Black Girls Rock honorees share inspirational wisdom at BET’s annual celebration

Some major celebrities gathered Saturday night to celebrate the accomplishments of black entertainers, philanthropists, business owners and others at the Black Girls Rock 2017 event in New Jersey.

Hosted by “Empire” star Taraji P. Henson, BET’s annual event, held at the New Jersey Performing Arts Center in Newark, New Jersey, brought out top stars from “Black-ish” star Yara Shahidi to Rep. Maxine Waters. Also recognized were music legend Roberta Flack, pop star Solange and “Insecure” creator and star Issa Rae.

The event, created by philanthropist Beverly Bond, also featured stellar musical performances from SZA, Anthony Hamilton and Ledisi, along with a musical tribute to Flack.

Although the event won’t air until Aug. 22 on BET, we’ve collected the most inspirational quotes from the evening’s acceptance speeches to get you feeling empowered before you can watch the full show.