Kwanzaa Crawl is Black Joy in Motion
As Brooklyn continues to feel the pressure of rising costs and shrinking margins for small businesses, moments rooted in community, intention, and collective power matter more than ever. That’s exactly why Kwanzaa Crawl is back, returning for its ninth year as both a cultural celebration and an economic lifeline for Black-owned businesses across the borough. On Friday, December 26, thousands once again flooded Brooklyn not just to celebrate the first day of Kwanzaa, but to actively circulate dollars with purpose, pride, and impact.
What began as a grassroots idea has grown into the nation’s largest event supporting Black-owned businesses, welcoming more than 4,000 participants annually and generating real, measurable change. In a time when Black communities are disproportionately navigating the weight of an affordability crisis, Kwanzaa Crawl stands as a reminder that cooperative economics isn’t just theory, it’s action. It’s joy. It’s choosing to show up for one another when it matters most.
At the heart of Kwanzaa Crawl are its co-founders, Kerry Coddett and Krystal Payne, two Brooklyn-rooted powerhouses whose backgrounds span entertainment, storytelling, and high-level strategy. Kerry is an award-winning writer, director, comedian, and community organizer whose work lives in nuance, using humor and honesty to unpack identity, class, and belonging. Beyond her on-screen and stage accomplishments, her commitment to community building is deeply personal, grounding Kwanzaa Crawl in authenticity and cultural intention.
Krystal brings a complementary force: a seasoned producer and former marketing executive who has led major campaigns for Fortune 500 companies and developed content across television, film, and live performance. Her strategic vision, operational rigor, and deep understanding of audience engagement have helped transform Kwanzaa Crawl into a sustainable economic engine with citywide impact. Together, Kerry and Krystal have built more than an event; they’ve created a movement that proves joy, celebration, and economic empowerment can coexist, and that when Black women lead with purpose, the ripple effects extend far beyond one day on the calendar.
This season, Kwanzaa Crawl was more than a celebration with a purpose; it was a moment of collective healing. The meeting ground and kick off at the historic Crown Hill Theatre, the gathering felt like a true family reunion rooted in love, remembrance, and community, honoring all that is Black, resilient, and deeply connected. From the opening ceremony to the lighting of the candles, each principle of Kwanzaa was thoughtfully explained, grounding the experience in meaning and tradition rather than spectacle.
Kerry and Krystal event by lighting each candle, which represents each principle, as they spokeabout what we have gained and lost in 2025
Kerry “ the reason why we bring people here is because this isn’t an ordinary bar crawl yes we are going to have fun but it’s about being intention and supporting black business so this crawl represent all 7 principle of Kwanzaa so this maybe not look like your grandma Kwanzaa but it’s ours and how we celebrate kwanzaa because of one of the principles of Kwanzaa is kujichagulia which means we get to define ourselves for ourselves.”
There was sacred space to call in our ancestors, those who paved the way, those we’ve lost in recent years and decades, and those whose spirits continue to guide us forward. It was a collective pause to reflect, to grieve, and to celebrate survival, joy, and shared triumph. Through laughter, reverence, and togetherness, Kwanzaa Crawl reaffirmed a simple but powerful truth: community is not just where we gather, it’s how we hold one another. As we move into 2026, the energy inside Crown Hill Theatre made one thing clear: when we honor our past and intentionally invest in each other, we step into the future stronger, together.
As the ceremony concluded, participants organized into their respective groups and prepared to take to the streets, carrying the energy of the moment with them. The transition from reflection to action felt intentional, an embodiment of Kwanzaa Crawl’s core mission. The principles honored inside the theater would now be activated throughout Brooklyn, one stop at a time.
As the crawl gained momentum, our group moved deliberately from stop to stop, each space offering its own rhythm, story, and sense of pride. I had the divine pleasure of being part of Group 13A, where the experience felt both joyful and thoughtfully guided. The structure behind the crawl was evident: clear leadership, intentional pacing, and a shared understanding that the goal was not excess, but engagement.
One of the most meaningful presences throughout the crawl came from Curlfest, a cultural institution long rooted in celebrating Black creativity and ownership. The team, led by Terry Omi, alongside Simone Mair, Curlfest co-founder, brought an unmistakable sense of joy and intention that mirrored the spirit of the day itself.
In conversation during the crawl, Terry Omi emphasized how joy operates not just as celebration, but as strategy. Events like Kwanzaa Crawl, he noted, create rare moments where visibility and economic impact intersect in real time. In a climate where many Black-owned businesses are navigating rising rents, reduced foot traffic, and shrinking margins, that intersection is not symbolic; it’s essential.
“I feel blessed to be part of Kwanzaa Crawl and to be collaborating with Curlfest, which has an incredible impact on New York City,” Omi shared. “I’m bringing my leadership and playing music on the way to each venue; it’s really a movie within a movie. This is a unity-driven collaboration between two organizations, Curlfest and Kwanzaa Crawl, and I’m truly honored to serve as the team leader for Group 13A, keeping the vibes going all night long.”
Later on, speaking with the other group leader of Group 13A, Simone Mair, co-founder of Curlfest, spoke to the deeper meaning behind the collaboration and her role in this year’s crawl. For Simone, Kwanzaa Crawl represents authenticity in its purest form.
“Kwanzaa Crawl means authenticity to me, all black everything. for us, by us. That’s everything we’re about,” she shared. “This is my first year leading a team, alongside the Curlfest crew, so what better way to celebrate Black joy than by bringing the largest Black beauty festival and the largest Black bar crawl together.”
Among the participants of this year’s Kwanzaa Crawl was Kevin Vieira. As someone actively engaged in the day’s events and the community it serves, his perspective offered meaningful insight into the purpose behind the celebration. I asked Kevin to share what Kwanzaa means to him personally and how he believes its principles continue to resonate within the community at large.
“Kwanzaa is a deeply important time within the community because it brings Black people together in a celebratory way, free from much of the anxiety that can come with meeting new people. The spirit of the holiday creates a warm, welcoming environment where joy takes center stage. I decided to participate this year because of the Black joy the Kwanzaa Crawl embodies, from singing and dancing from venue to venue to the meaningful new bonds formed along the way. At its core, the Kwanzaa Crawl is truly a family affair.”
As the evening unfolded, Brooklyn itself seemed to transform. Music spilled into the streets, laughter echoed between venues, and conversations sparked between strangers united by shared intention. From longtime neighborhood staples to newer businesses still establishing their footing, the crawl highlighted the depth, diversity, and resilience of Black entrepreneurship across the borough.
By the end of the night, the takeaway was unmistakable. Kwanzaa Crawl is far more than an annual outing; it is an act of collective care, a practice of cooperative economics, and a reminder that tradition can be a tool for transformation. When community shows up with intention, impact follows.
As the evening continued, Brooklyn seemed to fall into step with that energy. Music drifted from venue to venue, conversations unfolded naturally, and the crawl settled into a shared rhythm that felt both celebratory and grounded. From longtime neighborhood anchors like Nostrand Bar to newer spaces such as Damballa NYC, the route reflected the breadth of Black-owned businesses shaping the borough. Together, these stops offered a living portrait of Black entrepreneurship, resilient, evolving, and deeply woven into the cultural fabric of Brooklyn.
Nine years in, Kwanzaa Crawl continues to affirm a powerful truth: circulating dollars within the community is not optional; it is essential. And once again, Brooklyn answered the call.