Harlem’s Biggest Night

Harlem, on October 18, had a taste of a grand night with the Legacy Tribute Dinner, a “Celebration of 55 Years of Soul” hosted by the one and only, son of Harlem, the legendary Doug E. Fresh. The Harlem Cultural Festival Foundation (HCFF), under the auspices of Harlem’s very own natives, Musa Jackson and Nikoa Evans, spared no efforts in ensuring the re-establishment of the foundation and its mission is front and center. The fundraising gala was in support of Harlem Cultural Foundation’s efforts to honor the legacy of the HCFF 1969 Founder Tony Lawrence and his mission to establish a cultural & musical experience in Harlem annually while generating resources for the Harlem community. The gala had some of the best of Harlem natives, well accomplished celebrated luminaries from far and wide in attendance. Musical tributes to the music legends of the 1969 historic Harlem Cultural Festival were performed by several notable musical greats-in-waiting, who all had the guests on their feet dancing for most of the night. A superb time was had by all.

Watch the event video and musical performances posted on Instagram.

Co-founders Musa Jackson and Nikoa Evans

Host, Doug E. Fresh

Share on TwitterShare via email

Must Love Flaws

Yes! If there’s one thing we all humans possess, it’s definitely flaws! No one is spared, and no amount of elective surgery can alter that either. The same goes for emotional flaws. Fashion Model Bethany Chasteen has taken it upon herself to initiate a rather unique charitable endeavor, using her own flaws as a prime example, to celebrate, uplift and empower individuals that have experienced deep life altering physical and emotional trauma. She herself underwent grave medical alteration at the young age of 4. She is living with Sickle Cell Anemia, which led to life-saving emergency surgery of spleen removal and a significant scar across her abdomen.

The “Love Flaws Foundation” initiative offers individuals with visible scars or emotional trauma a unique opportunity to share their stories and highlight their strength through fashion and art. I had the opportunity of hearing some of these stories first hand at the 2nd annual photoshoot celebration of Love Flaws. Stories ranged from an individual who lost her baby at 14 months old to a genetic disorder, another member was abused numerous times while in foster homes, to several others with various forms of physical and medical disabilities.

Bethany created this to empower individuals to embrace their own flaws, promote self-love, and challenge societal standards of beauty. Fashion powerhouse, Cult of Individuality, generously hosted and donated their swanky showroom space in the garment district for the photoshoot event. Love Flaws is an all-inclusive non-profit organization.

See the video from the event posted on Instagram.

Foumder of Love Flaws, Bethany Chasteen

Share on TwitterShare via email

MAD About Barbie

Barbie lovers, afficionado and addicts, myself included! Listen up! Your prayers have been answered! Many of you in the great state of New York, in the doll community have expressed countless desires to trek up north to peruse the much talked about Barbie Museum in Canada! Cry no more, the gawds of plastic has delivered the goods right here in the heart of the big apple. That’ll save you bundle in hotel and airfare!

The world renowned, art forward and edgy Museum of Arts and Design ( MAD), is dedicating 2 premium floors in its landmark institution to a ground breaking Barbie exhibition spanning decades, right on the heel of a very successful run of Taylor Swift exhibition. What a befitting follow up!

I had the honor and privilege of attending a very festive opening gala, the MAD Ball, and a vivacious after party, held in its honor last night at the Museum. The festive fête included recognizing and honoring one of Mattel’s (Barbie) leading designers, Robert Best, who has spent over 30 years crafting some of the brand’s most remarkable collectible Barbies. His sketches could rival any Parisian atelier sketchers. No surprise there considering he had his training foundation at a New York fashion school.

The exhibition, which includes the very young lady of 65 years old who started it all, the coveted #1 Barbie, and other highly sort after collectibles, such as the Karl Lagerfeld Barbie, the original Ken doll to the very first Black Barbie designed by Kitty Perkins almost 50 years ago.

The “Barbie, A Cultural Icon” exhibition” will run from October 19, 2024 to March 16, 2025. I’m grateful and thankful to my dear friend Barbara Tober for making sure I didn’t miss this remarkable opportunity.

Watch the opening night festivities and sneak peek at the exhibition on instagram.

Robert Best

Share on TwitterShare via email

Combat at the Garden

The highly anticipated “Combat at the Garden”, featuring the Kick-Boxing World Championship, concluded with resounding success at Madison Square Garden on October 4, 2024. The sold out event had millions of online viewers as they showcased world-class athletes competing for the coveted title. I introduced our very own, my good friend, the vivacious multihyphanated, Tinu Naija, to the founder of ICN, Inc, (Information, Communication, Network) David Sexta, who secured her to interview the winning athletes at the World Championship event after meeting her at her recent birthday bash. Tinu, who always looks like she stepped out of the pages of a magazine wearing a gold sequin jumpsuit, a vintage gold printed silk scarf by Robert Cavalli and jewels by Kenneth Jay Lane, literally took over the giant screen jumbotrons at the Madison Square Garden during her on-air interviews of the athletes! And to think it was her first time ever setting foot in the building. She certainly made her mark in style! David Sexta expressed his enthusiasm: “The overwhelming response to ‘Combat at the Garden’ demonstrates the power of innovative partnerships in the streaming industry.”

The event illustrated a seamless integration of in-person and digital experiences.The partnership between ICN Inc. and Triller TV, with its 8 million subscribers, was a clear game-changer in the world of sports entertainment. Triller TV is a rapidly growing streaming platform, known for its diverse content offerings and innovative approach to digital entertainment. Clearly, expect more great things from these companies.

Crowd favorite Irakli Ghvinjilia, for whom David Sexta served as an interpreter during his interview with Tinu, took home the top title. Congratulations to all the participants.

Be sure to watch the short reel of Tinu’s interviews posted on instagram

Written by Lorraine Silvetz, special guest blogger at tinuonline.com

Tinu with the winning champion Irakli Ghvinjilia, and David Sexta

Tinu and 1st runner up champion Brandon Cutino

Lorraine Silvetz and her entourage of friends

Share on TwitterShare via email

Nigeria at 64 in NYC!

64 years ago on Oct 1, the great nation of Republic of Nigeria literally dodged the apartheid bullet by gaining independence shortly before discovering vast mineral resources such as oil, among many other things that would have subjected the most populous black country in the world to what their fellow African nation had endured at the hands of their oppressors due to their land serving as home to some of the biggest diamonds in the world. I need not name the countries. Your guess is as good as mine.

Nigerians in diaspora living in New York City and nearby states flocked to the big apple, proudly clad in their beloved countries flag of green and white fineries, took to the iconic Madison Avenue, floats and flags of various sizes in tow. They danced (myself included) in merriment, with pride and joy, enough to attract passersby, who had no idea of what was going on, but instantly felt had the spontaneous inclination to join in on the fun, dancing and waving the Nigerian flags given to them. I’ve never felt more proud as a Nigerian, having covered many a parades here in the city. I felt right at home, amongst my kinsmen, which to me is akin to shouting from a mountain top with immense pride.

The celebration could easily rival any Nigerian wedding, which in itself is iconic and legendary. Nigerians are known to have one of the most elaborate and lavish weddings in the world. The celebration of the Nation’s independence in New York felt more like a week long festivities. Suffice to say, it actually only started few days before, which included a ceremony of Nigeria”s flag being raised in the morning by the bull statue near Wall Street, to the tune of the national anthem with the help of New York City’s Mayor Eric Adams, followed by a sumptuous dinner gala, hosted by the Consulate General Ambassador Abubakar Jidda at the Embassy, the Nigeria House on the actual independence day of Oct 1, and built up to the annual parade the next day. The dinner gala also served as a great opportunity to recognize and award great achievements by Nigerians in diaspora, such as Dr. Philip Ozuah, president & CEO of Montefiore Medicine (who “sprayed” the presenter of his award, OAN President, Tomi Aregbesola, while dancing, several $100 bills!). Others awarded included members of the OAN for their unwaving and selfless dedication to their contributions in keeping the culture of Nigerians alive within the community here in the USA.

The parade, under the auspices of the OAN, the Organization for the Advancement of Nigerians, Inc, with Honorable Judge Olayinka DanSalami at the helm as the Committee Chairman, was previously held at the Dag Hammarskjold Plaza at Turtle Bay, but had to be moved to its current location on Madison Avenue due to an ongoing construction at the previous site. It might have been a devil in disguise because the new parade route ends at the Madison Square Park on 26th street, which also serves as a favorable route for other ethnic group’s parade routes in the city, such as the Persian and Indian Day parades. The location offers a far more visible vantage point at the park, where vendors are set up and could easily be accessible to onlookers who might have never heard about the parade or tried any of the wares offered by Nigeria as a country. Unfortunately, many previous revelers took it upon themselves to go to the previous location out of habit, thus missed out on the occasion.

Nigerians, known for their hardwork, high achievements, resilience and ability to adapt to anywhere and anything, made Madison Avenue a place many would never forget. The affair turned into an Afrobeat outdoor block party. We wouldn’t expect anything less from a Nigerian soiree, considering their the source of the reigning music genre worldwide at the moment. The event unleashed several dances moves from Mayor Eric Adams and the Ambassador himself, who soon tossed aside his ceremonial robe (agbada). They were cutting up! The biggest score of the day was when Nigeran superstar Kcee took over the stage with some of his hits. The increased vibration of energy could be felt several city blocks away. Congratulations to Judge Olayinka DanSalami, Olayinka Sarayi, Tomi Aregbesola, Ibrahim Ahmed, and so many others at the OAN team for pulling this entire operation off flawlessly!

Can we expect this kind of level of excitement and organization going forward? What’s 65th ….dare I say, 70th going to look like? Are we ready? Nigeria kwenu! Nigeria kwenu! Let’s do it again next year! I definitely can’t wait!

Be sure to watch the event’s video on instagram.

Consulate General Ambassador Abubakar Jidda

Mayor Eric Adams

Honorable Judge Olayinka DanSalami

Music artist Kcee

Dr. Philip Ozuah

Share on TwitterShare via email

Africa Day at the Mayor’s House

It was double happiness at the people’s house of NYC last night. Not even the ongoing indictment against Mayor Eric Adams could deter his strong desire to celebrate his beloved African constituents in diaspora. “Africa Day” and Nigerian Independence Day were front and center on his agenda, with one his right hand woman Guinean-American, Aissata Camara at the helm. The Mayor started the auspicious day in the morning with a Nigerian flag raising ceremony in downtown Manhattan, to the tune of the Nation’s anthem. The festivity crescendoed with a lavish bash at the lawn of his official residence uptown. Carefully curated selection of invited esteemed guests feasted on catered/sponsored authentic African cuisines and drinks. The world renowned Jollof Rice was noticeably present and popular amongst the guests. It surprisingly made it into Mayor’s speech, where he cleverly declared (with great risk) the Nigerian jollof as the winner. Taking a job at the world famous never ending “Jollof War” across West African nations.The vibe was exceptionally positive and festive, with guests dressed in their various national attire in honor of the day.

Shortly after the Mayor gave his highly anticipated speech, he made himself accessible to his guests, granting lengthy greetings and photo ops. It was a stark contrast to the Juneteenth celebration months ago in June when he hardly set foot beyond the stage and hopped out behind the curtains and ceased to be seen afterwards. Needless to say, with the ongoing indictment hovering in the air, the African community at large have chosen to stand by him. One of the celebratory citation award recipient of the night, Mr Bakary Camara, was quick to remind the guests of the very first tragedy that rocked the city during the Mayor’s first week in office. The devastating incident was over a dozen Africans killed in a fire in the Bronx. The very same tragedy that saw Cardi B offering to pick up their burial expenses.The debacle touched on some raw nerves in the audience. A great strategy to remind the guests of where to put their political allegiance at his witching hour of need. During his speech, the Mayor jokingly beseeched his beloved Africans to work their little magic in getting him over the troubled hurdles and ahead in the polls, come election day. A perfect comedic timing if I dare say so myself. 😎

The festivities will continue on Saturday on Madison Avenue with the Nigerian Independence Day parade, where the Mayor is expected to participate.

Be sure to watch the event’s video and Mayor’s speech posted on instagram.

Share on TwitterShare via email

Diner en Blanc ’24, Very Demure, Very Mindful

The New York edition of the world famous Diner en Blanc last night, was rather tamed compared to the year before, which just about nearly occupied the grounds of Meatpacking District by about 4000 revelers, all clad in white. This year’s edition, situated at the prime landmark of Union Square, was rather intimate in size compared to many editions preceeding it. It sort of brings to mind its glorious infancy years where no more than 2500 or so gathered in a flash at a secret but very public location, to wine and dine under the stars, and cleared out like a ghost in the wind, with no trace, just before the carriage turned into pumpkin by the stroke of midnight… well, in this case by 10pm.

The soirée started of as usual with setting up, participants getting acquainted with each other, nibbling on appetizers before the world renowned napkin wave, which signifies the official start of the event when guests start to dive into their meals. Shortly after, the merriment and atmosphere takes a different turn with the DJ’s music on a much higher decibel and pre assigned art performers peppered around the area. The excitement could be felt blocks away! It went from demure dinner under the stars to “Great Gatsby” like fête outdoors in the heart of the city! The mood and jubilation amongst guests was contagious, electrifying and exhilarating! I didn’t want it to end! I was in my element! Thank goodness the threatening rain held up! Needless to say, it’s a rain or shine event, and I was prepared to dance in the rain. Not even the rain can dampen this parade!

This particular year saw the initiation of a new concept the establishment is experimenting with. The member only fête usually requires participants to bring with them furnitures, meals and decor, but sort to invite influencers and press in a secluded pre setup area known as the “media”, where they were “buttered up” sans having to schlepp in the aforementioned required items. They wined and dined on pre catered meals and top shelf libations. I was privileged and honored to join this “white glove service” section as the only member in the history of the soirée who doubled as a Table Leader and one of the invited esteemed media guest. I have to say, this probably was one of the easiest and fun edition for me! The chosen location was minutes walk for my group’s assigned meeting point, taking part as a media guest allowed me to arrive fresh without having to set up anything of my own besides helping my group and friends to arrive at their spot. I’ve been asked to move up the ladder for years as a Group Leader and I keep shying away from it. I really ought to take them up on the offer, going forward, especially if I’m invited as a media guest again. I can’t imagine a New York night life without Diner en Blanc. It’s fast becoming iconic and an integral part of New York City social fabric.

Be sure to watch the video on instagram

Share on TwitterShare via email

Africa’s Fashion Diaspora FIT

I had the honor and privilege of attending the opening reception of Africa’s Fashion Diaspora exhibition at the Fashion Institute Technology in NYC yesterday evening. The latest fashion installment at the iconic institution is an initiative to explore the way African fashion and styles have helped shape not only black culture in disaspora, but also many others at large. The exhibition includes carefully curated unique creations from decades ago by such designers as Patrick Kelly, now on loan or gifted to the institution, to more recent designs by such talents as Nigeria based designer, Lisa Folawiyo.

Fashion industry luminaries present during the opening included Fern Mallis, Kirschner, Nicole Fischelis, et.al mixed in with affluent fashion magnets and influencers of all ages and racial backgrounds. It’s safe to say, much like music, fashion is universal.

The exhibition, located at the lower level atrium was well detailed in sections of political impact on fashion to tribal influence and regions. Styles ranged from traditional kente, dashiki to modern take on age old fabrics such as the kente and other woven textured materials, reimagined in western culture and styles, while still retaining their deep African roots.

The exhibition is free to the public starting today until December 29, 2024.

Watch the opening reception and exhibition video on instagram

Share on TwitterShare via email

Sumptuous Meal at IRK

Imagine dining and feasting on sumptuous meals literally like a scene out of a mediaval times movie, with long stretched out table covered with inviting, salivating homecooked meal, enough to feed an entire tribe! This was exactly the case at IRK magazine’s intimate dinner fête at Splashlight Studios in NYC, in celebration of their “Human” issue. This occured during a time in the city where one rarely sees real food in abundance much less a homecooked meal! Yes, that’ll be during fashion week when we count our blessings if a tray of crackers and cheese makes an appearance in the ocean of cocktails at the numerous fashion parties. IRK Magazine begged to differ!

Beatrice Dupire took it upon herself to whip up delicious vegetarian couscous meal, accompanied by top shelf libations and diet pausing desserts. About 100 esteemed guests were treated to live entertainments, which included food artistry demonstration to top off the splendid starry night. Not only were the guests able to get their hands on some of the coveted collectible editions of the hardcopy of IRK (one of which features Sri Lanka’s 1st transgender model on the cover), variety of well blended perfumes were on hand for the picking as well.
When my dear friend Dustin Pittman, the legendary photographer (whose newly released best selling book “New York After Dark” was introduced to the guests) first asked me to accompany him. I didn’t hesitate for a second after he said we’ll be in a room full of people outside of my usual fashion crowd, a fresh take away from my routine during fashion week. I opted to dip out on any other fashion related events I had that night for this dinner fête. Good golly was he right! It was the best decision ever! I felt wealthier in knowledge and connection with people I never knew before. The evening felt like a big family gathering during thanksgiving, where some came as friends, but left feeling like a family.


I’m thankful for the honor and experience, and most importantly for privileged of meeting such cool luminaries such as Mr. Cannon, Patrick Duffy, Rocio Segura, Emilie McGlone, Mark Tristan Mariano, Ekuban Emmanuel, Beatrice Dupire et. al. A superb great time was had by all. Saying goodbye after such a marvelous time was the hardest part.

Watch the event’s video posted on instagram

Share on TwitterShare via email

Labor Day Marred by Gunshots

Alas! I can safely check off a near disaster parade experience in New York City off my bucketlist. I often hear from friends about how dangerous the Labor Day parade could be. Often times, I let it fall on deaf ears, always optimistic and glass half full. Well, today begged to differ. What started off with politicians and dignitaries making their customary walk down the parade… luckily long after their departure, soon turned soar. It proceeded with the usual hard thumping, bumper grinding, dance hall style march down Eastern Parkway. Suddenly, what felt like an avalanche, a stampede of paraders started running upwards the parkway, while shouting at onlookers yet to catch on to what was happening, to RUN! The nosy journalistic instinct in me wanted to run towards the mayhem. A lady running towards me, involuntarily grabbed me to run away from the chaos. The moment I broke free, I couldn’t help myself but to wander towards it. I soon learned later that 6 individuals had been shot and in critical condition, and one unluckily person with gunshot to the head. As the saying goes, the show must go on. The parade resumed to regular programing like nothing happened. Only in New York!

How did it come to this?! I’m still puzzled! The parade itself is starting to take on a more commercial atmosphere with TV stations, banks and insurance companies, et.al, now staging floats of their own to march down the parade route. Just about facing the same fate as the Pride March.

Needless to say, will security be stepped up next year? The NYPD is already breaking at the seams with what looks like excessive presence of police at this particular parade. I now totally understand and appreciate the reason why. I just wonder how much more security would be needed to prevent the unthinkable from repeating itself. Whew! God help us all.

For video reel of the parade, please see it on Instagram .

Mayor Eric Adams

Gunshot aftermath

Share on TwitterShare via email