3 minute read
Urbanology
HARLEM COMMUNITY NEWSPAPERS URBANOLOGY The Soul City Network Has Arrived
By: W.A.Rogers
Advertisement
On August 24th, the Soul City Network (SCN) will launch its highly an ticipated global website. SCN will be a fully Black owned network using a global platform support ed by Verizon (for further information, visit www. soulcity.me). SCN will also feature demand pro gramming featured on Apple TV, Amazon, Veri zon, Spectrum and Comcast. SCN is currently on Roku. Many are viewing SCN to be a future “black Netflix”.
Matt McCoy, CEO/ Founder of SCN, is in the process of establishing SCN divisions in Atlan ta, Los Angeles, Miami, Chicago, Africa, London, the Caribbean islands, Brazil, Canada, and Asia. There is also a strong fo cus on creating the Soul City Latin Division. SCN will become a distribution platform focused on the creativity, arts, and cul ture of people of color all over the world.
This year HARLEM WEEK and the Harlem Jazz and Music Festival (which can be found on www.harlemweek.com) will be virtual due to COVID-19. The virtual celebration will last from August 16th to August 23rd. Soul City will pro mote HW/HMF events and continue to program HMF activities from Au gust 24th to August 27th as was planned before COVID-19.
SCN will also be fea turing the African American Women in Cinema Film Festival. The Film Festival will continue its 22-year-old tradition during this period of vir tual programming. The showcase of films will feature 5 black, female filmmakers.
The special film show case will be held as an on-demand pay-per-view event. The portions of the proceeds will be donated to the film festival artists and the Greater Harlem Chamber of Commerce’s (GHCC) campaign to support Harlem fundrais ing. The GHCC supports the Harlem initiative and has raised funds to feed up to 1,400 families per week with a special lo cation where out-of-work artists can receive grocer ies.
The concert held on August 27th will feature Carl Thomas; it will be co-sponsored by The Har lem Tourism Board. The event will continue the HW/HMF’s celebration of the 100th anniversary of the first Harlem Re naissance. There will also be a strong focus on the 57th anniversary of the Black Lives Matter march on Washington, where Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. delivered his famous “I Have A Dream” speech.
On August 28th, Rev. Al Sharpton and members of Dr. King’s family will join civil rights leaders and the families of black men and women who were slain by police of ficers during a rally that took place on the same Lincoln Memorial steps where Dr. King gave his speech in 1963. This event will be virtual to accommodate those who will not be able to make the trip to Washington.
If you would like ad ditional information on the virtual HW/HMF, visit the Harlem WEEK website or the Soul City website. Both address es are mentioned above. If you would like to be a vendor during HARLEM WEEK’s virtual vending option, visit the HW web site or send an email to wmajette@harlemdiscov er.com.
If you would like more detailed information and sponsorship opportunities for SCN, send an email to soulcityinfo@gmail. com. I am very excited to be part of the SCN team and I invite you to join us at the SCN launch on Au gust 24th. There, we will make history by provid ing a platform for global urban broadcasting fo cused on people of color and their experiences of the past, present, and the future.
Answers to Puzzle on page 20
Dr. George Williams
