In a city where galas often blur together into a carousel of sequins, speeches, and social snapshots, The Brotherhood Sister Sol’s annual Voices Gala managed to feel something rarer: purposeful. Harlem’s heartbeat pulsed straight through the glittering walls of the Ziegfeld Ballroom as more than 600 civic leaders, artists, philanthropists, and advocates gathered to celebrate two extraordinary cultural forces, Iman and Derek Fordjour.
The Harlem-based nonprofit, widely known as BroSis, honored the pair for their impact on culture, creativity, and community building during an evening that felt equal parts celebration and call to action.
Iman arrived with the kind of timeless elegance that reminds everyone why she remains one of fashion’s most enduring icons. Wearing a sculptural custom GapStudio denim gown designed by Zac Posen, she floated through the ballroom like modern royalty dipped in sapphire light. Yet it was her words, not just the gown, that captured the room.
“Organizations like BroSis are not simply programs,” Iman shared during her acceptance speech. “They are lifelines, communities, and places where young people are reminded that they matter.”
Then came the moment that settled softly over the audience like velvet: her direct message to the young people in attendance.
“Your voice matters. Your story matters.”
It was not performative inspiration. It felt lived-in. Earned.
Meanwhile, Derek Fordjour brought a different but equally powerful energy to the evening. The acclaimed interdisciplinary artist, whose work often explores race, identity, memory, and Black life through textured visual storytelling, spoke passionately about his long relationship with BroSis and the transformative power of art within community spaces.
“The Brotherhood Sister Sol is one of my great inspirations,” Fordjour said. “At the heart of their mission is a kind of radical love that makes individuals and communities whole.”
That phrase, radical love, lingered in the room long after the applause ended.
Since its founding in 1995, The Brotherhood Sister Sol has become a national model for youth development and social justice work, serving Black and Latinx youth through programs centered on education, leadership, mental wellness, community organizing, and the arts. Their outcomes are remarkable. Over the past eight years, 98% of BroSis high school seniors graduated, while 94% pursued higher education.
Those statistics are impressive. However, the true magic of BroSis cannot be measured solely in percentages. It lives in the confidence of a young person discovering their purpose. It lives in mentorship, access, and visibility. It lives in Harlem itself.
Executive Director and Co-Founder Khary Lazarre-White delivered one of the evening’s most moving reflections when he reminded attendees that supporting young people is not charity.
“It’s because it’s what they deserve,” he said.
And that truth sat center stage all night long.
At a time when conversations around equity, education, and youth mental health feel increasingly urgent, the Voices Gala served as a vivid reminder that community organizations remain essential cultural infrastructure. They are not side notes to progress. They are the architects of it.
For one luminous evening in Manhattan, fashion, art, activism, and philanthropy collided under one roof. Yet the true stars of the night were not only the honorees. They were the young people whose futures are being shaped every day by the work of The Brotherhood Sister Sol.
Sometimes the loudest voices are not the ones holding the microphone. Sometimes they are the ones finally being heard.