Everything your mother didn't have time to tell you because she was too busy struggling!
In my household, Black Entertainment Television isn’t allowed. Ever. BUT…will all the buzz surrounding tonight’s BLACK GIRLS ROCK! 2012 event, I just might make an exception.
BLACK GIRLS ROCK! 2012 honored actress Kerry Washington (we all love her here), Grammy Award-winning music legend Dionne Warwick, Alicia Keys (does she really rock? I mean, yes; her music is wonderful but homewrecker isn’t a good look for black girls), captivating songstress Janelle Monae (OMG the epitome of cuteness), human rights activists Dr. Hawa Abdi and her daughters and iconic editor, writer and journalist Susan L. Taylor. Star-studded performances from Alicia Keys, Brandy, Keyshia Cole, India.Arie, Ciara, SWV and others set the stage for an inspirational and entertaining show.
SPOILER: Previously tapped, the evening was marked by inspiring, motivating and encouraging words from Young Gifted and Black Award recipient Janelle Monae, who moved the audience with memories from her youth and ended her earnest and emotional speech with a charge to the next generation of female leaders: “Perfection is often the enemy of greatness. I did not have to change who I was to become a Cover Girl. Always be you,” said Monae.
Toward the end of the program, an informative video about the BLACK GIRLS ROCK! organization and its year-round initiatives featured BLACK GIRLS ROCK! Founder Beverly Bond, who fought back tears as she explained the significance, relevance and necessity of positive images of powerful women of color in the media and abroad. Bond later took the stage to address the audience, stating, “A Black girl who rocks pays it forward. This is not just a movement, it’s a solution.”
The event will again be hosted by Tracee Ellis Ross and Regina King and airs tonight, November 4, 2012 at 7p.m./ET exclusively on BET.
My take? We often complain that there isn’t enough positive programming to bolster the reputation of black women. And while one little show isn’t enough for a sea change in the public’s negative opinions of us, it’s a start. For that reason, I think we should throw our support behind it and tune in.
“Author of Swirling. Advocate for black women finding love across color lines. Creator of The Pink Pill.”
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