“The Black Brilliance Gala is really all about celebrating community and joy and reminding ourselves what makes it all possible,” Urban Triage CEO Brandi Grayson tells Madison365. “At Urban Triage, we try to focus on the promise and not the problem. People are always talking about the problems, but we focus on the promise … which is the results.
“And the results that we seek as an organization are creating spaces for Black joy, providing services directed by those who are the most vulnerable – for the people, by the people – and to create programming that brings everybody into the fold so that we can best support the most vulnerable in overcoming their barriers.,” she adds.
Urban Triage, a Madison-area non-profit whose mission is to transform culture, institutions, and communities to ensure a humane future, will highlight many of the people and the stories of Urban Triage at the Second Annual Black Brilliance Gala at the Overture Center for the Arts on Saturday, May 31, 6 p.m.
The Black Brilliance Gala will raise funds for Urban Triage’s Supporting Healthy Black Agriculture initiatives, a program that creates paths to sustainable employment and economic independence through UT’s Hemp Specialty Crop Workgroup for Black Entrepreneurs. This program offers education and grants to help individuals succeed in the hemp industry.
Urban Triage is founded and grounded in “transformational education and learning that utilizes a framework to support people as they embark on a journey of self-discovery,” according to the non-profit’s website.
“Given some of the scrutiny that Urban Triage undergoes, this Black Brilliance Gala is a testament to Black resilience all over again, and how, in spite of it all, we keep coming together and keep building,” Grayson says. “I think that’s important to building community and that foundation to sustainability.”
Saturday’s Black Brilliance Gala will be an all-black formal affair that also celebrates the dedicated service providers across Dane County — social workers, case managers, and nonprofit leaders — whose tireless efforts uplift the community.
“The goal of the Gala is really to celebrate unsung heroes in our community, people doing exceptional work, really centered around direct service providers,” Grayson says. “Every year, our Gala has a different kind of target for our sheroes and heroes. This year, it is direct service providers. And what is spectacular about this year, I think that’s different from last year, is that a lot of the folks who were voted by the community for the awards are South Madison residents, or have a history in the South Side of Madison. I think that’s kind of historical, because the South Side of Madison is where the Black Madison has been birthed.”
The Black Brilliance Gala will present awards to the following community members:
- Jackie Hunt will be honored with the Harvest Hero Award
- Michael Alston and Corvonn Gaines will be honored with the Academic Advocate Award
- Carola Gaines and Annie Weatherby will be honored with the Legacy Leader of Madison Award
- Clyde Mayberry, Jerome Green, Bruce Hunt, John Kane and Anita Howard will be honored with the Service Above Self Award
- Mt. Zion Baptist Church will be honored with the Nonprofit of Excellence Award
- Ali’Yanna Partzborn and Je’Myigha Driver will be honored with the Champion of Youth Award
- Kaleem Caire and Dr. Angie Crawford Hicks will be honored with the Champion of Black Education Award will be honored with Posthumous Legacy Award
- Renee Reed and John Adams will be honored with the Unhoused Community Caregiver Award
- Earsie Green and Melvinann Bishop-Hewing will be honored with the Posthumous Legacy Award
“We will be honoring a lot of the community leaders of South Madison and folks who are producing services and resources for Black people on the South Side,” says Grayson, who recently found out that she will be honored as a 2025 YWCA Women of Distinction. “We are excited to have [the Honorable] Judge [Everett] Mitchell as the emcee and Dr Gloria Ladson-Billings, who will be the emcee for the awards portion. There will be a lot of great Black leaders being honored and in attendance. Our intention is to really celebrate Black brilliance and greatness and create community.”
The Black Brilliance Gala will feature performances by Adem Tesfaye Band, vocalists Chuck Daisy and Charkari Daehare, saxophonist Tobias, violinist Windy Indie, Elemental Aerial Arts Performers, and Milwaukee African Drum & Dance.
‘We have a lot planned for that night, including a vocalist, an aerial art performance, African drummers, spoken word, a violinist, saxophonists, and more,” Grayson says. “We have, of course, our silent auction, which anybody can bid on.”
Guests will enjoy an elegant evening of food, fun, and music, all supporting Urban Triage’s mission to empower and inspire.
“We love galas here in Madison, but unfortunately, it’s often boring speeches and bland chicken. I always wanted to make sure that when we experience the gala, it is nothing but interactive, and it really is symbolizing Black brilliance,” Grayson says. “Last year at our first annual event, it was so much fun. We laughed and cried and sang from the beginning of the program to the end and danced the night away. At the end, people were like, ‘I’ve never been to a gala like this!’ That’s what I want people to always experience with the Urban Triage’s Black Brilliance Gala.
For more information on sponsorship opportunities or to make a donation to the Black Brilliance Gala, click here or e-mail [email protected].
