On August 6, 2025, Harlem lost one of its giants — Lloyd Ashburn Williams. Born in Jamaica in 1945, raised on West 120th Street, and rooted in this community for more than half a century, Lloyd wasn’t just the longtime President and CEO of the Greater Harlem Chamber of Commerce or the co-founder of Harlem Week. He was Harlem’s pulse. A brother who believed our story wasn’t just worth telling — it was worth amplifying to the world.
When Lloyd spoke, Harlem listened. And when he moved, Harlem moved with him. His legacy isn’t about one man; it’s about a neighborhood, a culture, and a people rising higher because he demanded nothing less.
A personal farewell from our founder G. Keith Alexander
I will miss Lloyd’s late-night calls asking me to contact Ms. Charlie Sutton to make an appointment to come by the office. Or his asking if I was available to host an event for the GHCC. I was always honored to be asked and never wanted to disappoint him.
I remember attending an awards ceremony honoring our friend Jonelle Procope, then the CEO and president of the Apollo Theater. I sat at her table and, at the end of the event, Lloyd ventured over from his table to loudly proclaim as he shook my hand, “I’m one of your biggest fans—bring me something I can help you with.” To me, the most important and influential man in Harlem had extended himself to me and my endeavors.
So, when I launched HarlemAmerica Digital Network, I knew I had Lloyd’s blessing. He provided me the opportunity to co-host three major Harlem Week events for several years, helping to establish content to stream on HarlemAmerica. Then, to my surprise, at a GHCC board meeting he declared HarlemAmerica the “official Digital Media Partner of the Greater Harlem Chamber of Commerce.”
Lloyd even approved the GHCC Channel on HarlemAmerica TV, where some of the Chamber’s events are available on-demand.
In October of last year, he summoned me to his office. I had no idea why I was there. However, during our hour-long meeting he said to me, “You are family, and I don’t know how long I’m going to be here, so if you need me to call someone for you, let me know.” Again, I was honored, but I thought he meant he was retiring soon—not leaving Harlem for good ten months later.
The Guardian of Harlem may be gone, but his mission lives on in the very capable hands of those at the Greater Harlem Chamber of Commerce whom he mentored and trained. And I, for one, stand with them. My condolences to his family.
Roots in Harlem, Anchored in Legacy
Lloyd’s Harlem story began when his family came from Jamaica to New York in 1947. He grew up right here, walking streets alive with brilliance and weighed down with struggle. Harlem gave him a front-row seat to resilience — and he gave that energy right back.
Educated at George Washington High, Brooklyn Tech, and later Syracuse University, Lloyd majored in business. But his true education came from his elders and mentors. Malcolm X, his unofficial godfather, taught him that leadership required courage. His grandmother, steeped in Marcus Garvey’s teachings, reminded him that education and economics were the twin engines of liberation.
And then there were Harlem’s own lions — Congressman Charles Rangel, Hazel Dukes, Percy Sutton, Harry Belafonte — who poured into him the belief that Black economic power wasn’t a dream, it was a duty. By the time he was ready to lead, Lloyd understood something too many still overlook: commerce, culture, and community weren’t separate stories. They were one Harlem story, woven tight.
Redefining the Chamber: Commerce as Community Power
In 1973, Lloyd joined the Uptown Chamber of Commerce. By 1983, he was President and CEO — and from that moment on, he never let Harlem stand still.
He transformed the Greater Harlem Chamber of Commerce into more than a business guild. Under his watch, it grew into a powerhouse of nearly 1,700 members — from corner barbershops to Fortune 500 companies. But numbers weren’t the point. What mattered was impact.
For Lloyd, the Chamber wasn’t just about dollars and deals. It was Harlem’s safety net and Harlem’s megaphone. It stood up for the small business owner, the cultural institution, the entrepreneur with a dream. He pushed for housing when families were being priced out. He created pathways to healthcare, education, and opportunity. Strivers Gardens wasn’t just a housing project — it was proof that Harlem could build equity while keeping families rooted.
Where others saw silos, Lloyd saw a whole. He knew Harlem’s economic power was tied to its cultural power. And he knew if Harlem rose, the world would have to recognize it.
Harlem Week: From Healing Day to Global Festival
If the Chamber was Lloyd’s stage, Harlem Week was his anthem.
Back in 1974, alongside Percy Sutton and Voza Rivers, he co-founded Harlem Day — one single day meant to bring pride in the middle of tough times. But Lloyd was never one to think small. One day became a week. A week became a month. And Harlem Week became one of the largest cultural celebrations in the world.
By 2025, Harlem Week hosted more than 100 events — concerts, health expos, business conferences, youth programs — drawing millions of people and millions of dollars into the local economy. But more than numbers, it broadcast Harlem’s story everywhere. From 125th Street to Johannesburg, from Sugar Hill to Tokyo, Harlem Week told the world: this neighborhood is magic.
The 51st edition in 2025 carried the theme “Celebrate Our Magic.” Lloyd didn’t live to see its close, but the festival carried on exactly as he built it — bigger than one man, rooted in community, designed to last.
Lloyd didn’t just throw a party. He created a living monument. He institutionalized joy, making Harlem Week the heartbeat of a people determined to shine.
The Cultural Connector
Lloyd’s genius was in connection. He knew Harlem’s institutions couldn’t afford to live in silos. He stitched them together into one powerful network.
He was a founding board member of the National Jazz Museum in Harlem, ensuring our music had a permanent home. He co-founded the National Black Sports & Entertainment Hall of Fame, carving out space for our athletic and artistic legends. He built bridges with Columbia University and City College, mentoring students and guiding programs that kept Harlem youth on track.
And his reach stretched far — into NYC & Company, the Harlem Arts Alliance, the editorial board of NY Carib News, and across the diaspora. In 2018, he was awarded an honorary Doctor of Laws degree from the University of the West Indies, tying his Harlem legacy back to his Caribbean roots.
Boardroom, block party, or pulpit — Lloyd spoke all those languages. And he made sure Harlem had a seat at every table.
A Leader, a Mentor, a Warrior
Ask anyone who worked with him: Lloyd was tough. James Brown tough. He demanded excellence and never tolerated mediocrity. But his toughness was born from love — love for Harlem, love for his people, love for the future.
He mentored without hesitation. To Hon. William A. Allen, he said, “You’re a son to me.” To Mayor Eric Adams, he offered reassurance in tough moments: “You’re gonna be alright.” To his own son Ade, he passed down the mantra: “We have power as individuals, and we have power collectively.”
The tributes came fast and deep. Reverend Al Sharpton called him a warrior, “no punk,” who stood tall for Harlem. Congresswoman Yvette Clarke praised his dedication to culture and commerce. Journalist Herb Boyd said it plain: “Very little transpired in Harlem without Williams’ knowledge — and far too many instances without his imprint.”
That’s the truth. Lloyd wasn’t just present — he was essential.
The Enduring Legacy
If you want to measure Lloyd’s impact, just look around. The Greater Harlem Chamber of Commerce — thriving. Harlem Week — global. The National Jazz Museum — alive and kicking. Strivers Gardens — families building equity. Businesses on 125th Street — still hustling, still standing. Tourists flooding into Harlem — not just for the Apollo, but for the living, breathing culture Lloyd amplified.
He never sought the spotlight. He worked behind the curtain so Harlem could stay center stage. He fought for Harlem, lifted Harlem, demanded Harlem’s best — because he gave his best.
Lloyd A. Williams will forever be remembered as the man who lifted Harlem higher. His spirit lives in every festival beat, every storefront ribbon-cutting, every young leader he inspired.
And as Reverend Al Sharpton said at his memorial: “Lloyd stood up. And we’re not gonna sit down.”
Harlem won’t sit down. Harlem will rise — because Lloyd built it to rise.
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Without public recognition, innumerable unsung heroes and heroines toiled away, sometimes at great personal danger and in the face of injustice, to advance the cause of civil rights. Here we highlight a few of these unsung heroes whose efforts were just as important as those of the more famous people of the time, who unfortunately tend to get more attention.
On August 6, 2025, Harlem lost one of its giants — Lloyd Ashburn Williams. Born in Jamaica in 1945, raised on West 120th Street, and rooted in this community for more than half a century, Lloyd wasn’t just the longtime President and CEO of the Greater Harlem Chamber of Commerce or the co-founder of Harlem Week. He was Harlem’s pulse. A brother who believed our story wasn’t just worth telling — it was worth amplifying to the world.
When Lloyd spoke, Harlem listened. And when he moved, Harlem moved with him. His legacy isn’t about one man; it’s about a neighborhood, a culture, and a people rising higher because he demanded nothing less.
A personal farewell from our founder G. Keith Alexander
I will miss Lloyd’s late-night calls asking me to contact Ms. Charlie Sutton to make an appointment to come by the office. Or his asking if I was available to host an event for the GHCC. I was always honored to be asked and never wanted to disappoint him.
I remember attending an awards ceremony honoring our friend Jonelle Procope, then the CEO and president of the Apollo Theater. I sat at her table and, at the end of the event, Lloyd ventured over from his table to loudly proclaim as he shook my hand, “I’m one of your biggest fans—bring me something I can help you with.” To me, the most important and influential man in Harlem had extended himself to me and my endeavors.
So, when I launched HarlemAmerica Digital Network, I knew I had Lloyd’s blessing. He provided me the opportunity to co-host three major Harlem Week events for several years, helping to establish content to stream on HarlemAmerica. Then, to my surprise, at a GHCC board meeting he declared HarlemAmerica the “official Digital Media Partner of the Greater Harlem Chamber of Commerce.”
Lloyd even approved the GHCC Channel on HarlemAmerica TV, where some of the Chamber’s events are available on-demand.
In October of last year, he summoned me to his office. I had no idea why I was there. However, during our hour-long meeting he said to me, “You are family, and I don’t know how long I’m going to be here, so if you need me to call someone for you, let me know.” Again, I was honored, but I thought he meant he was retiring soon—not leaving Harlem for good ten months later.
The Guardian of Harlem may be gone, but his mission lives on in the very capable hands of those at the Greater Harlem Chamber of Commerce whom he mentored and trained. And I, for one, stand with them. My condolences to his family.
Roots in Harlem, Anchored in Legacy
Lloyd’s Harlem story began when his family came from Jamaica to New York in 1947. He grew up right here, walking streets alive with brilliance and weighed down with struggle. Harlem gave him a front-row seat to resilience — and he gave that energy right back.
Educated at George Washington High, Brooklyn Tech, and later Syracuse University, Lloyd majored in business. But his true education came from his elders and mentors. Malcolm X, his unofficial godfather, taught him that leadership required courage. His grandmother, steeped in Marcus Garvey’s teachings, reminded him that education and economics were the twin engines of liberation.
And then there were Harlem’s own lions — Congressman Charles Rangel, Hazel Dukes, Percy Sutton, Harry Belafonte — who poured into him the belief that Black economic power wasn’t a dream, it was a duty. By the time he was ready to lead, Lloyd understood something too many still overlook: commerce, culture, and community weren’t separate stories. They were one Harlem story, woven tight.
Redefining the Chamber: Commerce as Community Power
In 1973, Lloyd joined the Uptown Chamber of Commerce. By 1983, he was President and CEO — and from that moment on, he never let Harlem stand still.
He transformed the Greater Harlem Chamber of Commerce into more than a business guild. Under his watch, it grew into a powerhouse of nearly 1,700 members — from corner barbershops to Fortune 500 companies. But numbers weren’t the point. What mattered was impact.
For Lloyd, the Chamber wasn’t just about dollars and deals. It was Harlem’s safety net and Harlem’s megaphone. It stood up for the small business owner, the cultural institution, the entrepreneur with a dream. He pushed for housing when families were being priced out. He created pathways to healthcare, education, and opportunity. Strivers Gardens wasn’t just a housing project — it was proof that Harlem could build equity while keeping families rooted.
Where others saw silos, Lloyd saw a whole. He knew Harlem’s economic power was tied to its cultural power. And he knew if Harlem rose, the world would have to recognize it.
Harlem Week: From Healing Day to Global Festival
If the Chamber was Lloyd’s stage, Harlem Week was his anthem.
Back in 1974, alongside Percy Sutton and Voza Rivers, he co-founded Harlem Day — one single day meant to bring pride in the middle of tough times. But Lloyd was never one to think small. One day became a week. A week became a month. And Harlem Week became one of the largest cultural celebrations in the world.
By 2025, Harlem Week hosted more than 100 events — concerts, health expos, business conferences, youth programs — drawing millions of people and millions of dollars into the local economy. But more than numbers, it broadcast Harlem’s story everywhere. From 125th Street to Johannesburg, from Sugar Hill to Tokyo, Harlem Week told the world: this neighborhood is magic.
The 51st edition in 2025 carried the theme “Celebrate Our Magic.” Lloyd didn’t live to see its close, but the festival carried on exactly as he built it — bigger than one man, rooted in community, designed to last.
Lloyd didn’t just throw a party. He created a living monument. He institutionalized joy, making Harlem Week the heartbeat of a people determined to shine.
The Cultural Connector
Lloyd’s genius was in connection. He knew Harlem’s institutions couldn’t afford to live in silos. He stitched them together into one powerful network.
He was a founding board member of the National Jazz Museum in Harlem, ensuring our music had a permanent home. He co-founded the National Black Sports & Entertainment Hall of Fame, carving out space for our athletic and artistic legends. He built bridges with Columbia University and City College, mentoring students and guiding programs that kept Harlem youth on track.
And his reach stretched far — into NYC & Company, the Harlem Arts Alliance, the editorial board of NY Carib News, and across the diaspora. In 2018, he was awarded an honorary Doctor of Laws degree from the University of the West Indies, tying his Harlem legacy back to his Caribbean roots.
Boardroom, block party, or pulpit — Lloyd spoke all those languages. And he made sure Harlem had a seat at every table.
A Leader, a Mentor, a Warrior
Ask anyone who worked with him: Lloyd was tough. James Brown tough. He demanded excellence and never tolerated mediocrity. But his toughness was born from love — love for Harlem, love for his people, love for the future.
He mentored without hesitation. To Hon. William A. Allen, he said, “You’re a son to me.” To Mayor Eric Adams, he offered reassurance in tough moments: “You’re gonna be alright.” To his own son Ade, he passed down the mantra: “We have power as individuals, and we have power collectively.”
The tributes came fast and deep. Reverend Al Sharpton called him a warrior, “no punk,” who stood tall for Harlem. Congresswoman Yvette Clarke praised his dedication to culture and commerce. Journalist Herb Boyd said it plain: “Very little transpired in Harlem without Williams’ knowledge — and far too many instances without his imprint.”
That’s the truth. Lloyd wasn’t just present — he was essential.
The Enduring Legacy
If you want to measure Lloyd’s impact, just look around. The Greater Harlem Chamber of Commerce — thriving. Harlem Week — global. The National Jazz Museum — alive and kicking. Strivers Gardens — families building equity. Businesses on 125th Street — still hustling, still standing. Tourists flooding into Harlem — not just for the Apollo, but for the living, breathing culture Lloyd amplified.
He never sought the spotlight. He worked behind the curtain so Harlem could stay center stage. He fought for Harlem, lifted Harlem, demanded Harlem’s best — because he gave his best.
Lloyd A. Williams will forever be remembered as the man who lifted Harlem higher. His spirit lives in every festival beat, every storefront ribbon-cutting, every young leader he inspired.
And as Reverend Al Sharpton said at his memorial: “Lloyd stood up. And we’re not gonna sit down.”
Harlem won’t sit down. Harlem will rise — because Lloyd built it to rise.
This Month’s Featured Articles
Black History Month 2026 FeatureFeaturedHarlemEntertainmentHarlemHistory
HarlemAmerica launches the HarlemAmerica Originals Channel with its inaugural Black History Month 2026 series, Wait… A Black Person Invented That?!, spotlighting Black innovators who shaped modern life.
Black History Month 2026 FeatureFeaturedHarlemHistory
In honor of Women's History Month we document a legacy of revolutionary leadership, courageous advocacy, and everlasting empowerment is Shirley Chisholm's political legacy.
Black History Month 2026 FeatureFeaturedHarlemHistory
Without public recognition, innumerable unsung heroes and heroines toiled away, sometimes at great personal danger and in the face of injustice, to advance the cause of civil rights. Here we highlight a few of these unsung heroes whose efforts were just as important as those of the more famous people of the time, who unfortunately tend to get more attention.