Janet, Lena, Latifah and More: Black Girls Rock! Returns to the Red Carpet

The ceremony won’t be televised until Sept. 9, but on Sunday night at the New Jersey Performing Arts Center in Newark, N.J., black girl magic was on full display as an array of our established and future icons hit the red carpet for Black Girls Rock! 2018.

Honorees Janet Jackson, Mary J. Blige, Naomi Campbell, Lena Waithe, Tarana Burke and dance legend Judith Jamison were all in attendance, looking incredible alongside host Queen Latifah and luminaries like Ava DuVernay, Misty Copeland, Cynthia Erivo, Yolanda Adams, Amandla Stenberg and young activist Naomi Wadler.

And of course, the ladies brought lewks: Naomi was glorious in vibrant orange, while Mary J. made a sleek statement in leopard printed knit. And fresh off the smash debut of her latest single “Made for Now,” Janet Jackson was on hand to accept her “Rockstar” award, wearing a spike-and-studded harness accessorized gown by Christian Siriano, keeping it comfortable for the ceremony in platform combat boots.

Of course, Black Girls Rock! is the brainchild of executive producer, founder, author and legendary DJ Beverly Bond—literal holder of the trademark for “black girl magic”—who showed up on Sunday’s red carpet glistening in low-cut gold and sporting freshly cropped and feathered hair that has us seriously considering our next big chop.

Who else was in attendance? As always, we’ve compiled a roundup of all the black girls who rocked this year’s red carpet for your viewing pleasure. Just consider it a little appetizer in advance of the show, which will air on BET on Sunday, Sept. 9 at 8 p.m. EDT.