FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: MelaninCon Is Bringing a Panel, a Pitch Competition, and a Champagne Celebration to DC, and This Might Be the Most Important Night of the Year

MelaninCon Announces Champagne Reign, a New Signature Evening Experience Featuring ECHO Pulse

WASHINGTON, DC — March 21, 2026 — MelaninCon, a Black professional development and entrepreneurship summit produced by A Celebration of Us, Inc., a Washington DC-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit, today announced Champagne Reign, a new signature evening experience set for Sunday, June 28, 2026 from 3pm to 7pm at Realm Rooftop Bar and Lounge, 899 O Street NW in Washington, DC. The event marks MelaninCon's second dedicated evening activation and the inaugural live installment of ECHO Pulse, a programming extension of the organization's year-round ECHO Amplified virtual workshop series.

Champagne Reign is built in two moments and both of them matter. The night opens with ECHO Pulse, a 45-minute panel titled The State of Us. No fluff, no talking points. Just four voices ready to have a real conversation about where Black America is right now and what we actually do about it. The conversation covers economic power, community building, and the vote. Then three Black entrepreneurs step to the mic for a live pitch competition with $2,250 in prizes on the line. First place takes home $1,000. Second takes $750. Third takes $500. All of it awarded live, on stage, in front of the room.

The panel is moderated by Fahn Darkor, Co-Founder of Souled Out Dates. Panelists include Constance Carter, CEO of Catalyst Real Estate Professionals and wealth activist featured in Black Enterprise and the Huffington Post. Former Tennessee State Senator Katrina Robinson, the first African American woman elected to District 33 and Founder of the only minority owned nursing school in the state. And Senzwa Ntshepe, President and CEO of The Connect, a professional community now operating across Philadelphia, DC, and Memphis with over 20,000 members.

Judging the pitch competition are Janine Brunson-Johnson, Senior Director of Events and Entertainment at D.C. United and Audi Field. Aniesia Williams, Chief Impact and Venture Officer at Dreambloc and Forbes Business Council member. And Johnny Bailey, Captain of Black Golf Club DC, Black Enterprise 40 Under 40 honoree, and former Nike, Google, and Amazon professional.

Black entrepreneurs in this city are building real businesses with limited access to real capital. Champagne Reign does something about that. Three business owners stand in front of 200 of their peers, make their case in two minutes, and walk away with funding the same night. No applications that go nowhere. No committees that take months. Just a community that shows up, listens, and invests. The people in that room become part of the story of how those businesses grow.

The night opens with sounds by DJ Jus Jamz, a multidisciplinary entertainer and audio engineer who has collaborated with Google, Amazon, Jordan Brand, Nike, and the US Air Force. The closing mixer is led by Davy J the Virgo, a DMV-based DJ known for curating intimate, elevated sets that hold a room from the first song to the last.

Champagne Reign will be held at Realm Rooftop Bar and Lounge in DC's Shaw neighborhood. The space sits atop the Hyatt House on O Street NW with an unobstructed view of the Capitol Dome and the city below. Realm is led by native Washingtonians who built the space with community in mind. That is not a coincidence. When you are producing an event rooted in Black DC, the venue has to carry the same intention as the programming. Realm does.

"Champagne Reign is the moment when the work pays off," said Donovan Woodberry, Founder of MelaninCon and Chief Operating Officer of A Celebration of Us, Inc. "We built this night for the people who show up every day, build something, invest in their community, and still know how to celebrate doing it. The panel, the pitch competition, and the mixer are all one conversation. This is what Black excellence looks like when it gets dressed up and gets to work at the same time. Come dressed. Leave different."

The announcement comes on the heels of MelaninCon's 2025 Black Excellence Gala, which drew praise from attendees across the DC metro area. "MelaninCon has built something that does not exist anywhere else," said Marcus Ellis, a Michigan-based entrepreneur and attendee of the 2025 Black Excellence Gala. "Every time I am in one of their rooms I leave with something I did not have before. A contact, an idea, a sense of purpose."

Champagne Reign is supported by a growing coalition of organizations that have been doing this work long before this night. Broccoli City, DC Black MBA Association, Black Wall St, Pyramids and Diamonds, The DMV Daily, The Voice of Africa, Dream Block, All Good Friends, The Posh Standard, Black Excellence Society, Win With Black Men, The Connect, Just Another Social Network DC, and Mostly Sugar have each joined as community partners, lending their networks, their credibility, and their people to this moment. Their presence in this room is not ceremonial. It is proof that when Black institutions in this city decide to move together, something different becomes possible.

Tickets for Champagne Reign range from free to $50 and are available through MelaninCon's ticketing platform at https://posh.vip/e/champagne-reign. Early bird free tickets drop March 24, 2026. General admission tickets follow at $20 and late sale tickets are available at $50 while supplies last.

Champagne Reign is produced by A Celebration of Us, Inc. in partnership with MelaninCon and The Posh Standard Media Group.

About MelaninCon MelaninCon is a Black professional development and entrepreneurship summit based in Washington, DC, produced by A Celebration of Us, Inc. since 2017. Since its founding, MelaninCon has grown from 200 to over 800 attendees. MelaninCon's programming spans live events, digital content, and the year-round ECHO Amplified virtual workshop series, which converts live panels into self-paced courses available to the broader community.

About A Celebration of Us, Inc. A Celebration of Us, Inc. is a Washington, DC-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit focused on Black professional development, entrepreneurship, and community empowerment. The organization produces events, digital content, and community programming under the MelaninCon and The Posh Standard Media Group brands, reaching a combined digital audience of over 351,000 followers and a 40,000 subscriber email newsletter.

About The Posh Standard Media Group The Posh Standard Media Group is a Black-owned media brand and community platform producing content, events, and programming rooted in Black culture, lifestyle, and excellence. With over 160,000 Instagram followers and a growing presence across Threads, TikTok, and email, The Posh Standard serves as a primary amplification platform for MelaninCon and A Celebration of Us, Inc. activations.

Media Inquiries Donovan Woodberry Founder, MelaninCon Chief Operating Officer, A Celebration of Us, Inc. info@celebrationofus.org celebrationofus.com | melanincon.com

###