Sunny Hostin, Rod Strickland, Jon Ledecky, Angela Yee, Jamie Hector, Michael Raymond James & More Celebrate Moving Mountains for the Arts Gala at the Brooklyn Museum
Founded by The Wire and Bosch star Jamie Hector, Moving Mountains provides free year-round performing arts training, mentorship, and leadership development for New York City youth
Hi-res photos from the 19th Annual Moving Mountains for the Arts Gala are available HERE
Moving Mountains celebrated its 19th Annual Moving Mountains for the Arts Gala on Monday, June 8th at the Brooklyn Museum, bringing together leaders from entertainment, sports, media, education, philanthropy, and the Brooklyn community for a powerful evening in support of the organization’s free arts education and mentorship programs for New York City youth.
Founded in 2007 by actor, mentor, and two-time Emmy Award-winning executive producer Jamie Hector (The Wire, Bosch, Ballard, Queen of the South, Cape Fear, Vacation Friends), Moving Mountains is dedicated to empowering young people through professional training in acting, dance, vocal performance, film, theater production, stage management, creative writing, mentorship, and leadership development.
This year’s gala honored Emmy-nominated journalist, attorney, author, producer, and co-host of The View Sunny Hostin with the Power of Voice Award; NBA legend and Head Coach of the LIU Sharks Rod Strickland with the Visionary Leadership Award; and New York Islanders co-owner Jon Ledecky with the Humanitarian Trailblazer Award. The evening was hosted by award-winning media personality and entrepreneur Angela Yee.
The star-studded celebration welcomed notable guests and supporters including Jamie Hector, Angela Yee, Sunny Hostin, Rod Strickland, Jon Ledecky, Lorraine Bracco, Naturi Naughton, Michael Raymond-James, Harry Lennix, Melle Mel, Mona Scott-Young, Aisha Hinds, Hisham Tawfiq, Saycon Sengbloh, Pastor A.R. Bernard, Geoffrey Canada, Renée Neufville of Zhané, and others.
The evening opened with Moving Mountains students taking the stage for a live performance from Rent. Junior hosts McKayson Bowen and Victoria Goldsburry welcomed guests, followed by an invocation from Pastor A.R. Bernard and a special video presentation, “A Day at Moving Mountains,” highlighting the organization’s year-round work with young artists across New York City.
The program continued with remarks from Moving Mountains alumna Harmony Browne, who first joined the organization at age eight, went on to graduate from Howard University in 2025 with a Bachelor of Fine Arts, and has now returned to Moving Mountains as a dance instructor. Guests also experienced live student performances featuring vocals, drama, and dance, followed by a video spotlight on alumnus Isaiah Collins and keynote remarks from nationally recognized educator and Harlem Children’s Zone president Geoffrey Canada.
A major focus of the evening was the recognition of this year’s Ken Thompson Award student honorees: Jewel Davis, Micah Wong, and Raquel Duverger. Davis, a vocalist, actress, songwriter, and musician from Harlem, will continue her artistic journey at LIU Post. Wong, a graduating senior from Brooklyn High School of the Arts, has already released original music on major streaming platforms and is pursuing a future as a songwriter, producer, and recording artist. Duverger, a gifted actor, vocalist, student-athlete, and trilingual student, will attend the University of Connecticut to study chemistry on a pre-med track after being accepted to 45 colleges and universities.
One of the night’s most emotional moments came when Sunny Hostin’s daughter Paloma, a junior at Cornell University, surprised her mother onstage to present her with the Power of Voice Award. Hostin had brought Paloma as her guest for the evening, but was visibly moved when she realized her daughter would be part of the program, and spoke from the stage about how much Paloma inspires her.
Rod Strickland received the Visionary Leadership Award after choosing to attend the gala in Brooklyn instead of an NBA Finals game. A Bronx native, first-round New York Knicks draft pick, 17-season NBA veteran, former league assists leader, and current head coach of the LIU Sharks, Strickland was honored for a career that has extended from the playground to the pros to the sideline.
Jamie Hector presented Jon Ledecky with the Humanitarian Trailblazer Award, recognizing Ledecky’s work as co-owner of the New York Islanders and his broader commitment to philanthropy, education, community, and youth opportunity. The evening also included a special performance by Renée Neufville of the platinum-selling R&B group Zhané, who performed a medley of hits for the crowd.
After Hector’s closing remarks, the energy in the room shifted into a full New York Knicks viewing party inside the Brooklyn Museum, hosted by the New York Islanders. Guests including Angela Yee, Sunny Hostin, Rod Strickland, Curtis Martin, Michael Raymond-James, Harry Lennix, Melle Mel, Mona Scott-Young, and others watched the game side by side, cheering as the gala became a spirited celebration of New York sports and community.
For 19 years, Moving Mountains has provided a safe, rigorous, and inspiring creative home for young people across New York City. The organization serves more than 300 youth annually, has produced more than 23 youth theater and film productions, and reports a 100% high school graduation rate among its alumni. Alumni have been accepted to colleges and programs including NYU, Howard University, Buffalo, SUNY New Paltz, Morgan State, SUNY Purchase, AMDA, and others.
Hector founded Moving Mountains after his own experience with arts mentorship as a young person growing up in Brooklyn, where exposure to theater helped shape his life and career. As his role as Marlo Stanfield on HBO’s The Wire brought him national recognition, Hector deepened his commitment to creating similar opportunities for the next generation.
All proceeds from the gala directly support Moving Mountains’ free programming for youth.
Hi-res photos from the 19th Annual Moving Mountains for the Arts Gala are available HERE.
ABOUT MOVING MOUNTAINS
Founded in 2007 by actor, mentor, and two-time Emmy Award-winning executive producer Jamie Hector, Moving Mountains is a 501(c)(3) theater-based youth organization providing free professional performing arts training to New York City youth. Through drama, dance, vocal performance, film, creative writing, theater production, stage management, mentorship, and leadership development, Moving Mountains helps students develop skills, talents, and abilities while building character.
The organization has trained more than 5,000 students and provides year-round programming free of charge. Moving Mountains prepares young people for the stage, the screen, the entertainment industry, and life.
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