BET Networks and BLACK GIRLS ROCK! Inc. welcomed First Lady Michelle Obama to her first BLACK GIRLS ROCK! Awards show on Easter Sunday, April 5, 2015. The star-studded event took place at the New Jersey Performing Arts Center.
BLACK GIRLS ROCK! Is a multifaceted movement dedicated to shifting the culture of media images and empowering women and girls. BLACK GIRLS ROCK! Inc. builds the self-esteem and self-worth of young women of color by changing their outlook on life, broadening their horizons and providing tools for self-empowerment and efficacy, according to blackgirlsrock.com.
As part of the First Lady’s “Reach Higher” initiative, she delivered remarks about the value of education. The televised special celebrated its fifth year honoring the triumphs of inspirational African-American women who are trailblazers in the areas of art, philanthropy, sports and community service.
Honorees included New York City educator Nadia Lopez, principal of Mott Hall Bridges Academy in Brooklyn; actress Cicely Tyson and Jada Pinkett-Smith; singer Erykah Badu; and film director Ava DuVernay, whose Selma won the NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Motion Picture; and Helene D. Gayle, M.D., president and CEO of CARE USA, humanitarian organization.
The event occurred in conjunction with Women’s History Month and was co-hosted by actresses Tracee Ellis Ross and Regina King who helped celebrate the accomplishments of women of color in education, social justice, music, literature and film.
More special than having the most prominent “Black girl that rocks” take center stage, Frist Lady Michelle Obama also spoke at the event. Obama celebrated the beauty, power, and tenacity of Black women while spreading her own message of education for girls at BLACK GIRLS ROCK!, an annual event honoring trailblazing women of color from all walks of life.
“No matter who you are, no matter where you come from, you are beautiful.” Obama told the crowd. “I am so proud of you. My husband, your president, is so proud of you. We have so much hope and dreams for you.”
Sisterhood was the spirit of the evening, evident when Obama came on stage to close the show with all the honorees.