‘Black Girls Rock!’ Returns To BET This August
Black girls (and women) are magical, but we already knew that. In celebration of #Blackgirlmagic aka BET’s beloved Black Girls Rock! is set to return in August.
Insecure creator and actress Issa Rae will be presented with the “Star Power Award.” Black-ish star and Black Lives Matter activist, Yara Shahidi, will be awarded the “Young Gifted and Black Award.” The “Living Legend Award” will be bestowed upon Grammy Award-winning songstress, Roberta Flack. One of the most powerful Black women on Wall Street, Suzanne Shank, is this year’s “Shot Caller Award” winner. Community organizers Derrica Wilson and Natalie Wilson of The Black & Missing Foundation are the recipients of the “Community Change Agent Award.”
“Celebrating the incredible accomplishments of these outstanding women and girls is the highlight of my year. Black women are continuing to lead in amazing ways across a multitude of platforms and I am so proud that BET Networks has the opportunity to honor them and show the world why ‘Black Girls Rock!,’” said BET CEO and chairman Debra Lee in a press release sent to EBONY.com. “Every year this show goes higher to showcase the beauty, talent, intelligence and sisterhood among African American women. This year won’t be any different.”
Created by celebrity DJ and women’s empowerment advocate Beverly Bond, the 2017 Black Girls Rock! Awards honors the groundbreaking achievements of Black women who have fearlessly broken barriers in the areas of art, business, entertainment and community service.
“The Black Girls Rock! awards continues to be instrumental in propelling Black girl pride across the diaspora. Every year we are able to honor a cross section of dynamic women who represent a range of industries, genres and generations. This year’s cohort of honorees is another incredible example of Black women’s unparalleled contributions to the world. Black Girls Rock! on BET has become an annual culmination of Black girl preeminence and is a beautiful salute to our glory.” says Bond.
The dynamic, three – time NAACP Award winning Black Girls Rock! on BET, celebrates women throughout the diaspora by shining a light on the accomplishments and successes of influential Black women and girls in a night honoring their beauty, brilliance and everlasting resilience.
This year’s ceremony will be executive-produced by Jesse Collins, who is fresh off the success of producing the massive hit 3-part biopic The New Edition Story. Airing on August 20th at 8:00 pm, Black Girls Rock! will be held at the New Jersey Performing Arts Center in Newark, New Jersey on August 5, 2017.
Source: BET.com; EBONY.com