From packed sidewalks to quiet pockets of calm, weekends in New York take on different shapes. Some lean into the city’s nonstop pace, others step back from it—but the current is always moving. WBLS tracks the events that bring people together across boroughs, tuning into the rhythms that define life here.
Brooklyn’s (first) Black Maternal Health Awareness Walk
Date: Friday, April 11th
Time: 11:00 AM-2:00 PM
Location: Brooklyn Borough Hall (209 Joralemon Street, Brooklyn, NY 11201)
Price: Free
In collaboration with Brooklyn Communities Collaborative and Downtown Brooklyn Partnership, the Neighborhood Technical Assistance Clinic is spearheading a public walk through downtown Brooklyn with a message rooted in urgency and history. The event directly connects the ongoing struggle for maternal health equity with Brooklyn’s rich history of resistance and social justice. Organizers hope the turnout will spotlight the disparities Black mothers continue to face while affirming community strength. Designed as both a protest and a celebration, the walk invites participants to take a visible stand. It’s a call to shift awareness into lasting change.
Poetry Night At the Library (Reading and Open Mic)
Date: Friday, April 11th
Time: 6:00 PM-7:30 PM
Location: 66 Leroy Street New York, NY 10014 (Hudson Park Library)
Price: Free
An evening of poetry takes center stage with performances by acclaimed writers W.J. Lofton and Jasmine Reid, whose works challenge form and deepen conversations around identity, language, and place. The event, commencing at 5:45 p.m., will also feature an open mic for those who are eager to share or simply listen. Lofton, an Atlanta-based curator and Cave Canem fellow, is known for his sharp lyrical insight rooted in the Black queer Southern experience. Reid, a Brooklyn-based poet and NYU professor, brings a transatlantic perspective to her work, with recent recognition from Autumn House Press and Poets House. Together, their voices promise a night of resonance and bold imagination.
Community Day : Building Black Wealth Tour
Date: Saturday, April 12th
Time: 9:00 AM-3:00 PM
Location: 434 Westchester Avenue The Bronx, NY 10455
Price: Free
The NAREB Building Black Wealth Tour was at the heart of this year’s Community Day, highlighting economic empowerment through real estate. The event offered practical workshops on home buying, credit improvement, and long-term investment planning tailored to Black communities. Industry insiders were on hand for one-on-one conversations, while local vendors and resource tables provided additional tools for financial growth. Experts also led discussions on how to turn property ownership into a vehicle for generational wealth. Throughout the day, education and access remained central to the tour’s mission.
Date: Saturday, April 12th
Time: 1:00 PM-5:00 PM
Location: 137 Henry Street New York, NY 10002
Price: Free
Now marking its fifth anniversary, the Blasian March returns with a book fair and daylong community event in the heart of Manhattan’s Chinatown. From 1 to 5 PM at Immigrant Social Services, attendees can pick up free books written by Black, Asian, and Blasian authors—stories chosen to foster solidarity and reflect on shared histories of resistance. The fair doubles as a cultural gathering, with performances beginning at 3 PM and a panel conversation slated for 4 PM. This annual initiative has handed out thousands of books—many of them banned or censored—in cities like New York, Sacramento, and Orlando. Scheduled panelists include acclaimed poet Cathy Linh Che and novelist Jennifer Baker, a recent Los Angeles Times Book Prize finalist.
Revisiting Our Radical Poetic Natures with Camonghne Felix (Workshop)
Date: Sunday, April 13th
Time: 3:00 PM-4:30 PM
Location: 226 Marcus Garvey Blvd, Brooklyn, NY 11221 (The Free Black Women’s Library Reading Room)
Price: Free
Award-winning poet and essayist Camonghne Felix will lead a generative writing workshop inviting attendees to explore poetry as a tool for personal and political expression. The session offers a chance to engage with contemporary poets’ work while creating original pieces in a guided, inclusive setting. Open to all levels, the workshop encourages both new and experienced writers to join the conversation. Felix, a professor and celebrated author of Dyscalculia and Build Yourself a Boat, brings a sharp literary voice and deep cultural insight to the classroom. Her forthcoming book, Let the Poets Govern, is expected from One World, an imprint of Penguin Random House.
We hope you enjoy this weekend’s events!