The 2019 BLACK GIRLS ROCK!(R) Awards Return to New Jersey Performing Arts Center on Sunday, August 25 Hosted by Emmy-Nominated Actress Niecy Nash

The 2019 BLACK GIRLS ROCK!(R) Celebrants Are: Angela Bassett, Regina King, Ciara, H.E.R., Debra Martin Chase, and The Mothers of the Movement (Sybrina Fulton, Geneva Reed Veal, Gwen Carr, Lucy McBath, Maria Hamilton & Cleopatra Pendleton-Cowley)

The 2019 BLACK GIRLS ROCK!(R) Awards Premieres Sunday, September 8 at 8pm

NEW YORK -- BET Networks and Beverly Bond, CEO, Executive Producer and Creator of BLACK GIRLS ROCK!(R) are excited to announce Emmy-nominated actress, Niecy Nash as host of The 2019 BLACK GIRLS ROCK!(R) Awards on BET. This year's celebration will tape on Sunday, August 25, 2019 at the New Jersey Performing Arts Center (NJPAC) in Newark, NJ. The broadcast will premiere on Sunday, September 8, 2019 at 8:00 P.M. ET/PT on BET.

The 2019 star-studded line up of celebrants include Golden Globe winner and Oscar nominated actress, director, and producer Angela Bassett (Icon Award), Oscar, Golden Globe, and Emmy-winning actress and director Regina King (Star Power Award), GRAMMY-Award? winning singer/songwriter Ciara (Rock Star Award), Academy Award and Emmy Award-nominated producer and industry trailblazer Debra Martin Chase (Shot Caller Award) two-time GRAMMY Award-winning musician H.E.R. (Young Gifted and Black Award), and activists The Mothers of The Movement Sybrina Fulton, Geneva Reed Veal, Gwen Carr, Lucy McBath, Maria Hamilton and Cleopatra Pendleton-Cowley (Community Change Agent Award).

"I am thrilled to host this year's BLACK GIRLS ROCK! Awards, said 2019 host, Niecy Nash. "We are celebrating Black women who serve the world with style, grace, class and sass! Our honorees are truly shining bright. In a room full of Black girl magic anything could happen! This is going to be an amazing event!"

Creator and Executive Producer, Beverly Bond added, "BLACK GIRLS ROCK(R) on BET is the mecca for Black girl brilliance. This show is the preeminent annual celebration of Black women and girl's influence across sectors and this year's cohort of celebrants are stellar examples of our illustrious contributions to the world." Bond continued, "Multifaceted actress Niecy Nash brings her own unique flavor of black girl magic as our host and we couldn't be more thrilled. Our lineup from host to honorees, performers and M.A.D. Girls all rock and I'm looking forward to presenting another empowering and dynamic show."

The 2018 BLACK GIRLS ROCK!(R) Awards celebrants included: Mary J. Blige (Star Power Award); Judith Jamison (Living Legend Award); Naomi Campbell (Black Girl Magic Award); Lena Waithe (Shot Caller Award); and Tarana Burke (Community Change Agent Award). The show included special appearances by Ava DuVernay, Ciara, Misty Copeland, Naturi Naughton, Storm Reid, Niatia Kirkland; and memorable performances from Yolanda Adams, Tamia, H.E.R., Victory Boyd and Alvin Ailey Dance Theater's Jacqueline Green.

The televised special is a BET Networks, B.G.R. Enterprises Inc./BONDVISION MEDIA and Jesse Collins Entertainment production. The executive producers are Beverly Bond, creator and CEO of BLACK GIRLS ROCK! (R), Connie Orlando, Head of Original Programming & Production for BET Networks and Jesse Collins and Jeannae Rouzan-Clay of Jesse Collins Entertainment.

For updates or more information about BLACK GIRLS ROCK!(R) visit http://www.BET.com/blackgirlsrock and www.blackgirlsrock.com

Join the conversation on social media by logging on to our social media platforms: On Twitter by using hashtag: #BLACKGIRLSROCK; follow us @BET and @BLACKGIRLSROCK On Facebook by liking the fan pages at facebook.com/BET and facebook.com/BLACKGIRLSROCK On Instagram @betnetworks and @BLACKGIRLSROCK

ABOUT BLACK GIRLS ROCK!(R):

Founded by celebrity DJ, model and executive producer Beverly Bond, The BLACK GIRLS ROCK! (R) Awards show was created to celebrate the nexus of achievements of exemplary women of color who break boundaries, blaze trails, and set trends across sectors. Since 2006, the annual BLACK GIRLS ROCK! (R)Awards has honored an outstanding range of accomplished and inspiring women across generations and genres. BLACK GIRLS ROCK! (R) has been committed to empowering women through media and enriching girls through leadership, education, and positive identity development programs. For additional information on BLACK GIRLS ROCK! (R), visit http://www.blackgirlsrock.com.

ABOUT BET NETWORKS:

BET Networks, a subsidiary of Viacom Inc. (NASDAQ: VIA, VIA.B), is the nation's leading provider of quality entertainment, music, news and public affairs television programming for the African-American audience. The primary BET channel reaches more than 90 million households and can be seen in the United States, Canada, the Caribbean, the United Kingdom and sub-Saharan Africa. BET is the dominant African-American consumer brand with a diverse group of business extensions: BET.com, a leading Internet destination for black entertainment, music, culture and news; BET HER, a 24-hour entertainment network targeting the African-American woman; BET Music Networks - BET Jams, BET Soul and BET Gospel; BET Home Entertainment; BET Live, BET's growing festival business; BET Mobile, which provides ringtones, games and video content for wireless devices; and BET International, which operates BET around the globe.

ABOUT JESSE COLLINS ENTERTAINMENT:

Jesse Collins Entertainment (JCE) is a full-service television and film production company founded by entertainment industry veteran Jesse Collins. For more than a decade, the company has played an integral role in producing some of television's most memorable moments in music entertainment including groundbreaking and award winning television programming including the BET Awards, Soul Train Awards, BET Honors, UNCF An Evening of Stars, ABFF Awards and the BET Hip Hop Awards. On the scripted side, JCE has produced numerous shows for BET including Real Husbands of Hollywood starring Kevin Hart as well as the critically acclaimed The New Edition Story, a biopic on the boy band that aired as a 3-part mini-series. It posted record ratings for the network and attracted nearly 30 million viewers. It was followed by The Bobby Brown Story, which chronicled the talented but troubled singer's exit from the popular '80s boy band through his solo success and was the highest rated non-tentpole program on the network since The New Edition Story. The company's second season of American Soul, the critically-acclaimed period drama based on the untold rise of the iconic music and dance program Soul Train, will debut in 2020. Go to http://www.jessecollinsent.com/ for more information on the company.

ABOUT NEW JERSEY PERFORMING ARTS CENTER:

New Jersey Performing Arts Center (NJPAC), located in downtown Newark, New Jersey, is among the largest performing arts centers in the United States. It is the artistic, cultural, educational and civic center of New Jersey -- where great performances and events enhance and transform lives every day. As New Jersey's Town Square, NJPAC brings diverse communities together, providing access to all and showcasing the State's and the world's best artists, while acting as a leading catalyst in the revitalization of its home city. Through its extensive Arts Education programs, NJPAC is shaping the next generation of artists and arts enthusiasts. NJPAC has attracted over seven million visitors (including more than one million children) since opening its doors in 1997, and nurtures meaningful and lasting relationships with each of its constituents. Visit http://www.njpac.org or call 1-888-GO-NJPAC for more information.