The Second Annual BLACK GIRLS ROCK! Festival Will Take Place International Women's Day Weekend

The Kennedy Center, BONDVISION Media, and BLACK GIRLS ROCK!™ collaborate to co-produce the second annual BLACK GIRLS ROCK! Festival™ (BGR!FEST™), an immersive multi-day live experience curated to celebrate the cultural contributions of Black women artists, thought leaders, and creatives. The festival, spanning four days, will take place during International Women's Day weekend, March 5-8 across the Kennedy Center campus.

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. A full-spirited and empowering celebration of Black Girl Magic, the second annual BGR!FEST™ will encompass a mix of concerts, secret shows, panel discussions, and free daytime programming featuring groundbreaking women.

Highlights include the BLACK GIRLS ROCK! Concert Series featuring multi-GRAMMY® Award-winning vocalist, emcee and icon Ms. Lauryn Hill who will headline the event on March 6 and 7 with opening sets by powerhouse vocalist Alice Smith; the BLACK GIRLS ROCK!® Unplugged "Secret Shows," a series of intimate late-night concerts with surprise performers in the Kennedy Center's new Club at Studio K; BLACK GIRLS ROCK!® WHO ROCKS NEXT Millennium Stage performances by vocalist Victory Boyd and west coast emcee ill Camille; BLACK GIRLS ROCK!® FEST EMPOWERMENT SPEAKER SERIES featuring NAACP Image Award winner and "Power" actress Naturi Naughton; #MeToo founder Tarana Burke; chief brand officer at MACRO, Stacey Walker King; CEO/Founder of Salter Financial Management LLC, Toi Salter; former NASA deep space engineer and founder of virtual reality streaming platform CEEK.COM, Mary Spio; cannabis evangelist and entrepreneur Mary Pryor; and CEO/founder of Because of Them We Can, Eunique Jones Gibson; and the BLACK GIRLS ROCK!® International Women's Day Closing Party and Jam Session featuring BLACK GIRLS ROCK! CEO and celebrity DJ Beverly Bond and friends.

The festival will also feature an exclusive special edition of the BLACK GIRLS LEAD Empowerment Circle at Duke Ellington School of the Arts featuring discussions with, artist-activist Maimouna Youssef aka Mumu Fresh, and 2020 BGR!FEST™ performer Victory Boyd. This event is private and closed to the public.

CEO and producer Beverly Bond says "I am thrilled to present BGR!FEST™ in conjunction with The Kennedy Center for the second year during International Women's Day Weekend. BLACK GIRLS ROCK! continues to grow organically and exponentially, celebrating sisterhood, solidarity, culture and advancing black women's contributions to the world. The annual BGR!FEST™ in Washington, DC is another pillar in the BLACK GIRLS ROCK! network to showcase and uplift groundbreaking women who stretch the boundaries of creativity, artistic expression, and innovation, adding to the tapestry of our collective magic."

Simone Eccleston, Director of Hip Hop Culture and Contemporary Music at the Kennedy Center says, "It's a tremendous honor for us to continue to collaborate with BLACK GIRLS ROCK!™-it serves as such an important platform for centering and elevating the stories of Black women."

The four-day event will take place during International Women's Day Weekend and will serve as one of the premiere global destination events to celebrate the voices of women around the world. Last year's inaugural sold-out festival featured an all-star lineup of Black girl magic including Jazmine Sullivan, MC Lyte, Elle Varner, Rapsody, Leela James, Mumu Fresh, Be'la Dona Band, and LEIKELI47.

Additional artists, speakers, and events to be announced. General tickets are on sale now. Tickets can be purchased via the Kennedy Center box office at (202) 467-4600, through the Kennedy Center website at or through the BLACK GIRLS ROCK! website.

For more information visit www.blackgirlsrock.com.

SCHEDULE OF EVENTS:

THURSDAY, MARCH 5

9:30PM

BLACK GIRLS ROCK!® Unplugged 'Secret Show'

KENNEDY CENTER - THE CLUB AT STUDIO K

The BLACK GIRLS ROCK!® Unplugged series features secret shows with surprise performers. The Secret Shows will take place in the Club at Studio K, the Kennedy Center's newest destination to experience the very best in contemporary music and culture.

FRIDAY, MARCH 6

6:00PM - 7:00PM

BLACK GIRLS ROCK!® WHO ROCKS NEXT - VICTORY BOYD

KENNEDY CENTER - MILLENNIUM STAGE - FREE

Rising star vocalist and guitarist Victory Boyd delivers her distinctive brand of soul-folk Fusion as part of BLACK GIRLS ROCK!® WHO ROCKS NEXT.

8:00PM - 10:00PM

BLACK GIRLS ROCK!® Concert Series featuring Ms. Lauryn Hill, Alice Smith

KENNEDY CENTER - CONCERT HALL $49-149

BLACK GIRLS ROCK! Fest™ and the Kennedy Center present a concert celebration of Black women's contributions to the arts with special performances by five-time GRAMMY®-winner Ms. Lauryn Hill and special guest opener DMV's own Alice Smith.

9:30PM

BLACK GIRLS ROCK!® Unplugged 'Secret Show' - SOLD OUT

KENNEDY CENTER - THE CLUB AT STUDIO K - $35

SATURDAY, MARCH 7

2:00PM - 6:00PM

BLACK GIRLS ROCK!® Empowerment Speaker Series

KENNEDY CENTER - TERRACE THEATER - FREE

Featuring leading voices in the fields of entertainment, entrepreneurship and social justice, the BLACK GIRLS ROCK!® Empowerment Speaker Series will be a three part panel presentation:

Part I: BLACK GIRLS ROCK!® BOSS UP

This session features dynamic and accomplished women who have used their remarkable vision, innovation, talent, and passion to create their unique professional paths. CEO/Founder of Salter Financial Management LLC, Toi Salter, founder of virtual reality streaming platform CEEK.COM Mary Spio, cannabis evangelist and entrepreneur Mary Pryor, and CEO/founder of Because of Them We Can, Eunique Jones Gibson share their journeys and personal insights on how they championed challenges to charter their own success and offer tools, and advice on the tenacity, and mindset that help women overcome barriers to success in entrepreneurship and business leadership.

Part II: BLACK GIRL SAFETY!™ #WETOO

#MeToo founder Tarana Burke and others discuss the importance of the protection and advocacy for Black girls in this panel focused on Black Girl Safety.

Part III: BLACK GIRLS ROCK!® HOLLYWOOD

NAACP Award winner and "Power" star Naturi Naughton, chief brand officer of MACRO Stacey Walker King and more discuss the importance of representation in front of and behind the scenes in Hollywood.

6:00PM - 7:00PM

BLACK GIRLS ROCK!® WHO ROCKS NEXT - ill Camille

KENNEDY CENTER - MILLENNIUM STAGE - FREE

Best known for her transparency, rhymes and subject matter, West Coast emcee ill Camille returns to the Kennedy Center for an electric set as part of BLACK GIRLS ROCK!® WHO ROCKS NEXT.

8:00PM - 10:00PM

BLACK GIRLS ROCK!® Concert Series featuring Ms. Lauryn Hill, Alice Smith

KENNEDY CENTER - CONCERT HALL $49-$149

BLACK GIRLS ROCK! Fest™ and the Kennedy Center present a concert celebration of Black women's contributions to the arts with special performances by five-time GRAMMY®-winner Ms. Lauryn Hill and special guest opener DMV's own Alice Smith.

9:30PM

BLACK GIRLS ROCK!® Unplugged 'Secret Show' - SOLD OUT

KENNEDY CENTER - THE CLUB AT STUDIO K - $35

SUNDAY, MARCH 8

2:00PM - 6:00PM

BLACK GIRLS ROCK! FEST™ - International Women's Day Closing Day Party and Jam Session

KENNEDY CENTER - REACH - SKYLIGHT PAVILION - FREE

BLACK GIRLS ROCK! CEO and celebrity DJ Beverly Bond, and friends close out BGR!FEST™ and celebrate International Women's Day with a closing day party and jam session.