Procter & Gamble’s My Black is Beautiful Partners with UNCF and Black
Girls Rock! to Challenge the African American Community to Help Create a
Beautiful Future for Black Girls
CINCINNATI--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Jul. 6, 2012--
Today, Procter & Gamble’s My Black is Beautiful (MBIB)
announced Imagine a Future, a new initiative designed to
positively impact the lives of one million black girls over the next
three years. In collaboration with UNCF (United Negro College Fund)
and Black Girls Rock! (BGR!), Imagine a Future will
document the current state of black beauty with an in-depth look at the
influences – people, fashion, music, education, pop culture – and
provide tools and resources to foster a greater sense of self and
confidence within the next generation of young black girls.
P&G's My Black is Beautiful and partners Black Girls Rock! and UNCF kick off Essence Music Festival 2012 with a scholarship presentation to New Orleans' First Lady, Cheryl Landrieu and Girl-Up New Orleans. (Photo: Business Wire)
“My Black is Beautiful represents a community of over 600,000 strong who
come together based on shared experiences and the desire to celebrate
everything that makes black women beautiful,” said Linda Clement Holmes,
Procter & Gamble, Chief Diversity Officer and Senior Vice President of
Global Business Service. “The launch of Imagine a Future reflects a
natural evolution of our mission to focus on both black women and girls.
We are thrilled to partner with UNCF and BGR! to bring this new
initiative to life through the development of much needed solutions for
our young black girls based on the must-have conversations about beauty,
self-worth and empowerment.”
All three organizations will come together at the Essence Music Festival
(EMF) – the preeminent African American community education and
entertainment weekend event – to kick off Imagine a Future with the
announcement of several exciting opportunities for young girls
throughout the country, including in EMF’s backyard, the New Orleans
area. During EMF, P&G’s MBIB will distribute six book awards totaling
$3,000 to black female students through the UNCF Empower Me Tour book
award sweepstakes. Additionally, one New Orleans-based black female
student will receive a $5,000 academic scholarship.
“The Imagine a Future initiative is right in line with our mission to
give African American students a fighting chance to succeed both
academically and personally,” said Dr. Michael Lomax, President and CEO,
UNCF. “We truly believe in creating strong minds, and we know the
emotional health of our students is also a key success measure for them
as they enter the post-college world. It is with great enthusiasm that
we partner with Black Girls Rock!, as well as My Black is Beautiful to
offer solutions for girls so they can become self-sustaining, happy
leaders.”
Later in July, Black Girls Rock! will host their second annual Queens
Camp for Leadership & Excellence in upstate New York. Fifty dynamic
teenage girls between the ages of 13 and 17 from various socioeconomic
and geographical backgrounds will experience this two-week summer
intensive camp. Through workshops and activities the camp will foster
self-confidence, leadership, sisterhood and community service.
“At Black Girls Rock!, we are committed to youth empowerment, mentorship
and the positive portrayal of black girls and women in media,” said
Beverly Bond, founder and executive director, Black Girls Rock! “We’re
so excited to take the Black Girls Rock! movement to the next level by
collaborating with both My Black is Beautiful and UNCF. Together, we
will reach and broaden the lives of black girls through enriching
educational opportunities as well as uplifting once-in-a-life time
experiences that help give our girls a sense of pride, purpose and
possibilities.”
The MBIB campaign launched six years ago to fuel a national conversation
about African American beauty while encouraging women to become
catalysts for change in their communities. The campaign has proved
successful in building an engaging online and offline community of black
women that celebrate everything that makes them truly beautiful. As a
proud sponsor of the Essence Music Festival, Procter & Gamble leverages
this engaging, high-traffic event to create unforgettable experiences
with its supporting brands: CoverGirl® Queen Collection,
Pantene® Relaxed & Natural, Clairol®
Professional, Crest® and Oral-B®, Olay®,
Gain®, Bounty® and Charmin®.
To learn more about Image a Future initiative and MBIB activities at
Essence Music Festival, consumers are encouraged to visit: www.myblackisbeautiful.com
or www.facebook.com/mbib.
Consumers can also join the movement on Twitter @MBIBMovement.
About Procter and Gamble
P&G serves approximately 4.4 billion people around the world with its
brands. The Company has one of the strongest portfolios of trusted,
quality, leadership brands, including Pampers®, Tide®, Ariel®, Always®,
Whisper®, Pantene®, Mach3®, Bounty®, Dawn®, Fairy®, Gain®, Charmin®,
Downy®, Lenor®, Iams®, Crest®, Oral-B®, Duracell®, Olay®, Head &
Shoulders®, Wella®, Gillette®, Braun®, Fusion®, Ace®, Febreze®, Ambi
Pur®, SK-II®, and Vicks®. The P&G community includes operations in about
80 countries worldwide. Please visit http://www.pg.com
for the latest news and in-depth information about P&G and its brands.
About UNCF (United Negro College Fund)
UNCF (United Negro College Fund) is the nation's largest and most
effective minority education organization. To serve youth, the community
and the nation, UNCF supports more than 60,000 students at over 900
colleges and universities across the country. UNCF supports education
through scholarships and other programs, by supporting its 38 member
colleges and universities, and by advocating for the importance of
minority education. UNCF administers more than 400 programs, including
scholarship, internship and fellowship, mentoring, summer enrichment,
and curriculum and faculty development programs. UNCF institutions and
other historically black colleges and universities are highly effective,
awarding 21 percent of African American baccalaureate degrees. The UNCF
logo features the torch of leadership in education and its widely
recognized motto, "A mind is a terrible thing to waste."® Learn more at www.UNCF.org.
About BLACK GIRLS ROCK!
Founded by celebrity DJ and Philanthropist, Beverly Bond, BLACK GIRLS
ROCK!™ is dedicated to promoting positive images of women of color in
mass media. BLACK GIRLS ROCK!™ Inc., is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit
organization, that has been dedicated to the healthy development of
young women and girls since 2006. BLACK GIRLS ROCK!™ Inc. seeks
to build the self-esteem and self-worth of young women of color by
changing their outlook on life, broadening their horizons and helping
them to empower themselves. For additional information on BLACK GIRLS
ROCK!™, visit www.blackgirlsrock.org.
Photos/Multimedia Gallery Available: http://www.businesswire.com/cgi-bin/mmg.cgi?eid=50331159&lang=en
Source: Procter & Gamble
MSLGROUP
Daphne Hoytt, 646-500-7850
daphne.hoytt@mslgroup.com
OR
Procter
& Gamble
Crystal Harrell, 531-983-4606
harrell.cw@pg.com
Touching lives, improving life. P&G™