Homegrown Heroes Celebration To Honor Long Island Leaders

GARDEN CITY, NY — Business leaders, entrepreneurs, advocates, and changemakers from across Long Island are set to gather at Adelphi University later this month for a celebration honoring individuals making a lasting impact in their communities.

The inaugural Homegrown Heroes of Long Island celebration will take place Saturday, March 14, from 3 to 8 p.m. at the Adelphi University Performing Arts Center in Garden City. The event will highlight leaders whose work in entrepreneurship, public service, advocacy and nonprofit leadership is helping shape Long Island’s economic and social future.

Organizers say the event aims to spotlight individuals who have built success within their own communities while inspiring the next generation of leaders.

The event is presented in partnership with the 100 Black Men of Eastern New York, Inc. and the Long Island African American Chamber of Commerce, with proceeds supporting programs that strengthen minority-owned businesses, expand access to capital and mentorship, and promote economic development throughout the region.

“Being featured on national stages like Afrotech and Essence affirms that our model—local, intentional and community-driven—is the blueprint for the future,” said Phil Andrews, founding president of the African American Small Business Foundation. “We aren't just discussing the wealth gap; we are actively closing it by building a sustainable economic engine right here on Long Island.”

The celebration is being curated by Shirley Darkeh, a longtime Long Island community leader whose decades of work in civic engagement, youth development and cultural preservation have shaped the region.

Darkeh has spent more than six decades serving the community as an artist, curator, entrepreneur and advocate. She previously hosted “Community News and Views” on WHLI AM Radio, founded the youth development initiative Project Pride, and recently completed a term as a trustee of the Westbury Public Library.

Her professional career also includes pioneering work in finance and healthcare systems. Darkeh was the first African American woman to work in the accounting department at the Federal Reserve Bank of New York and later served as comptroller for Reed Roberts Inc.

In 1966, she became the founding director of management information at the Charles Drew Neighborhood Health Center, where she designed one of the nation’s earliest computerized patient identification and billing systems.

She also curated the 2003 photographic exhibition “Promises Made, Promises Kept,” honoring distinguished African American women of Long Island. The exhibition toured colleges and libraries throughout Nassau, Suffolk and Queens counties.

Organizers say the Homegrown Heroes event reflects Darkeh’s lifelong mission of highlighting local voices and leadership.

The celebration is intended to recognize individuals whose dedication to entrepreneurship, advocacy, media, nonprofit leadership and civic engagement has helped strengthen communities across Long Island.

In addition to honoring local leaders, the event will also serve as a networking opportunity for executives, elected officials, nonprofit leaders and entrepreneurs from across Nassau and Suffolk counties.

Proceeds will support initiatives focused on expanding economic opportunity, mentoring future leaders and strengthening minority-owned businesses across the region.