LOS ANGELES--(BUSINESS WIRE)--
Today, BET Her in partnership with Bumble and the Women in Entertainment Empowerment Network announced the 2018 WEEN Awards scheduled to take place in Los Angeles on Thursday, June 21, 2018 at 5:00 p.m. PT at The Conga Room at L.A. LIVE. Hosted by “Insecure” actress Amanda Seales, the empowering night honors the innovation and marked successes of women of color across various industries who have unapologetically broken barriers in the entertainment, arts and technology industries.
This year’s honorees include world famous percussionist, actress and artist Sheila E. (Icon Award); actress and comedienne Yvonne Orji (Rising Star Award); business mogul and television personality Lala Anthony (Evolution Award); Chief Brand Officer for Uber, Bozoma Saint John (Business Maverick Award); Women’s March National co-chair, Tamika D. Mallory (Social Justice Award) and Morgan DeBaun, founder and CEO of media lifestyle brand, Blavity (Tech Innovation Award). Estelle and DJ Olivia Dope are among this year’s much anticipated musical guests.
“WEEN is so excited about our partnership with BET Her and Bumble,” said Valeisha Butterfield Jones, Co-Founder and CEO, WEEN. “Both exemplify our core value of women’s empowerment. Celebrating eleven years of service and our eighth awards show, this will be a night of philanthropy, glamour and magic.”
"It's an absolute honor to be a part of such an inspiring group of women and empowering organizations," said Whitney Wolfe Herd, Founder and CEO of Bumble. “WEEN and BET Her are both doing wonderful work to provide women of color with opportunities in entertainment. Together, we can align our communities to shift the conversation and create positive and impactful change in an area where it is desperately needed."
“I always relish any moment to applaud the incredible accomplishments of Black women who are leading the zeitgeist as change agents and innovators and this is one such moment,” said Michele Thornton Ghee, Senior Vice President, Ad Sales, BET Her. “It is these types of organic and authentic partnerships with organizations like Bumble and WEEN that create a much needed platform and more importantly, provide an understanding of the significant contributions and voices of Black women across the globe.”
WEEN Awards recipients in past years have included some of the best and brightest stars in media, music, film, television, technology and philanthropy including Angie Martinez, Angela Yee, Lil Kim, Faith Evans, Nia Long, Yara Shahidi, Vivica A. Fox and many more.
For updates or more information about the WEEN Awards, visit https://www.weenonline.org/ween-awards/.
Join the conversation on social media at @weenonline using #weenawards2018.
ABOUT WEEN
The Women in Entertainment Empowerment Network (WEEN) is a non-profit 501(c)(3) coalition of women and men, all ages and races, committed to supporting, promoting, and defending the balanced, positive portrayal of women in entertainment and society. For more information, visit www.weenonline.org
ABOUT BUMBLE
Since its launch in 2014, Bumble has grown to become one of the most relevant social networks worldwide. Today, Bumble, the "female first" app with over 32 million users, connects people across dating, friendship and professional networking. No matter the type of relationship, women make the first move on Bumble. Bumble recognizes the importance of relationships and how crucial they are to a healthy, happy life. They've built their platform around kindness, respect, and equality – and their users play an important part in that. Bumble holds its users accountable for their actions and has zero tolerance for hate, aggression or bullying. Bumble is available in 144 countries. Since 2014, Bumble has facilitated over half a billion women-led first moves and over five billion messages sent. Bumble is free and available in the App Store and Google Play.
ABOUT BET NETWORKS
BET Networks, a subsidiary of Viacom Inc. (NASDAQ: VIA, VIA.B), is the nation's leading provider of quality entertainment, music, news and public affairs television programming for the African-American audience. The primary BET channel is in nearly 85 million households and can be seen in the United States, Canada, the Caribbean, the United Kingdom, sub-Saharan Africa and France. BET is the dominant African-American consumer brand with a diverse group of business extensions including BET.com, a leading Internet destination for Black entertainment, music, culture, and news; BET HER (formerly CENTRIC), a 24-hour entertainment network targeting the African-American woman; BET Music Networks - BET Jams, BET Soul and BET Gospel; BET Home Entertainment; BET Live, BET’s growing festival business; BET Mobile, which provides ringtones, games and video content for wireless devices; and BET International, which operates BET Networks around the globe.
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