NEW ORLEANS (press release) – Global Black Economic Forum will host a multi-day convening at the 2025 ESSENCE Festival of Culture beginning July 3 featuring an intensive series of conversations and activations designed to create policy solutions for Black people around the globe. This year, Global Black Economic Forum will center a track on the Future of Health, addressing the greatest issues impacting Black people’s wellness and livelihood, given its foundational role in elevating employment, wealth, and democracy.
“At the Global Black Economic Forum we recognize the reality that major decisions on climate, economic opportunity and our freedoms are often made without our input, leading to outcomes that exacerbate disparities for our communities,” said Alphonso David, President and CEO of Global Black Economic Forum. “We have a responsibility to build power across industries to build a future for a healthier, wealthier, and sustainable future for Black communities worldwide. Upcoming programming includes the 2025 Global Business Summit, the GBEF HQ Public Convention, the QualifyHER 5K Walk/Run, and Queer Space.
One of GBEF’s core initiatives this year is the inaugural launch of the future of health neighborhood, recognizing that health influences everything from work and education to participation in civic life. The initiative equips people with the tools to reclaim their well-being through a neighborhood-focused approach with several organizations providing access to resources, health education and screenings, with an emphasis on empowerment rather than just identifying what is broken.
Taking place over the July 4 weekend, the forum also focuses on democracy, with leaders speaking on what it means to be Black in America today and exploring the true meaning of Independence Day.
Discussions will center on rights, identity and celebration, with speakers including Supreme Court Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson, SEIU President April Verrett, Former Dallas Mayor Ron Kirk, NovellaWells President and CEO Dr. Aletha Maybank, CNBC Anchor and Reporter Frank Holland, Xavier University President and CEO Reynold Verrett, PhD, and Kat Graham, UN Ambassador, Artist, Actress, and Producer.
Health Equity in Transplantation Coalition receives Cultural Catalyst Award
HEiTC, the Health Equity in Transplantation Coalition, will be honored with the Cultural Catalyst Award on July 3 at the Future of Health Dinner where HEiTC Executive Chairman and Co-Founder Rachel Noerdlinger will accept the award, which recognizes the organization’s pioneering work to raise issues in the transplant community.
On July 4, leaders will sit for a fireside chat with HEiTC Senior Advisor Rev. Al Sharpton, focused on how community organizing and coalition building can advance issues around health equity.
“HEiTC is honored and humbled to receive this recognition by a leading organization like Global Black Economic Forum, which has done crucial work to advance the future of work, democracy, health, and wealth,” said HEiTC Executive Chairman Al B. Sure! and Co-Founder Rachel Noerdlinger. “We share this award not only with those who have been on the journey to transplantation, but the nearly 100,000 members of our family still on the waitlist – hoping for that gift of life. HEiTC will use this recognition as a catalyst to make change, lift barriers, and deliver results for the transplant community.”
Since its inception in November 2023, HEiTC has become a force in addressing the largest systemic barriers to accessing transplants, especially for Black and Brown Americans who make up half of those on waitlists. In August 2024, after months of advocacy, the organization was successful in convincing the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) to restore Medicare coverage for life-saving, non-invasive blood tests. This was a major win for the transplant community, which in preceding years had come to rely on these tests for their ability to catch early signs of an organ rejections.
As HEiTC continues its work lifting barriers at the federal level, the organization has also worked to advance access at the state level. Earlier this year, Al B! co-authored legislation with Texas Rep. Josey Garcia to incentivize employers in the Lone Star State to provide financial support for living donors. That legislation was announced as the Texas Black Legislative Caucus recognized Al B! with the Outstanding Texan award for his and HEiTC’s work to shine a light on inequities in transplantation.
GBEF Summit At a Glance
Thursday, July 3rd
Global Black Economic Forum’s Business Summit at the 31st ESSENCE Festival of Culture
10:00 am- 5:00 pm CST
C-Suite changemakers committed to the future of work, the future of wealth, the future of health, and the future of democracy will gather at the Four Seasons New Orleans. Designed as a high-level convening of global leaders, executives, innovators, and policymakers, the Summit will focus on bold, actionable strategies to advance economic opportunity. This is an invite-only event but will be live-streamed on www.essence.com and www.gbef.com.
Three awards will be presented to honor leadership across public, cultural, and corporate sectors. Chiquita Brooks-LaSure, Former Administrator of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, will receive the Government Impact Award for her steadfast leadership in the public sector to advance racial and health equity and ensure equitable care for all Americans.
The Health Equity in Transplantation Coalition (HEiTC) will receive the Cultural Catalyst Award for raising awareness on the organ transplant crisis. The award will be accepted by Al B. Sure!, legendary artist and health advocate, who serves as the organization’s Executive Chairman, and Rachel Noerdlinger, one of the leading communicators, crisis managers and brand strategists in the country who serves as Co-Founder of the organization.
Gilead Sciences, Inc. will be honored with the Corporate Leadership Award, highlighting its commitment to equitable healthcare innovation and its new breakthrough in HIV prevention. Together, these honorees represent a shared vision of a future where health is not siloed, but interconnected with wealth, work, and democracy.
Friday/Saturday/Sunday July 4th, 5th and 6th
GBEF HQ Public Convention
11:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.
The Global Black Economic Forum’s Public Convention will take place from July 4 to 6, 2025, at the Ernest N. Morial Convention Center in New Orleans, bringing together everyday changemakers, cultural leaders, entrepreneurs, and community voices for powerful conversations at the intersection of work, wealth, health, and democracy. The Convention features dynamic mainstage discussions, immersive activations like the Future of Health Neighborhood, and direct engagement with leaders shaping policy, culture, and business. Designed to inform, inspire, and ignite action, the public convention is where community meets power—and bold ideas become collective solutions.
Saturday, July 5th
QualifyHer 5K Walk/Run
6:30 – 9:30 a.m.
The Global Black Economic Forum QualifyHER 5k Walk and Run presented by Enda is a run focused on uplifting women’s career and life journeys. In a world where women often feel they need more education and more credentials than their counterparts, QualifyHER celebrates the excellence in all women. This event reminds women that they are qualified to excel in whatever path they choose. Centered around empowering, promoting, and connecting women with greater opportunities, the event serves as a catalyst for progress and equity.
Registration now open at: https://www.greenvelope.com/event/qualifyher-5k-walk-run.
About the Global Black Economic Forum
The Global Black Economic Forum is an international enterprise focused on advancing the economic interests of the Black Diaspora and other marginalized groups through global summits, workplace training and leadership development, policy advocacy, and thought leadership.
For more information, visit https://www.gbef.com.
