theGrio's 100: Beverly Bond, encouraging young black girls to 'rock'
theGRIO's 100 - Beverly Bond is giving black girls the message their grandmothers or mothers didn't hear: 'you rock!'...
Who is Beverly Bond?
Beverly Bond is a former top model and DJ, who in recent years, has turned her attention toward activism. The 42-year-old Maryland native moved to New York at age 17 and was soon tearing up the runways for agencies like Elite New Faces and Wilhemina. She gave up the catwalk to become a DJ in 2000, and never looked back.
Why is she on theGrio’s 100?
In 2006, Bond founded Black Girls Rock Inc., an organization that mentors teenage girls of color. In recent years, Black Girls Rock teamed up with BET to put on an annual, star-studded awards show that honors accomplished black women. In a November 2011 interview with theGrio, Bond called “Black Girls Rock!” an “affirmation that our mothers and grandmothers never heard, but that our young women need to hear today.”
What’s next for Beverly Bond?
The 7th annual Black Girls Rock! awards gala took place in November, and the organization is gearing up for the 8th, while continuing to run its youth enrichment program in New York.
Follow Beverly Bond on Twitter at @BEVERLYBOND
