The Black Girls Rock 2012 awards brought the glam and glitz as Hollywood’s most fabulous African-American starlets — and renowned divas — gathered to honor many great achievers. Black Girls Rock (BGR) was founded by DJ Beverly Bond to celebrate black women, improve the image of black women in the media and raise money to empower young women of color with its uplifting message.
Since starting the organization in 2006, Bond has used her many programs to “build the self-esteem and self-worth of young women of color by changing their outlook on life, broadening their horizons, and helping them to empower themselves,” according to the BGR web site.
On Saturday evening, like-minded female celebrities gathered at the Loews Paradise Theatre in New York City to salute leaders and creators in the fields of entertainment and beyond who encapsulate the BGR mission of service. Hosted by actresses Tracee Ellis Ross and Regina King, the Black Girls Rock 2012 awards ceremony celebrated women of color for their excellence.
“Scandal actress Kerry Washington, Alicia Keys and Janelle Monae were among the list of women that were honored,” reports The Huffington Post.
Singing legend Dione Warwick, human rights activist Dr. Hawa Abdi and her daughters, and author Susan Taylor were also recognized for their social contributions.
“Every year it’s such an emotional evening,” BET Chairwoman and CEO Debrah Lee told the Amsterdam News. “We have a great group of woman and female performances and it’s only about women.”
Keyshia Cole, Missy Elliot, Ciara, Alicia Keys, India Arie and Brandy all graced the stage that evening. A taping of the exciting event will air on November 4 on BET at 8 pm.
“This is the third year we’ve done it on TV and it’s amazing. We get phone calls and letters from so many girls telling us how inspired they are,” Bond said. “The awards show is our once a year statement. We are still growing into ourselves. Our motto is ‘each one, teach one.'”
Follow Alexis Garrett Stodghill on Twitter at @lexisb.