“The minute you learn to love yourself, you will not want to be anyone else,” said Rihanna at BET’s 2016 Black Girls Rock! awards show, which took place April 1 at the New Jersey Performing Arts Center in Newark.
And the superstar was in good company.
This year marks 10 years of the Black Girls Rock! event, and this year’s honorees embody that tradition of black excellence. They include legendary soul singer Gladys Knight, television mogul Shonda Rhimes, actress Amandla Stenberg, actress-playwright Danai Gurira, and Black Lives Matter co-founders Patrisse Cullors, Alicia Garza and Opal Tometi.
Before tuning in to BET on Tuesday evening to watch the show, check out our exclusive footage from the Black Girls Rock! red carpet.
Black Girls Rock! will air Tuesday, April 5, on BET at 8 p.m. ET/7 p.m. CT.
Felice León is multimedia editor at The Root.