BEYONCÉ MAKES A $2 MILLION GIFT TO THE STUDIO MUSEUM IN HARLEM

To mark her birthday today, global entertainer, entrepreneur and art collector, Beyoncé, makes a $2 million gift to the renowned Studio Museum in Harlem. Founded in 1968, the New York City cultural institution is the nexus for artists of African descent locally, nationally, and internationally and for work that has been inspired and influenced by Black culture. Beyoncé has long been an art collector and a true fan of the Museum's mission of promoting multiple generations of artists of the African diaspora. 

"Art tells all our stories; the past and the present, but is not always accessible to everyone," says Beyoncé. "I have always been impressed with the Studio Museum in Harlem because of its intention to make the museum an integral part of the community. I have been introduced to several of my favorite young and upcoming Black artists through exhibits at the Museum. It is a place of inspiration where all audiences can discover new stories through the canvases of diverse storytellers that reflect our humanity."

Thelma Golden, Ford Foundation Director and Chief Curator of the Studio Museum in Harlem, said, "I am deeply grateful to Beyoncé, both for the generosity of this gift, especially on her birthday, and for recognizing the vital role that the Studio Museum plays in people's lives. Our institution was founded to shift the arts landscape and reimagine who that landscape serves. This gift will allow us to continue strengthening our work for Harlemites, New Yorkers, and audiences across the globe." 

About the Studio Museum in Harlem
Founded in 1968 by a diverse group of artists, community activists, and philanthropists, the Studio Museum in Harlem is internationally known for its catalytic role in promoting the work of artists of African descent. The Studio Museum's new home, situated at its longtime location on West 125th Street, opened to the public on November 15, 2025. Designed by Adjaye Associates with Cooper Robertson serving as executive architect, the building—the first created expressly for the institution's program—enables the Studio Museum to better serve a growing and diverse audience, provide additional educational opportunities for people of all ages, expand its program of world-renowned exhibitions, effectively display its singular collection, and strengthen its trailblazing Artist-in-Residence program.

For more information, visit studiomuseum.org.

Visitor Information 
The Studio Museum in Harlem is located at 144 West 125th Street, between Malcolm X Boulevard (Lenox Avenue) and Adam Clayton Powell Boulevard (Seventh Avenue). 

The Studio Museum is open Wednesday through Sunday, from 11:00 am to 6:00 pm, with extended hours on Friday, from 11:00 am to 9:00 pm.

The Museum is open to Members on Saturday mornings, from 10:00 to 11:00 am, before the galleries open to the public.

Admission rates are offered as a suggestion, with Sundays free for everyone. Suggested rates are $16 for adults and $9 for seniors (sixty-five years and over), students, and visitors with disabilities (care partners are free). Admission is free for children sixteen and under. 

Tickets to the Studio Museum may be purchased online at studiomuseum.org/visit or at the Museum.

American Red Cross and NAACP announce new documentary honoring the father of blood banking, Dr. Charles R. Drew

The American Red Cross and the NAACP will premiere Iconic Excellence: The Legacy of Dr. Charles R. Drew, a new documentary honoring the father of blood banking, Sept. 18 on the American Red Cross YouTube channel. The short film highlights Drew's revolutionary breakthroughs in blood plasma preservation, which saved hundreds of thousands of lives during World War II and pioneered modern methods for collecting, preserving and distributing blood.

A LEGACY OF EXCELLENCE
Produced by the Red Cross in collaboration with Drew's family, the NAACP and Omega Psi Phi Fraternity Inc., the documentary offers an intimate portrait of Drew's drive and leadership, tracing his path from his childhood in Washington, D.C., to global prominence as a Black surgeon, educator and champion for inclusivity in medicine. Beyond the science, the film reveals a family man guided by his principles: a scientific stance against the U.S. military's blood segregation policy and a mantra on excellence he instilled in generations of Black surgeons.

"Dr. Drew is an unsung hero of World War II," said NAACP President and CEO Derrick Johnson. "His innovation made it possible for many American soldiers to come home to their families."

In 1944, while blood segregation was still official policy, the NAACP awarded Dr. Drew the Spingarn Medal for his work in blood plasma research and blood banking. "The Spingarn Medal still today is considered the highest honor that can be bestowed on an African American in this country," said Johnson.

Dr. Drew was 45 when he died in a car accident in 1950. His daughters and grandchildren have spent decades honoring and preserving his legacy ever since. In Iconic Excellence, together on camera for the first time, his family gives that account in full, including answers to questions that have surrounded his legacy: whether he received blood products himself in the hours after the accident, and why he left the Red Cross, long attributed to Drew protesting the blood segregation policy.

"My father's work in training other Black surgeons was uppermost in his mind at the time of his death because he trained a small legion of Black surgeons, who then trained another group of Black surgeons, who then trained another group...whose color wasn't the most important thing," said Dr. Charlene Drew Jarvis, Drew's middle daughter. "It was: are they trained? Do they know? Do they understand? Who are they going to serve?"

CARRYING THE LEGACY FORWARD
Drew's commitment to mobilizing communities to improve health care carries forward today through organizations that host blood drives in support of the Red Cross Sickle Cell Initiative. Working with community partners, the Red Cross has nearly doubled the number of annual blood donors who are Black or African American, an increase of more than 89% since the Sickle Cell Initiative launched in 2021. To date, more than 445,770 donors who are Black or African American have given blood to support patients living with sickle cell disease, with more than 188,000 of them being first-time blood donors.

"Dr. Drew understood something we continue to see every day at the Red Cross: when you meet people where they are and invite them to be part of the mission, they respond," said Chris Hrouda, president of American Red Cross Biomedical Services. "Many first-time blood donors roll up a sleeve because someone helped them understand the impact a single donation can have on a patient in need. That was Dr. Drew's approach 85 years ago, and it remains a powerful way lives are saved today."

Iconic Excellence premieres during Sickle Cell Awareness Month in September. Organizations and community groups can register to host a screening, a blood drive, or both by visiting RedCrossBlood.org/IconicExcellence. To schedule a blood donation appointment, visit RedCrossBlood.org/OurBlood, use the Blood Donor App or call 1-800-RED CROSS (1-800-733-2767).

ABOUT THE FILM
Iconic Excellence tells Dr. Drew's story through his own family and the voices of the NAACP, Omega Psi Phi Fraternity Inc. and the American Red Cross. On-camera voices include Bebe Drew Price, Dr. Charlene Drew Jarvis, Sylvia Drew Ivie, Dr. Kelly Price Noble, Ernie Drew Jarvis; Derrick Johnson, president and CEO of the NAACP; Ricky Lewis, 42nd International President of Omega Psi Phi Fraternity Inc.; Chris Hrouda, president of American Red Cross Biomedical Services; and Dr. Yvette Miller, American Red Cross executive medical officer. Journalist DeMarco Morgan narrates. The film was written and executive produced by Tiffany Taylor and directed by Brad Zerivitz, with cover art by Melissa Koby.

Prostate Cancer Awareness Month: American Cancer Society Reports New Cases Are Up 3% but Earlier Diagnosis Improves Patient Outcomes

This September, the American Cancer Society encourages men to talk with their doctor about their personal risk for prostate cancer and whether screening is right for them. The number of new cases continued to increase by 3% per year from 2014 to 2022, according to the American Cancer Society's Cancer Statistics 2026 report, with the steepest rise occurring in advanced-stage diagnoses.

The report estimates that in 2026, 333,830 new cases of prostate cancer will be diagnosed in the U.S. and 36,320 men will die from the disease.

The increase in prostate cancer diagnoses is largely due to more men being screened. This creates opportunities for early intervention and improved patient outcomes, although too many men are still not being screened early enough.

"We're seeing two things happen at once: more men are being diagnosed with prostate cancer, and a growing share of those cases are happening at a more advanced stage," said Dr. William Dahut, chief scientific officer at the American Cancer Society. "That tells us screening conversations are happening too late for too many men, particularly those at high risk for the disease."

There are well-established risk factors for prostate cancer that can be assessed for free using the online tool ACS CancerRisk360™. The chance of having prostate cancer rises rapidly after age 50, and the disease occurs more often in Black and Caribbean men. When it does develop in Black men, they tend to be younger. In fact, compared with White men, Black men are nearly 70% more likely to be diagnosed with prostate cancer and two times more likely to die from the disease.

When it comes to prostate cancer screening, one size does not fit all. The American Cancer Society recommends men at average risk for prostate cancer speak with their doctor at age 50 about whether screening is right for them. Men at high risk should have this discussion at age 45, including African American men and those with a family history of prostate cancer. Men at even higher risk should have the discussion at age 40, including those with multiple close relatives diagnosed at an early age. 

"Knowing your personal risk is the start of a conversation that can change your outcome," said Dr. Dahut. "That first conversation with a doctor should happen before symptoms appear, not after. The important message here is that regular screening can save lives and detect cancer early when treatment can often be successful."

About 1 in 8 men will be diagnosed with prostate cancer during their lifetime, but most men diagnosed do not die from the disease. In fact, more than 3.5 million men in the U.S. who have been diagnosed with prostate cancer are still alive today.

To find low-cost or free screening locations and support during treatment, call the American Cancer Society's 24/7 helpline at 1-800-227-2345 or visit cancer.org.

Additional ACS Resources:

• Prostate Cancer Hub
• Prostate Cancer Screening Recommendations
• 2026 Cancer Facts & Figures
• Patient Lodging Programs
• Road to Recovery® Free Rides Program
• Prostate Cancer Awareness Month Media Resource Page

The 2026 State of Black America report is now available

The 50th anniversary of the State of Black America report carries a question that this country has never fully answered:

Is the American Dream dead? They are not asking it to be provocative.

They are asking it because 250 years into this experiment, the question demands an honest answer.

Dive into the data, the analysis, and the voices of people who help answer this question here: State of Black America 

Grambling State Hits the Road: 125 Years, One Historic Multiversary, One National Tour

Grambling State University announced today that it will take its 125th anniversary on the road, opening a national tour this fall that brings the Grambling story directly to alumni, friends, partners, and communities across the country. The University calls 2026 its Multiversary, a rare convergence of three milestones in one year: 125 years of academic excellence, 100 years of Tiger Athletics, and 100 years of the World Famed Band.

Each tour stop brings alumni and supporters together for a screening of MARCH ON, a Storyboard Studios Production, that explores Grambling State's multigenerational legacy, followed by a moderated conversation with prominent members of the GramFam and a reception centered on fellowship and connection.

"This tour allows us to share Grambling's story with alumni, friends, and communities nationwide," said Dr. Martin Lemelle Jr., President of Grambling State University. "As we honor the University's illustrious legacy, we are also reaffirming the enduring power of HBCUs to shape generations of future leaders and drive meaningful change."

MARCH ON follows three featured Gramblinites across generations: Denise Young '77, alumna and former C suite executive at Apple; Dalvin Adams '15, alumnus and Los Angeles based commercial photographer and entrepreneur; and Rylee Beaudion '28, a third generation Gramblinite majoring in Elementary Education and Visual and Performing Arts. Set against the backdrop of Grambling State's historic campus, the 35 minute film follows their stories from performing arts spaces and academic labs to the Square and the University's Digital Library and Learning Commons, revealing how Grambling State has changed, evolved, and continued to shape the lives of those who call it home.

The tour opens with four stops this fall:

• 09.03.26 — Grambling, LA — 11:00 AM
• 09.14.26 — Washington, DC — 6:30 PM
• 09.17.26 — New York, NY — 6:30 PM
• 09.24.26 — Dallas, TX — 6:30 PM

Beginning in September and continuing through the conclusion of the Multiversary celebration, the tour will travel to additional cities across the country, reconnecting generations of the GramFam and extending the celebration of Grambling State University's legacy and impact well beyond campus.

Tickets and full details for each tour stop, including how to participate in the Multiversary celebration, are available at gram.edu/marchon.