The George hosted a NYFW x Black History Month panel to celebrate the legacy and future of Black women in fashion, hosted by Novi Brow.
Photo: Sarah Ash
Harlem, home to the Harlem Renaissance, is an obvious Mecca to the Black American experience. The George Manhattan Hotel, Tapestry Collection by Hilton, sits in the heart of Harlem. The team behind The George actively honors Harlem’s history and legacy every day.
The fabulous George Manhattan Hotel is the first Hilton-branded hotel (opening in Oct. 2025) in the area, so of course, they have to bring that Harlem flavor!
Their exemplary staff and stunning accommodations (which I can attest to) earn them praise, but their respect for culture matters just as much. Over the past month, they have actively displayed and amplified community voices in their efforts to showcase Black history. “Black History Month is personal for me. It’s about honoring resilience, creativity, leadership; in my position, it’s about creating opportunities for the local community and opening doors for local businesses,” said Sam Martinez, General Manager of The George.
In particular, The George hosted a NYFW x Black History Month panel to celebrate the legacy and future of Black women in fashion, with Novi Brown as host. The panel brought together Black women leaders in fashion, modeling, retail, and entrepreneurship for an intimate, raw conversation. Panelists included Princess Jenkins of The Brownstone Boutique, Victoria Seabrooks (an established model), and Joy Fraizer of Keis To Joi, a luxury accessory brand.
The George hosted a NYFW x Black History Month panel to celebrate the legacy and future of Black women in fashion, hosted by Novi Brow.Photo: Sarah Ash
Since founding The Brownstone Boutique in 1988, Jenkins has dressed women uptown for more than three decades. Jenkins delivered the perfect message to the audience: “Never stop working on your business.” This simple yet effective advice has helped Jenkins thrive for over thirty years. The George highlights this dedication to craft and resilience in Black spaces—the same resilience deeply embedded in the Black Diaspora.
Brown served as the perfect moderator, weaving together insights like this with personal anecdotes—such as Seabrooks’s experience with stylists who often did not know how to work with her Blackness during campaign shoots, particularly when it came to her naturally curly hair.
To close out Black History Month coverage at The George, the team presents The Roaring Twenties exhibit tonight—an art installation by narrative artist J Monroe—alongside a Cabaret Show. The collection reimagines the cultural pride of the 1920s through the lived experiences of the 2020s, all through the Black American lens. The installation honors Carter G. Woodson, who founded Black History Month, worked as a historian, and was among the first to analyze the Black diaspora in the United States. Some pieces will be available for purchase.
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All bookings can be made on https://www.hilton.com/en/hotels/nycgeup-the-george-manhattan
