Mary Olushoga, the esteemed Founder of The AWP Network, is set to make a significant return to the stage at the 40th Annual Tribute to Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. The historic event, dedicated to honoring Dr. King’s profound life and enduring legacy, will take place at 10:30 AM on Monday, January 19, 2026, at the iconic Brooklyn Academy of Music (BAM). Olushoga will perform alongside The Fire Ensemble, an intergenerational pop-up choir rooted in Black Gospel Music, under the direction of Troy Anthony.

Expressing her enthusiasm, Olushoga stated, “I am glad to be performing with The Fire Ensemble again this year. I love the arts and I love to perform. What a great honor it is to share the stage with The Fire Ensemble in one of the world’s greatest cities – New York City. I am grateful to share this moment with such a vibrant community and more importantly, to celebrate the leadership and legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.” The Mayor of New York City, Zohran Mamdani, is also expected to join the event later in the day, underscoring its civic importance.

Beyond her artistic endeavors, Mary Olushoga is widely recognized as an award-winning community and economic development expert. Her work is primarily focused on leveraging her expertise to foster wealth-building opportunities and develop small business initiatives within low-income and underserved communities across the globe. Her leadership extends to crucial environmental efforts, as she sits on the Executive Steering Board of the Nigeria National Plastic Action Partnership (NPAP), a multi-stakeholder platform under the Nigerian Federal Ministry of Environment and the Global Plastic Action Partnership (GPAP), an initiative of the World Economic Forum.

Olushoga is particularly renowned for her impactful contributions to entrepreneurs worldwide through her organization, The AWP Network. Founded in 2012, the African Women Power (AWP) Network – awpnetwork.com – is dedicated to powering small business success for African entrepreneurs. Under her guidance, The AWP Network has successfully trained over 36,000 entrepreneurs across Africa, collaborating with more than 48 different partners on the continent. These efforts have culminated in raising over $300,000 in grants and equity-free funding for women and girl entrepreneurs in Nigeria, leading to the creation of over 2,800 jobs.

The AWP Network has pioneered several critical entrepreneurial initiatives. These include the first-ever EcoAction Summit for climate entrepreneurs, a groundbreaking high-impact procurement training initiative for women entrepreneurs, the AWP Network Agropreneur Project, and the Dream initiative tailored for youth entrepreneurs. In 2020, Olushoga’s organization launched the AWP Network Vendor Program with a mission to significantly increase the number of women entrepreneurs capable of supplying products to large retailers in Africa. This program has established strategic partnerships with major retailers such as ShopRite Nigeria, Jara Stores, Miniso Nigeria, Next Cash n Carry, Prince Ebeano, and FreshForte. The AWP Network is proudly recognized as one of the leading organizations supporting African Women in Technology.

A multi-talented networker, mentor, speaker, writer, small business advocate, and change agent, Olushoga holds a bachelor’s degree from Union College in Schenectady, New York, and a Master of Science Degree from Baruch College. She has also served as a public policy fellow at the University at Albany’s Center for Women in Government and Civil Society.

Olushoga's extensive contributions have earned her numerous recognitions, grants, and awards. These include the World Economic Forum Grant, the Baruch College Alumni Changemaker Award, The Lilly Family School of Philanthropy Black Women Give Back Award, the African Women Innovation & Entrepreneurship Forum Empowerment award, and the African Youth Excellence Award for her leadership in business and public service. She is also a Vital Voices Global Leadership Fellow, a recipient of the Union College Alumni Award, an IndiAfrica Young Visionary Fellow, a Women4Africa International Media Woman of the Year, a Crans Montana New Leader, and the first-ever GOOD Maker/Oxfam America International Women’s Day Challenge Winner. Furthermore, she is a Nigeria Leadership Initiative (NLI) Associate, an Oxfam America Sisters on the Planet Ambassador, and participated in the Sub-Saharan African Women In Public Service Fall Institute.

Mary Olushoga has dedicated years to empowering entrepreneurs and spearheading business education projects through various initiatives, including the AWP Network Agropreneur Project and the AWP Network Dream Initiative. Her work on women entrepreneurs has been presented at prestigious venues such as the UK House of Lords, Harvard University, Duke University, Yale University, Union College, the Columbia University Africa Economic Forum, Georgetown University School of Foreign Service, the United States Department of Labor Strategy Meeting on Inclusion, Entrepreneurship, and Disability, W!se Institute, the United Nations Commission on the Status of Women, the United Nations ECOSOC Youth Employment Forum, and the Rockefeller Foundation Tech Salon. She has also been featured on BBC World News, Black Enterprise, and other prominent media outlets, and regularly contributes articles to publications like GE Ideas Lab, SciDev.net, The Guardian Nigeria, and the Huffington Post.

The 40th Annual Tribute to Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. at BAM is a significant cultural event that brings together friends, neighbors, artists, and civic leaders for a day of reflection, family-friendly activities, and celebration of those who advance Dr. King’s vision of justice and equality. This year’s celebration will feature powerful remarks by Rev. Dr. William J. Barber II, a special solo performance from Grace by Ronald K. Brown/EVIDENCE, A Dance Company, and a musical performance by The Fire Ensemble, in addition to Olushoga's participation.