Mary J. Blige is bringing Her Strength of a Woman Festival and Summit to New York for 2024

MODERNIZE: Actress Taraji P. Henson, rap icon Method Man and media personality Angie Martinez are among the keynote speakers appearing at Mary J. Blige's Strength of a Woman Summit held at The Glasshouse in New York City on May 11 . Co-presented by Breakfast Club Co-host/comedian Jess Hilarious and entertainment journalist Gia Peppers, the session is part of Blige's third annual Strength of a Woman festival. Taking place for the first time in New York, the Mother's Day weekend event (May 10-12) is presented by the multiple Grammy Award winner and Pepsi in association with Live Nation Urban and MVD Inc.

The daily summit flyer of panels, workshops and activations is free to attendees and is sponsored by Mielle Organics, Verizon Business, Starz and ASCAP. The diverse offerings — spanning wellness, culture, finance and entrepreneurship, style and beauty — include “Girl Talk with MJB,” moderated IRL (In real life) podcast host Martinez and with Blige, Henson and actress-director Tasha Smith. “Our Men Honor the Strength of a Woman” with Method Man and actor Larenz Tate, among other participants. and “From Crisis to Care: Navigating Mental Health in the Black Community” with Silence the Shame Founder/CEO Shanti Das.

Guests can also visit “Mary's Living Room,” a wine sanctuary from Blige's Sun Goddess collection, custom-made festival merchandise and a custom My Life listening booth to celebrate the 30th anniversary of the singer's legendary album. Additional summit participants include HarborView Equity Partners Founder/CEO Sherrese Clarke Soares, Femme It Forward Founder/President Heather Lowery, Roc Nation Co-President Shari Bryant, ASCAP Senior Vice President/Member Nicole George-Middleton, MJB Productions COO LaTonya Datress Marsai Martin.

Original story from March 6: In a twist from its first two years, Mary J. Blige's Strength of a Woman festival and Summit is moving from Atlanta to the birthplace of hip-hop, New York. Presented by the Queen of Hip-Hop Soul and Pepsi in association with Live Nation Urban, the annual event will once again take place over Mother's Day weekend: May 10-12.

This year's three-day event will be headlined by a concert at Barclays headlined by Blige and special guests 50 Cent, Jill Scott, Fat Joe, Jadakiss, Muni Long, Lola Brooke and Funk Flex. Also on the fantastic line-up: a comedy show at the Apollo Theater with Tiffany Haddish, Don't Call Me White Girl and Paris Sashay. a jazz concert at the Blue Note with Robert Glasper and a gospel brunch hosted by Blige at Brooklyn Chophouse in Times Square, followed by a gospel concert headlined by The Clark Sisters with Femme It Forward at the Brooklyn Paramount.

The Strength of a Woman Summit will take place at The Glasshouse on 11 May. Hosted by Angie Martinez, programming will include a series of inspiring and empowering panels, keynote speakers and workshops focused on music, wellness, technology, beauty and financial literacy.

Founder Blige launched the Strength of a Woman festival and Summit in 2022. In a release announcing its 2024 launch, Blige said, “I'm so excited to bring the Strength of a Woman festival and Summit to my hometown , New York, a place that has always been a huge source of inspiration for me. Having the opportunity to continue to uplift, inspire and build within my community is why I created this festival. I am so grateful for all the support from our contributors, attendees and of course our partners Live Nation Urban and Pepsi. Nobody does it like New York, so get ready.”

As before, Pepsi – the festival's inaugural partner – will also bring back the popular Pepsi Dig In platform, featuring a range of food from local black women restaurateurs.

“As a brand rooted in celebrating culture and music and the communities they highlight, Pepsi is honored to return as a presenting partner and co-producer of the festival and the Women's Summit, continuing Our shared vision with Mary is to uplift and empower women,” commented Kent Montgomery, senior vice president, PepsiCo Industry Relations and Multicultural Development. “Moving the festival to New York, Pepsi's own backyard, provides an even bigger stage to highlight and support more remarkable women in the community. Now in its third year, the festival's continued success is a testament to Mary's impact and power to empower black women and their voices.”

In celebration of Women's History Month (March), presale tickets will go on sale Wednesday and Thursday (March 6-7) with the code STRENGTH. General ticket sales will begin on Friday, March 8 at 10am. ET. For tickets and schedule, visit event website.