NEW YORK, NY – MARCH 11, 2016 – Beverly Bond, CEO, founder and Creator of “BLACK GIRLS ROCK!™” and BET Networks, announce the return of Tracee Ellis Ross as the host of “BLACK GIRLS ROCK!™” 2016 and the star studded line up of celebrants which include Shonda Land producer and writer Shonda Rhimes (Shot Caller Award), R&B legend Gladys Knight (Living Legend Award), The Walking Dead actress and Eclipsed playwright Danai Gurira (Star Power Award), award-winning actress and activist Amandla Stenberg (Young Gifted and Black Award), and Black Lives Matter founders Patrisse Cullors, Alicia Garza, and Opal Tometi (Community Change Agent Award). BLACK GIRLS ROCK!™ acknowledges the achievements of African-American women who have broken barriers in the areas of art, music, philanthropy and community service. This year’ BLACK GIRLS ROCK!™ will tape on Friday, April 1, 2016 at the New Jersey Performing Arts Center in Newark, NJ and the broadcast will premiere on Tuesday, April 5, 2016 at 8:00 P.M. ET/PT.
This year the dynamic “BLACK GIRLS ROCK!™” movement, founded by Beverly Bond, celebrates its 10 year anniversary and its sixth televised broadcast on BET Networks. The NAACP Award winning “BLACK GIRLS ROCK!™” on BET continues to represent a revolutionary landmark in media as it delivers edifying, entertaining and inspiring content honoring the nexus of achievements made by powerful Black women and girls.
“Over the last ten years, BLACK GIRLS ROCK! has reaffirmed the spectrum of brilliance that Black women possess and has helped forge a cultural paradigm shift regarding the ways that Black women and girls are depicted in media,” said Beverly Bond. “I am proud that BLACK GIRLS ROCK! is at the forefront of a new women’s empowerment movement inspiring women of color to define ourselves, to own our magic, to share our truth, to elevate our own narratives, to celebrate our brilliance and resilience, and to love ourselves fiercely.”
