Washington, D.C. is well known for electrifying performances and events catering to Black culture. The inaugural BLACK GIRLS ROCK FEST!™ kicked off on International Women’s Day at The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts. Hosted by BLACK GIRLS ROCK! founder Beverly Bond and the legendary MC Lyte, the welcome party was amazing! These iconic women blazed the 1’s & 2’s for the night and Massov TV went behind the scenes to capture what attendees had to say about the festivities.
Fabulous music, great energy and whole lot of smiles filled the room. Women from ages 18-73 came to celebrate accomplishments, encourage those on the rise and share their contributions with one another. We caught up with Jessica Dew, CEO of My Style Authority who reveled in the fashions of party goers. As a wardrobe staff member at the Kennedy Center, she was ecstatic about an event of this magnitude taking place for women, by women. Allison Seymour of Fox 5 news talked about the need to promote positive images of women of color and how this phenomena is catching fire across the world. You can hear more from the 19 year television veteran on her radio show featuring her husband Marc Clarke Monday-Friday from 3pm-7pm on WHUR 96.3 HD1. Many were grateful for spaces such as this where everyone can let their hair down and be their authentic selves. Robin, who has attended BLACK GIRLS ROCK! for the past five years, stated bringing the community together was just as important as understanding the struggles Black women face in the world. Fellowship and working together as sisters is the embodiment of the movement.
Saturday evening, an in depth panel discussion took place and ticket holders took home a copy of BLACK GIRLS ROCK!: Owning Our Magic. Rocking Our Truth. Beverly Bond, Jazmine Sullivan and other very special guest talked about riveting topics such as domestic violence and women advancing in tech. The weekend closed out with a ROCK LIKE A GIRL! concert hosted by Angie Ang of 93.9 WKYS morning show featuring DJ Quiana Parks. Performances by Nonchalant, Be’la Dona, Rapsody, Elle Varner, Lela James and more kept the crowd on their feet. Overall, the entire festival highlighted the resilience and the beauty in ladies artistry and philanthropy. Breaking barriers and paving new grounds for the success of those to come is why Beverly Bond and BLACK GIRLS ROCK! will forever be etched in history.
