The second annual Black Girls Rock 2011 event was held at the Paradise theater in New York City. Founded by Beverly Bond, BGR awarded women of color who stood as positive role models for the world’s community.
From the fabulous and slimmed down Jill Scott, Erykah Badu to Taraji P. Henson the Paradise theater was filled to the brim with beauty and intelligence.
Actress Tichina Arnold presented Taraji with the Star Power award. Henson tells Huff Post of the honor,
“I was so touched, because when I was little, there wasn’t anything like what Beverly Bond and BET is doing, there wasn’t anything like ‘Black Girls Rock.'”
She added, “To find those positive images that look like you do and maybe share the same experiences and the same struggles, you really have to search. My confidence and my self-esteem when I was younger would have been so changed by something like this. I’m just really happy to be on the other side of that so I can provide for younger girls what I didn’t have. In my [acceptance] speech, I really want to speak to the young girls and women that are listening and hopefully share whatever insight I have with them. So it’s an important speech to me. Out of all of the speeches that I have ever given, it’s totally the most important.”
The night’s performance included Badu, Mary J. Blige, Estelle, Mary Mary and many more.
Black Rock will air on BET on November 6th at 8pm
