyer frames it as a message from leadership. That choice gives the fundraiser warmth and direction.

The presence of Right On! within the invitation also broadens the cultural reach of the evening. Right On! Magazine and Right On! Digital connect the event to entertainment journalism and popular culture, fields that have helped shape how generations have understood celebrity, music, youth identity, and Black creativity.

NYABJ’s work exists within a media environment that continues to change quickly. Digital platforms, social channels, streaming, newsletters, podcasts, and independent publishing have expanded who can tell stories and how audiences receive them. At the same time, core journalistic values remain essential, including accuracy, fairness, depth, accountability, and trust.

A gathering like the Sneaker Ball and Awards Ceremony creates room to celebrate both heritage and possibility. It allows established professionals and newer voices to occupy the same space, reinforcing the idea that strong media communities are built through relationships as much as individual achievement.

The event’s fundraising purpose adds another layer of importance. Financial support can help organizations maintain programming, strengthen member services, develop opportunities, and build visibility for future initiatives. In that sense, every ticket, table, sponsorship, and promotional partnership contributes to a larger ecosystem.

The invitation’s message is also deliberately accessible. It provides the essential details clearly, including date, time, place, ticket direction, and contact information. For sponsorship packages, tables, promotional opportunities, and tickets, guests are directed to contact president@nyabj.org, keeping the event’s leadership and planning channels visible.

The design’s inclusion of the phrase Right On! gives the announcement an unmistakable note of encouragement. It functions as a cultural signature and a gesture of affirmation, fitting naturally with a night created to recognize excellence and gather support.

For attendees, the evening offers the chance to participate in a celebration shaped by purpose. The formal setting, the awards component, the sneaker theme, and the fundraising mission all point toward an event that values style, substance, and community presence in equal measure.

For sponsors and partners, the fundraiser offers a visible association with Black journalism and New York media culture. Supporting such an event can signal investment in professional development, cultural storytelling, and the institutions that help strengthen public life.

For emerging journalists, the occasion may offer inspiration through proximity. Being in a room where achievement is recognized can matter deeply. It can help reinforce that careers are built through discipline, relationships, mentorship, and sustained commitment to the craft.

For established professionals, the event provides a moment to reflect on the field’s progress and continuing responsibilities. Journalism depends on people willing to ask careful questions, document lived experience, and bring public attention to stories that matter.

The Sneaker Ball and Awards Ceremony is positioned as a fundraiser, yet it is also a statement of identity. It tells supporters that NYABJ values celebration, professionalism, cultural relevance, and the collective power of showing up.

As October 23, 2026, approaches, the invitation offers a clear call to gather at the Alhambra Ballroom in support of an organization with deep roots and a forward-facing mission. With Cynthia Horner as president, NYABJ’s Sneaker Ball and Awards Ceremony stands as an evening designed to honor accomplishment, encourage participation, and celebrate the enduring role of Black journalists in shaping the stories of New York and beyond.