Larry Scott Blackmon considers himself a connector. He has spent several decades in government affairs and civic leadership, and his resume shows it. He is the CEO for the Blackmon Organization, a government affairs firm he founded in 2023. In February, he took office as State Committeeman of the 70th Assembly District, representing Harlem. But he also has some musical history in his background as well: Blackmon is the son of artist Larry Blackmon, lead vocalist of the legendary R&B Funk band Cameo. On the final day of Black History Month this year, Blackmon was able to convene more than 60 Black men for what he calls the first Harlem Black Men’s Brunch, with the purpose of networking and engaging in a conversation about how to support one another professionally, personally, and communally. He says it will continue as a larger initiative going forward. “Bonds were forged, a commonality was found, and a vulnerability was exposed that touched everybody in the room,” Blackmon said, coming out of the brunch. It was open to Black men across the city and state and featured professionals from ministry, healthcare, business, real estate, government, education, and more, ranging from college students to seniors.
Blackmon conceived of the idea from a feeling that there was a lack of communal resources for Black men to gather. After a conversation where he learned of a Black women’s brunch taking place, he was inspired to create one for Black men.
A musical background leads to more Born and raised in Harlem, Blackmon grew up in the Drew Hamilton Projects with his grandparents, who owned Tiger Cleaners in the Bronx. But he also split time in Atlanta with his father, who would travel often, even befriending superproducer Jermaine Dupri, who lived in the same complex on the city’s South Side. He notes that his father’s band was one of the first acts responsible for Atlanta’s later music boom. From his family and other supportive figures, he was instilled with values of community and giving back.
Blackmon played basketball at Rice High School and A. Philip Randolph Campus High School, both of which, he says, allowed him to focus on creating a positive trajectory for himself despite potential distractions for a young man in Harlem at the time.
After graduating with degrees from SUNY New Paltz and Metropolitan College of New York, Blackmon became involved in music production and marketing, first working as a PA at the Apollo and later with EMI Records. He later established his own promotion company and was tapped to help with C. Virginia Fields’ campaign because of his unique advertising ideas, which began his foray into politics. He has worked for several other winning campaigns since. Earlier this year, he was named by City & State New York as one of the 2026 Who’s Who in Political Consulting and Communications.
Continuing in civics, Blackmon was later vice president of Fresh Direct for nine years, and was able to deliver healthy food to community members at the height of the pandemic. Currently, he is the board chair for the Better Business Bureau for New York and president of the New York Association of Chapters of the Alpha Phi Alpha fraternity. He says providing space and opportunity for Black men is a core mission of his and is what led him to create the Black Men Brunch initiative. Keeping Black men focused
At the brunch, attendees were engaged in discussions on issues including keeping Black men engaged and informed politically, the need for unity and support resources for Black businesses, spiritual growth, economic development, and physical and mental health and wellness.
Prominent names in attendance included Harlem Democratic District Leader William Allen, CEO of The Brooklyn Bank Jude Bernard, political commentator and Columbia Professor Basil Smikle Jr., Rev. Jacques DeGraff, NY-15 candidate Michael Blake, real estate entrepreneur Welby Accely, and Sankofa Haus owner DJ Spynfo.
“This wasn’t done to make a profit. It wasn’t done to make a political statement. It was done to bring Black men in a room…who often feel at times alone and who often feel that they don’t have someone that they can be with, aside from a fraternal organization,” Blackmon said.
Going forward, it was decided to follow up on the event as a quarterly meetup, with the next one taking place in Brooklyn in June.
“It’s inspirational to the rest of the community to see that Black men can get together in that form and fashion,” Blackmon said. “For Black men to come together and meet each other, shake hands, laugh, talk about the struggle that we face as businessmen in a safe space is completely rewarding in and of itself.”
