December Community Vibes

Sean

2 weeks ago

December Community Vibes: Where Brooklyn & Northern NJ Show Up for Each Other

December is loud, busy, and expensive — but December community events in Brooklyn and Northern NJ are where our people find something quieter underneath the chaos: connection, healing, and Black joy that doesn’t need anyone’s permission.

This month’s calendar isn’t just a list of “things to do.” It’s a map of how our communities are actually moving:

pouring into mental health,
circulating dollars through Black-owned businesses,
building tech and energy careers,
and keeping traditions like Kwanzaa alive for the next generation.

Think of this as your hyperlocal blueprint for ending 2025 in rooms that see you, honor you, and root for you — from Lyndhurst to Newark, Brooklyn Navy Yard to Industry City. That’s the heart of what HfYC is here to do: amplify hyperlocal stories and spaces that mainstream outlets miss, especially in Black neighborhoods.

How We Built This December Guide

We pulled this calendar together with three things in mind:

Wellness first. You can’t pour from an empty cup — so we start the month with breathwork, sound baths, and intentional rest.
Economic power. From She Did That. to Kwanzaa Crawl, these events push Black dollars through Black hands.
Legacy and learning. Tech, green energy, and Kwanzaa festivals are all about building futures our elders would be proud of.

Each listing below includes:

What it is
Who’s behind it
A bit of history or context
Where to click if you’re trying to pull up

We’ve also structured this guide in a way that’s easy to skim on your phone and SEO-friendly for the HfYC team working inside WordPress and Rank Math.

If we missed something important, reach out and share with us, or create your own article!

Week of December 8–14 – Safety, Power, and Spending with Intention

Where the Bosses Are – AACCNJ Holiday Mixer & Annual Meeting (Dec 10)

Event: AACCNJ Holiday Mixer & Annual Meeting
Where: Princeton Marriott at Forrestal, Princeton, NJ
Category: Business & Networking

Hosted by the African American Chamber of Commerce of New Jersey (AACCNJ), this Holiday Mixer is the year-end room for Black business owners and professionals across the state. Your ticket typically includes food, an open bar, networking, music, and a look at AACCNJ’s annual impact report — plus giveaways and door prizes that keep the room buzzing. Truthout

AACCNJ has been a central voice for Black economic advancement in New Jersey, pushing for access to contracts, capital, policy influence, and data on the Black business ecosystem. Ending the year here means you’re not just socializing; you’re sitting next to people who sign checks and shape policy.

To join: Register via the AACCNJ website’s event calendar or the Holiday Mixer event page. Truthout

Future-Proof Careers – New Jersey Future Energy Transmission Conference (Dec 10)

Event: New Jersey Future Energy Transmission Conference
Where: NJIT Campus Center, Newark, NJ
Category: Tech & Innovation

As New Jersey moves toward 100% clean energy by 2035, the Future Energy Transmission Conference at NJIT is where government officials, utilities, engineers, and organizers talk about how the grid, offshore wind, and transmission lines will actually get built.

For Black students, engineers, and tech professionals in Newark, this is an opportunity to plug into high-growth green energy careers before the big contracts and hiring waves hit. Showing up here now is about making sure our communities aren’t left out of another “future of work” conversation.

To join: Details and registration live on the NJ Energy Week / NJIT event pages.

Safety Without Sirens – Audre Lorde Project “Safety & Wellness Planning Cypher” (Dec 11)

Event: Safety & Wellness Planning Cypher
Organizer: Audre Lorde Project (ALP)
Where: (NYC-based, virtual or in-person details on ALP site)
Category: Community Safety & Wellness

The Audre Lorde Project has been building community safety strategies for queer and trans people of color for decades — without centering police or punishment. Their Safety & Wellness Planning Cypher on Thursday, December 11, 2025, from 6:30–8:30 p.m. is a training space to answer one big question:
What does safety look like for us, when we define it ourselves? The Audre Lorde Project

Using ALP’s Safety & Wellness Planning tool, participants reflect on their needs, map out “pods” (the people they can call on), and practice concrete strategies for crisis moments that don’t rely on policing — things like mutual aid, bystander support, and collective de-escalation.

This is especially relevant for Black and brown LGBTQ+ communities who are often over-policed and under-protected. It’s also a powerful space for youth and organizers thinking seriously about abolition, transformative justice, and how to keep each other safe in real life.

To join: Register directly through ALP’s event page (“Safety & Wellness Planning Cypher”) on their website. The Audre Lorde Project Registration

Black Art, Black Money – Black Art Matters Pop-Up (Dec 13)

Event: Black Art Matters Pop-Up – “Holiday Blackout” Edition
Where: Multi-location, including a luxury Holiday Blackout pop-up in Harlem/Upper Manhattan (easy access for North Jersey commuters)
Category: Arts, Culture & Economic Empowerment

The Black Art Matters Pop-Up is part gallery, part market, and part cultural rallying cry: Black art is not a niche — it’s the blueprint.

This December’s activation includes multiple locations, with a standout “Holiday Blackout” luxury pop-up in Harlem/Upper Manhattan — perfect for North Jersey folks who can hop across the bridge or tunnel. The focus is clear:

Keep holiday spending inside Black communities
Elevate Black visual artists, designers, and makers
Treat art and luxury goods as vehicles for economic freedom, not just decoration

Curated Black art pop-ups have been gaining traction nationally as a way to reclaim space and visibility for Black artists whose work is often undervalued or sidelined in mainstream galleries. Events under the “Black Art Matters” banner highlight how our creativity is both cultural archive and economic engine. Cleveland Scene

To join: Look for “Black Art Matters Pop-Up” / “Holiday Blackout” event pages on Eventbrite and organizer social pages for exact locations, times, and ticket options. (Organizers frequently update details and vendor lists online.)

Week of December 15–21 – Black-Tie, Black Wealth, and Kwanzaa Warm-Up

Holiday Noir Soirée (Dec 17) – Black-tie regional networking with the African American Chamber (PA/NJ/DE).
Kwanzaa Family Festival & Marketplace at NJPAC (Dec 20) – Free family event in Newark with performances and a vendor marketplace.
NJ In Color Ugly Sweater Holiday Market (Dec 20) – Social, fun, and hyperlocal for Northern NJ Black and POC communities.

Week of December 22–26 – Tech, Crawls, and Day-After-Christmas Unity

Startup Valley Tech Networking at Keybar (Dec 23) – AI & tech networking in Brooklyn.
Kwanzaa Crawl 2025 (Dec 26) – Massive crawl through Black-owned bars and restaurants in Brooklyn on Umoja (Unity).

Week of December 27–31 – Kwanzaa, Purpose, and Libraries as Sanctuaries

Celebrate Kwanzaa – Brooklyn Children’s Museum (Dec 26–30) – NYC’s largest family Kwanzaa festival with drumming, performances, and art.
Friends of JBAAR Kwanzaa Celebration – Newark Public Library (Dec 30) – Community-centered Kwanzaa honoring Nia (Purpose) in a historic Black archive space.

Exhibition Spotlight – Stephanie Dinkins and the Future of Black AI Narratives

Even if you don’t catch a specific opening this month, your December calendar in Brooklyn isn’t complete without knowing the name Stephanie Dinkins.

Dinkins is a Brooklyn-based transmedia artist whose work sits right at the intersection of Black futures and artificial intelligence. Through projects like “Not the Only One” and “Conversations with Bina48,” she’s been building AI systems trained on Black family oral histories and cultural memory — instead of the biased, internet-scraped data that often erases or distorts us.

Her 2025 installation “If We Don’t, Who Will?”, exhibited at the Plaza at 300 Ashland in Brooklyn and commissioned by More Art, fine-tuned AI models on Black photography (like Roy DeCarava’s work), African-American Vernacular English, and Black cultural symbols, literally training the machine on Black ethos. The Guardian – Tech Culture

Why include her in a community calendar? Because her work:

Shows that AI doesn’t have to be anti-Black if we control the data and the questions.
Creates public, accessible spaces where everyday people can see themselves reflected in AI-generated images.
Models what it looks like for Black communities to be co-authors of the technologies shaping our future, not just data points.

Where to learn more:

Stephanie Dinkins official site – artist bio, projects, and upcoming exhibitions. Stephanie Dinkins AI Artists

You can treat her work as a running, city-wide “event” in how you think about tech, art, and the future — especially if you’re already planning to hit Black Tech Saturdays or Startup Valley this month.

Why These December Community Events in Brooklyn and Northern NJ Matter

These December community events in Brooklyn and Northern NJ are not random listings. Together, they:

Support mental health (The Black Healing Space)
Fuel Black entrepreneurship (She Did That., Wallabout Wonderland, NJ In Color, Kwanzaa Crawl, NJPAC marketplace)
Advance our career pipelines (Black Tech Saturdays, NJIT’s energy conference, Startup Valley)
Protect and evolve our culture (Kwanzaa festivals at NJPAC, BCM, and JBAAR)

Short-term, you walk away with new contacts, new vendors to support, and maybe a slightly sore throat from laughing or chanting at a crawl.

Long-term, these spaces:

strengthen local Black economies,
normalize Black presence in high-growth sectors like AI and clean energy,
and build cultural traditions that our kids and grandkids can inherit.

Key Takeaways & How to Move

1. Pick at least one wellness space.
Start the month with The Black Healing Space or another healing practice so you’re grounded before diving into networking and nightlife.

2. Make your money political — in a good way.
Every dollar spent at She Did That., Wallabout Wonderland, NJ In Color, NJPAC’s marketplace, or Kwanzaa Crawl is a tiny protest against economic neglect.

3. Put your career in the room.
If you’re in tech, energy, or entrepreneurship, Black Tech Saturdays, NJ Energy Week at NJIT, Startup Valley, and the Holiday Noir Soirée are not optional — they’re leverage.

4. Bring the kids into the culture.
BCM’s Celebrate Kwanzaa, NJPAC’s festival, and the JBAAR celebration make Kwanzaa feel alive, not abstract.

5. Tell someone else about these events.
Send this article to a friend, drop a link in the group chat, or invite that younger cousin who’s “trying to get serious next year.” That’s how community grows.

HfYC Poll of the Day

Which December community move are you choosing this year: healing circle, holiday market, or Kwanzaa turn-up — and what does that choice say about where you are in life right now?

Alternate Perspectives:

If your December calendar is all office parties and no Black community events, do you really feel “seen” — or just busy?
What type of December community event feels most nourishing to you right now: wellness, networking, or cultural celebration?
Be honest: are you going to December events for the healing, the networking, the culture — or the food and vibes?

References (APA Style)

African American Chamber of Commerce of NJ. (2025). Holiday Mixer & Annual Meeting [Event flyer]. aaccnj.com+1
African American Chamber of Commerce (PA/NJ/DE). (2025). 2025 Holiday Noir Soirée [Event listing]. aachamber.com+1
Black Tech Saturdays. (2025). The Virtual AI Series: Ethics & Guardrails [Event description]. POCIT+4eventnoire.com+4BLACK TECH SATURDAYS+4
Brooklyn Children’s Museum. (2025). Celebrate Kwanzaa [Program page]. brooklynkids.org+1
Brooklyn Navy Yard. (2025). Wallabout Wonderland Holiday Market [Event listing]. Brooklyn Navy Yard+2Happening Next+2
Kwanzaa Crawl. (2025). Kwanzaa Crawl 2025: A one day celebration of Black-owned bars [Eventbrite listing & official site]. Brooklyn Eagle+6Kwanzaa Crawl®+6Eventbrite+6
New Jersey Performing Arts Center. (2025). Kwanzaa Family Festival & Marketplace [Community engagement listing]. NJPAC+2Newark Happening+2
New Jersey Institute of Technology & Rowan University. (2025). New Jersey Future Energy Transmission Conference 2025 [Conference overview]. wind.njit.edu+2wind.njit.edu+2
NJ In Color. (2025). NJ In Color Ugly Sweater HoliDAY Market & Party [Event listing and organizer bio]. Eventbrite+2AllEvents+2
Renae Bluitt. (2025). She Did That. Holiday Bazaar [Industry City & She Did That event pages]. Shed It That+3Industry City+3Shed It That+3
Startup Valley. (2025). AI & Tech Networking NYC Brooklyn [Event listing]. Eventbrite+2Pulse NYC+2
The Black Healing Space. (2025). The Black Healing Space – Lyndhurst, NJ [Event listings]. Eventbrite+2StayHappening+2
Friends of the James Brown African American Room. (2025). Kwanzaa Celebration [Newark Public Library & NewarkHappening listings]. Newark Public Library+1