2026 Featured performers
India Arie
Featured Performer & Vocalist
India Arie is a once-in-a generation singer, musician, and songwriter. She has won 4 Grammy awards from 23 nominations, including Best R&B Album. She rose to prominence with her debut album, Acoustic Soul (2001). She has since released the albums Voyage to India (2002), Testimony: Vol. 1, Life and Relationship (2006), Songversation (2013), and Worthy (2019). Her music blends elements of R&B, soul, and neo-soul, often incorporating themes of self-empowerment, spirituality, and social consciousness. Arie has sold over 5 million records in the U.S. and 10 million worldwide. She is recognized for her advocacy of positive representation in music and has participated in humanitarian and wellness initiatives. She has spoken publicly about issues of self-acceptance, race, and cultural identity.
Zebulon Ellis
Vocalist
Zebulon Ellis, a 2-time finalist in BET’s Sunday’s Best, has graced stages from arenas to the White House, sharing his voice in gospel, R&B, and theater. He starred in Tyler Perry’s Hell Hath No Fury Like a Woman Scorned and served as the singing voice of C.L. Franklin in Genius: Aretha. A lifelong worship leader and music director, he uses his gift to uplift and inspire, staying true to the meaning of his name - “to give honor to”—through every song he sings. Ellis returns to SBF for a second year following his mesmerizing performance in 2025 including a magical “duel” with legendary tap dancer Savion Glover.
Josephine Howell
Vocalist
Josephine Howell is arguably the Pacific Northwest’s most popular and beloved African American vocalist on the scene today. She flows seamlessly between Rhythm & Blues, jazz, Afro beats, Cuban Rhythms, Caribbean, and Gospel music, thrilling crowds in concert halls and clubs, and inspiring congregations in houses of worship. Her distinctive contralto/mezzo voice and captivating stage presence make her performances a truly transformative experience for her audiences. She is a prodigy of the late gospel legend Rev. Pat Wright and has now blazed her own distinctive musical path. When Josephine Howell steps to the microphone her audience is never left disappointed.
2026 Emcees & Presenters
Mona Lake-Jones
Writer, Orator, & Editor
Mona Lake-Jones served as Poet Curator and Laureate for the City of Seattle and for the Martin Luther King County. Her first poem was published in Essence Magazine in 1990. Her 1992 poem, “A Room Full of Sisters” was commissioned by 100 Black Women of Boston and exhibited in the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston. Her published books include The Color of Culture, The Color of Culture II, and The Color of Culture III. She has gained a national reputation as a poet, a motivational speaker with rare presentational skills, and as an activist. Jones has appeared on programs with Oprah, Danny Glover, Shirley Chisholm, Merlie Evers-Williams, Randall Robinson, and Maxine Waters.
Angela RusselL
TV News Journalist & Playwright
Angela Russell is an award-winning TV journalist and storyteller, known for her in-depth reporting and compelling interviews. A former co-host of KING 5’s Evening News and Take 5, her career has spanned the country, earning her a National Gracie Award and a Northwest Emmy. Now expanding into film and theater, she is a Playwright in Residence at Seattle Public Theatre and a Contributing Host for KIRO News Radio. Angela lives in Seattle with her husband, Victor, and daughters, Ava and Maya.
Isiah Anderson, Jr.
Comedian, Director, Educator
Isiah Anderson, Jr. serves as the Recreation Program Coordinator for Citywide Performing Arts and Special Events for the City of Seattle Department of Parks and Recreation and Co-Owner/Artistic Director of Acts on Stage Theatre. As Director of the Annual Teen Summer Musicals since 1996, he has created original urban theatrical hits such as Grease “The Way We Do It” (‘04), The Soul of Beauty and the Beast (’03), The Wiz (’02, ’17, ’25), Snow White and the 7 (’01, ’15, ’24) to name a few. In addition to Directing Isiah is an actor and well-know national comedian. He has appeared several times on BET’s Comic View and has been a featured performer on Russell Simmons, Def Jam Comedy Tour.
2026 Choir & Musicians
The Choral singers
A Choral group of 30 gifted African American singers from the Puget Sound Community will perform under AD Braxton’s direction. The Choral group will combine the talents of well-known local vocalists and emerging young vocal talent. Together they form a musically versatile Choir with an extraordinarily rich and dynamic sound.
The Musicians
The featured vocalists and the choir will be accompanied by a dynamic 8-piece rhythm section plus a variety of other musicians. A rich combination of local and national musicians will support a star-studded roster of singers, dancers, narrators, and an eclectic and inspiring musical program.
Ramón Bryant Braxton
Conductor & Artistic Director
Ramón Bryant Braxton returns for a 5th year as the Artistic Director and Conductor for Songs of Black Folk. He is an orchestra conductor, choir director, vocalist, pianist, and organist. He is a graduate of the Morehouse College in Atlanta (BA) and the Morgan Stage University in Baltimore. While attending Morehouse Braxton was a member of the renowned Morehouse College Glee Club. He has led and served with the musical staffs of some of the most historic African American churches in the nation including, the Abyssinia Baptist Church of Harlem, the Metropolitan Baptist Church of Washington DC, and the Ebenezer Baptist Church of Atlanta. Braxton has performed with Baltimore’s Soulful Symphony: A full orchestra of African American and Latina musicians. He has served as vocal instructor at Baltimore’s Langston Hughes School for the Performance Arts.
Artistic Director
