Beverly Bond (born December 19, 1970) is an American author, DJ, businesswoman, philanthropist, producer, writer and former Wilhemenia model. She founded the organization

Black Girls Rock! BLACK GIRLS ROCK! is a company founded by executive producer, businesswoman, celebrity DJ, and former model Beverly Bond. The company hosts an annual award show of the same name that honors and promotes Black women's achievements. BLACK GIRLS RO ...

which recognizes the success of Black women.Anderson, Stacy A. (2011)
"Beverly Bond Aims to uplift Black Women With "Black Girls Rock"
''Huffington Post.'' Retrieved 2012-11-12.

Early life

Bond was born on December 19, 1970, in

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

. She was raised by her mother, Mary Burroughs. As a child, Bond lived in several homes throughout the state of

Maryland Maryland ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. It borders the states of Virginia to its south, West Virginia to its west, Pennsylvania to its north, and Delaware to its east ...

. Bond attended a different school every year of her childhood from kindergarten to tenth grade, and sometimes two schools in one year. Her mother collected music and told her about many genres of music, including

hip-hop Hip-hop or hip hop (originally disco rap) is a popular music genre that emerged in the early 1970s from the African-American community of New York City. The style is characterized by its synthesis of a wide range of musical techniques. Hi ...

, and

world beat Worldbeat is a music genre that blends pop music or rock music with world music or traditional music. Worldbeat is similar to other cross-pollination labels of contemporary and roots genres, and which suggest a rhythmic, harmonic or textural cont ...

blues Blues is a music genre and musical form that originated among African Americans in the Deep South of the United States around the 1860s. Blues has incorporated spiritual (music), spirituals, work songs, field hollers, Ring shout, shouts, cha ...

jazz Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana, in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Its roots are in blues, ragtime, European harmony, African rhythmic rituals, spirituals, h ...

soul The soul is the purported Mind–body dualism, immaterial aspect or essence of a Outline of life forms, living being. It is typically believed to be Immortality, immortal and to exist apart from the material world. The three main theories that ...

, funk, and old school. Bond started to collect her own hip-hop records, and became a serious

record collector ''Record Collector'' is a British monthly music magazine focussing on rare and collectable records, and the bands who recorded them. It was founded in September 1979 and distributes worldwide. It is promoted as "the world’s leading authority o ...

Career

Modelling

At the age of seventeen, Bond moved to New York to pursue a modeling career. Her first agency was Elite New Faces, where because of her 5'9 frame she was booked for jobs that were mainly for athletic brands. Bonds signed with

Wilhelmina Models Wilhelmina International Inc. (NASDAQ: WHLM), formerly Wilhelmina Models, is a modeling and talent agency headquartered in New York City, New York. The company also has offices in Los Angeles, Miami and London. Founded in 1967 by Wilhelmina C ...

and was booked for campaigns and commercials for

Diesel Jeans Diesel S.p.A. is retail brand headquartered in Breganze, Italy known for luxury denim which also vends clothing, footwear, and accessories. It is part of OTB Group. Diesel USA filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in March 2019, and anno ...

Guess Guessing is the act of drawing a swift conclusion, called a guess, from data directly at hand, which is then held as probable or tentative, while the person making the guess (the guesser) admittedly lacks material for a greater degree of certaint ...

Nike Nike often refers to: * Nike, Inc., a major American producer of athletic shoes, apparel, and sports equipment * Nike (mythology), a Greek goddess who personifies victory Nike may also refer to: People * Nike (name), a surname and feminine giv ...

, and

Nordstroms Nordstrom, Inc. () is an American luxury department store chain headquartered in Seattle, Washington, and founded by John W. Nordstrom and Carl F. Wallin in 1901. The original store operated exclusively as a shoe store, and a second location o ...

DJing

In November 1999, Bond bought a set of

turntables A phonograph, later called a gramophone, and since the 1940s a record player, or more recently a turntable, is a device for the mechanical and analogue reproduction of sound. The sound vibration Waveform, waveforms are recorded as correspond ...

, with aspirations of using her extensive record collection to become a DJ. She started deejaying at local clubs in New York. As she secured more DJ work, she gradually stopped attending modelling auditions. Bond spun and mixed for gatherings of celebrities including

Prince A prince is a male ruler (ranked below a king, grand prince, and grand duke) or a male member of a monarch's or former monarch's family. ''Prince'' is also a title of nobility (often highest), often hereditary, in some European states. The ...

Jay-Z Shawn Corey Carter (born December 4, 1969), known professionally as Jay-Z, is an American Rapping, rapper, businessman, and record executive. Rooted in East Coast hip-hop, he was named Billboard and Vibe's 50 Greatest Rappers of All Time, the ...

Sean "Puffy" Combs Sean John Combs (born November 4, 1969), better known by his stage name Diddy, and formerly Puff Daddy and P. Diddy, is an American rapper, record producer, and record executive. Born in Harlem and raised in Mount Vernon, Combs worked as a ...

Sarah Jessica Parker Sarah Jessica Parker (born March 25, 1965) is an American actress and television producer. In a career spanning over five decades, she has performed across several productions of both Sarah Jessica Parker filmography, screen and stage. List o ...

Kimora Lee Simmons Kimora Lee Simmons (née Perkins; May 4, 1975) is an American businesswoman, fashion designer, television personality and former fashion model. As a teenager, she was signed with Chanel, where she became a model. Simmons has walked the runway ...

, Alicia Keys,

Hugo Boss Hugo Boss AG (stylized in all caps) is a designer fashion company headquartered in Metzingen, Baden-Württemberg, Germany. The company sells clothing, Fashion accessory, accessories, footwear, and Leather, leather goods. Hugo Boss is one of the ...

Andre Harrell Andre O’Neal Harrell (September 26, 1960 – May 7, 2020) was an American record executive, media proprietor, and former rapper. He formed the short-lived East Coast hip hop duo Dr. Jeckyll & Mr. Hyde with Alonzo Brown in 1980; they sig ...

and Veronica Webb, and Playboy. She spun for singer D'Angelo's ''

Voodoo Voodoo may refer to: Religions * West African Vodún, a religion practiced by Gbe-speaking ethnic groups * African diaspora religions, a list of related religions sometimes called Vodou/Voodoo ** Candomblé Jejé, also known as Brazilian Vodu ...

'' album release party. She toured with

Sunshine Anderson Sunshine Jocelyn Sian Anderson (born June 7, 1974) is an American R&B and soul singer from Winston-Salem, North Carolina. She is best known for her 2001 single " Heard It All Before", which peaked within the top 20 of the ''Billboard'' Hot 10 ...

and

Musiq Soulchild Taalib Hassan Johnson (born September 16, 1977), better known by his stage name Musiq Soulchild (or simply Musiq; pronounced "music") is an American singer-songwriter. His music blends Rhythm and blues, R&B, funk, blues, jazz, and Gospel music, ...

for the Courvoisier tour where she was the official DJ for

Erykah Badu Erica Abi Wright (born February 26, 1971), known professionally as Erykah Badu, is an American singer and songwriter. Influenced by rhythm and blues, R&B, Soul music, soul, and hip hop, Badu rose to prominence in the late 1990s when her debut al ...

The Roots The Roots are an American Hip-hop, hip hop band formed in 1987 by singer Black Thought, Tariq "Black Thought" Trotter and drummer Questlove, Ahmir "Questlove" Thompson in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The Roots serve as the house band on NBC's ''T ...

, and

Amerie Amerie Mi Marie Rogers Nicholson (born January 12, 1980) is an American singer, songwriter, actress and writer. She has released four studio albums to date: '' All I Have'' (2002), ''Touch'' (2005), '' Because I Love It'' (2007), '' In Love & W ...

. Bond has also spun at The Glamour Fashion Awards, the VH1 Fashion Awards, ESPN's X-Games Awards, The CFDA Awards, the Chanel parties (during New York Fashion Week), and the NY Planet Hollywood opening. She has appeared on BET's '' Rap City: Tha Basement'' and has also appeared as a celebrity DJ at Eileen Fords "Super Model of the World" contest in Puerto Rico. In 2012, Bond was honored at the ASCAP 4th Annual Women Behind the Music gathering in New York. In 2013 Bond spun at New York nightclubs, and contributed regularly to Russell Simmons' ''OneWorld'' magazine and ''

Essence Essence () has various meanings and uses for different thinkers and in different contexts. It is used in philosophy and theology as a designation for the property (philosophy), property or set of properties or attributes that make an entity the ...

''. On July 9, 2020, Bond joined Senator

Kamala Harris Kamala Devi Harris ( ; born October 20, 1964) is an American politician and attorney who served as the 49th vice president of the United States from 2021 to 2025 under President Joe Biden. She is the first female, first African American, and ...

and other artists for the "Get Up, Stand Up!" virtual fundraiser in support of

Joe Biden Joseph Robinette Biden Jr. (born November 20, 1942) is an American politician who was the 46th president of the United States from 2021 to 2025. A member of the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party, he served as the 47th vice p ...

's 2020 presidential campaign.

Organization / Black Girls Rock Awards Show

Bond is the founder of the organization Black Girls Rock! This started out with a T-shirt imprint in 2006 and grew into a mentorship program for young women promoting self-worth and empowerment.Goodson, David (2011)
"'Black Girls Rock,' trust and believe"
''New York Amsterdam News.'' Retrieved 2012-11-12. In 2006 Bond also created the Black Girls Rock! Awards. The first ceremony was held in Brooklyn, NY. In 2007 Bond took the well received award show to the prestigious Lincoln Center in Manhattan New York.

BET Black Entertainment Television (BET) is an American basic cable channel targeting Black American audiences. It is the flagship channel of the BET Media Group, a subsidiary of Paramount Global's CBS Entertainment Group. Originally launched ...

Network executive Stephen Hill was on the host committee and attended the 2nd Annual BLACK GIRLS ROCK! Awards in 2007 and was instrumental in bringing the award show to BET/Viacom in 2009. In 2010 Bond partnered with BET to produce and broadcast the first televised version of the award show. Bond was the creator and executive producer of the show, which honors the accomplishments of women of color in categories that included acting, politics, music, and more. The show also has entertainment throughout the night. The premier garnered 2.7 million viewers, and the awards won an

NAACP Image Award The NAACP Image Awards is an annual awards ceremony presented by the U.S.-based National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) to honor outstanding performances in film, television, theatre, music, and literature. The over 40 ...

for outstanding Variety Series or Special in 2013 and 2014. The show has now reached 10 million viewers annually, and in 2015 she initiated an associated organization, Black Girls Rock! Africa. At the 2016 awards show, Bond was thanked by

Hillary Clinton Hillary Diane Rodham Clinton ( Rodham; born October 26, 1947) is an American politician, lawyer and diplomat. She was the 67th United States secretary of state in the administration of Barack Obama from 2009 to 2013, a U.S. senator represent ...

for her promotion of black women. In May 2016, Bond was presented with a Women Who Care award in New York."Beverly Bond & More Among Honorees for 2016 Women Who Care Awards to Benefit United Cerebral Palsy of NY"
''Broadway World'', May 16, 2016

References

External links

Black Girls Rock! OrganizationBeverly Bond
at APB Speakers {{DEFAULTSORT:Bond, Beverly 1970 births Living people 21st-century African-American businesspeople 21st-century American businesspeople African-American female models American DJs Musicians from New York City African-American women musicians 21st-century African-American women 20th-century African-American people 20th-century African-American women