Marija Abney founded The Soapbox Presents in 2020 in response to the murder of George Floyd, using free arts programming from some of NYC’s most talented artists to build a platform—both literally and figuratively—for Black and brown expression. The program has featured such artists as Mahogany L. Browne (Lincoln Center’s first poet-in-residence) and arranger, composer, and pianist Sean Mason (a featured guest of the Wynton Marsalis Quintet), and has been acknowledged by the United Nations for their work in their inaugural International Day of People of African Descent. The collective has performed at The Apollo, Lincoln Center, Symphony Space, Afropunk Festival, and on the stoops and sidewalks of New York City, making their return to SummerStage this year in Harlem’s Marcus Garvey Park.