Attend the Embrace Ideas Festival in Boston

Join a three-day celebration of Black art, culture, joy, and excellence.

Panelists on stage for the 2023 Embrace Ideas Festival.

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Setting the stage for its third annual Embrace Ideas Festival, nonprofit Embrace Boston continues to unite local, state, and national leaders for a better and more inclusive Boston. And, this year, it aptly begins on Juneteenth.

Held at the MassArt Design and Media Center on June 18, 20, and 21, this three-day celebration of Black art, culture, joy, and excellence emphasizes the importance of anti-racism and shares a collective vision for a reimagined Boston by 2030, the city’s 400th birthday.

This festival champions anti-racism efforts through a diverse program featuring keynote speeches, panel discussions, live music performances, dance, and mutual celebration. This year’s underlying theme — “Inspiring the Resistance: Building a Culture of Repair for the Origins of our Discontent” — reflects on our traditional outlook towards racial justice and challenges us to find a path to becoming a truly inclusive city. This year’s notable speakers and performers include Pulitzer Prize winner Isabel Wilkerson and world-renowned chef Marcus Samuelsson, among others.

The 2024 Embrace Ideas Festival upholds the foundation’s deep emphasis on racial equity, healing, well-being, and joy, as it inspires a positive change and uplifts the community to create a Boston where everyone belongs. The festival ends with the Embrace Ideas Festival Block Party, a celebration that’s free and open to the public, on June 21 from 2-8 p.m. at the Roxbury Community College. Find a full list of events here.