Black Girls Rock!

January 1, 2018
An entrepreneur and two-time NAACP Image Award winner profiles successful black women from across the globe working in all fields of endeavor.In 2006, Bond founded BLACK GIRLS ROCK! to empower young black girls and women and celebrate their achievements. The movement arose from the author's personal history of struggle in a white-dominated world that denigrated black females for everything from the way they looked to what they said and did. Meant to serve as a companion to that movement, this book gathers interviews, editorials, personal essays, and photos that spotlight more than 60 influential black women including Michelle Obama, Rebecca Walker, Serena Williams, and Janelle Monae. Each of the nine sections celebrates different aspects of what Bond calls "Black Girl Magic": "a power and energy rooted in black ancestral traditions, spirituality, and sacred feminine wisdom." The book opens with a declaration from Michelle Obama that "the secret to everything in life...is education." Building on the former first lady's sentiments, Walker emphasizes the need for black women to help others envision a "more pluralistic, intersectional, and reciprocal in its justice-seeking" women's movement. To develop the fortitude that is at the heart of all success, tennis champion Serena Williams speaks of the need for black girls to engage in competitive sports to build "confidence...self-awareness and pride." But as Monae suggests, it is also important for black girls and women to be in "full control of [their] magic and how [they] choose to use it." To live true to one's identity--rather than society's ideas about that identity--is the ultimate necessity and freedom. Rich in collective wisdom, Bond's book is aimed primarily at a black female audience, but the courage, grace, passion, and intelligence that characterize each of the separate narratives are sure to motivate any woman seeking to succeed in a (white) man's world.An inspiring collection.

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February 1, 2018
Malcolm X once said that the most disrespected person in America is the black woman. Beverly Bond's mission is to uplift black women, to show them respect, to strip away the self-hate and marginalization, and to proclaim, Hey black girl, you rock. What began as a simple T-shirt idea to showcase inspirational black women throughout history has grown into a phenomenon. Split into nine sections, Black Girls Rock features essays and speeches by many of the most influential black women of our time, including Michelle Obama, Erykah Badu, Serena Williams, and, the queen Bey herself, Beyonce. Each woman featured tells her personal story of overcoming stereotypes, expectations, and discrimination and discovering her inner light. What Bond has created is a resource for black girls and women alike to look to and find inspiration from in a world that has historically ignored, oppressed, and undervalued them. In celebrating black women, Bond celebrates diversity, individuality, and a world-wide sisterhood.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2018, American Library Association.)