The Kennedy Center, BONDVISON Media, and BLACK GIRLS ROCK! collaborate to co-produce the BLACK GIRLS ROCK! Festival (BGR!FEST), an immersive live experience designed to celebrate the music and culture of Black women artists, thought leaders, and creatives. The three-day event will take place on International Women’s Day weekend, March 8–10.
“It’s a tremendous honor for us to collaborate with BLACK GIRLS ROCK!—it serves as such an important platform for centering and elevating the stories of Black women and we are thrilled to launch this transformative project and future endeavors with BGR founder and visionary Beverly Bond.” says Simone Eccleston, Director of Hip Hop Culture and Contemporary Music at the Kennedy Center. “This particular program deepens our commitment to celebrating Black women and their contributions and role in shaping American culture.”
Celebrity DJ, CEO, and founder of BLACK GIRLS ROCK!, Beverly Bond, established BGR! FEST as a complementary platform to the BLACK GIRLS ROCK! brand to further its mission to create spaces for black women-centered content. The inaugural BGR!FEST will feature a variety of events and performances by groundbreaking women. Highlights include: BGR!FEST Welcome Party (free to the public) featuring DJ’s MC Lyte and Beverly Bond; panel discussions and book talk with Beverly Bond and featured guests from her book BLACK GIRLS ROCK!: Owning Our Magic. Rocking Our Truth; and a culminating ROCK! LIKE A GIRL concert showcasing groundbreaking women who stretch the boundaries of musicianship, lyricism, and artistic expression. Grammy®–nominated singer Jazmine Sullivan will be joined by D.C.’s own emcee, vocalist, and rising star, Maimouna Youssef a.k.a Mumu Fresh, as well as other surprise guests.
“I am thrilled to be launching the BGR!FEST with the prestigious Kennedy Center, a true pillar of artistic excellence, and to expand the BLACK GIRLS ROCK! brand to the nation’s capital, home to one of the most vibrant communities of color in the country,” says Bond. “This relationship furthers our mission to build platforms that advance black women’s contributions to the world, and highlight how women of color use art as a tool to drive feminist thought, personal empowerment, and civic engagement.”
SCHEDULE OF EVENTS:
BLACK GIRLS ROCK! FEST™ – Welcome Party (FREE)
Friday, March 8 at 7 p.m. in the Atrium (Terrace Level)
The BLACK GIRLS ROCK! FEST welcome party will feature DJ sets by Beverly Bond and pioneer Hip Hop emcee and Kennedy Center Hip Hop Culture Council founding member MC Lyte.
BLACK GIRLS ROCK!: Owning Our Magic. Rocking Our Truth.
Book talk with Beverly Bond, Jazmine Sullivan, Michaela angela Davis and special guests
Saturday, March 9 at 7:30 p.m. in the Terrace Theater
Pairing inspirational essays and affirmations with lush, newly commissioned and classic photography, BLACK GIRLS ROCK!: Owning Our Magic and Rocking Our Truth is a one-of-a-kind celebration of the diversity, fortitude, and spirituality of black women and a foundational text that pays tribute to the achievements and contributions of black women around the world.
- Girls Rock Tech, Leveling Up in Tech: Staking a Claim in the Future of Innovation, featuring Dr. Knatokie Ford, Dr. Quincy Brown, Afua Bruce, and Dr. Jamika Burge
- Black Girl Magic featuring Beverly Bond, Jazmine Sullivan, Michaela Angela Davis, and Eunique Jones Gibson
- An intimate conversation with Beverly Bond and Dawn Davis, VP and publisher of 37 INK
BLACK GIRLS ROCK! presents ROCK! LIKE A GIRL
Featuring Jazmine Sullivan, Maimouna Youssef a.k.a Mumu Fresh, and surprise guests
Sunday, March 10 at 8 p.m. in the Concert Hall
BLACK GIRLS ROCK!™ and The Kennedy Center present ROCK LIKE A GIRL™, a concert celebration of Black women’s contributions to the arts. Grammy®–nominated singer/songwriter and vocal powerhouse Jazmine Sullivan and the DMV’s own Grammy–nominated singer, songwriter, emcee, and activist and Maimouna Youssef a.k.a Mumu Fresh and special surprise guests.
ABOUT BLACK GIRLS ROCK!
BLACK GIRLS ROCK!™ is a multifaceted media, entertainment, philanthropic, and lifestyle brand that focuses on the empowerment of women and girls of color. The BLACK GIRLS ROCK!™ platform encompasses numerous experiential live events, media content, merchandise, and programs including the internationally acclaimed televised BLACK GIRLS ROCK! Awards, BLACK GIRL MAGIC Hour podcast, and BLACK GIRLS ROCK! Inc., a 501(c) 3 not-for-profit, and the BLACK GIRLS LEAD summer leadership intensive for teen girls. The BLACK GIRLS ROCK!™ movement continues to be a leading force in highlighting the spectrum of brilliance that Black women possess and remain at the vanguard of a cultural paradigm shift where Black women’s narratives, overall presence in society, and prominence in mainstream media are being elevated and recognized like never before. For additional information on BLACK GIRLS ROCK!, visit http://www.blackgirlsrock.com.
TICKET INFORMATION
Pre-sale tickets will be available starting Monday, February 11 for Kennedy Center members and Wednesday, February 13 for the public. To purchase tickets the Kennedy Center box office at (202) 467-4600, through the Kennedy Center website at or through the BLACK GIRLS ROCK! website at bgrfest.com.
For more information: www.blackgirlsrock.com www.bgrfest.com
Twitter: @BlackGirlsRock
#kencenhiphop #BGRFest
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