The 100 Women of Color Gala & Awards will return to Hartford on Friday, Oct. 16, bringing together community leaders, elected officials, families and supporters for a celebration of women whose work has shaped communities across Connecticut and the surrounding region.
Scheduled for The Bushnell, the annual event recognizes women making significant contributions in business, education, entrepreneurship, entertainment, sports, government and public service. The program is designed not simply around professional achievement, but around the impact the honorees have made on the people and communities around them.
The 2026 celebration will be hosted by entrepreneur, entertainment executive and community leader June Archer, founder of the 100 Women of Color Gala & Awards. Organizers have announced a program featuring special guests including U.S. Rep. Jahana Hayes, Connecticut Gov. Ned Lamont and Hartford Mayor Arunan Arulampalam, with additional participants expected to be announced.
The evening will also introduce the 100 Women of Color Class of 2026, continuing an awards program built around recognizing women whose leadership can sometimes extend far beyond the visibility they receive publicly.
The Bushnell describes the gala as a celebration of women whose contributions reach throughout Connecticut, Western Massachusetts and Rhode Island. That regional focus gives the event a wider lens than a traditional awards dinner, bringing women from different professions, cities and generations into the same room.
For Archer and the organizations behind the event, recognition is only part of the mission. The gala also supports Concerned Citizens for Humanity, a nonprofit organization that assists programs and scholarships benefiting young women of color. According to the event organizers, the initiative also promotes women's health and supports organizations involved in cervical and breast cancer research.
That connection between recognition and investment gives the gala its broader community purpose. The women being honored represent achievement in the present, while scholarships and youth programs are intended to create opportunities for the women who will follow them.
The event also places families, friends and support networks at the center of the celebration. Organizers describe the gala as an opportunity to honor not only individual accomplishment but the communities that help women build careers, serve neighborhoods, lead institutions and create lasting change.
The 100 Women of Color Gala & Awards takes place Friday, Oct. 16, 2026, at The Bushnell, 166 Capitol Avenue in Hartford. Event and ticket information is available through The Bushnell, while additional information about the program is available through June Archer's official event page.
