Black Girl Magic
Black Girl Magic is an entertainment, broadcast, and apparel brand, with a TV show and podcast of the same name, created in 2014 by Beverly Bond.[1] Bond is an author, celebrity DJ, model and founder of the women's empowerment organization and acclaimed award show Black Girls Rock!®, established in 2006, which celebrates the power, beauty, and brilliance of black women.[2] In 2014, Bond founded and trademarked Black Girl Magic for an apparel line and talk show she developed under BondVision Media, Inc., Bond's production company.[3] In 2018, Bond launched the BLACK GIRL MAGIC Podcast to elevate the lived experiences of Black women.[4]
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History
Origin
In 2014, Bond registered Black Girl Magic as an extension of the BLACK GIRLS ROCK! brand, an apparel line sold in the BLACK GIRLS ROCK! store, and a TV Show Bond developed under her production company BondVision Media. Bond secured social media handles on Facebook and Twitter for Black Girl Magic® by August 2014. In 2016 Bond executive produced the pilot for the Black Girl Magic TV Show directed by Matthew Cherry, hosted Tatyana Ali and Janell Snowden, and with guest appearances by Jay Ellis,Nzingha Stewart, Lalah Hathaway and MC Lyte. In 2018, Bond created the BLACK GIRL MAGIC Hour Podcast to continue elevating conversations by and for Black women.[5]
Bond credits friend, feminist author, scholar, and former Black Girls Rock! Board Member, Joan Morgan, with using the phrase "Black Girl Magic" and subconsciously planting the term in her head as early as 2000. In 1999 Morgan published, "When Chickenheads Come Home to Roost" where she writes, “I wrote. Spent lots of time near the water. Heard Oshun's laughter twinkling like bells, urging me to recapture the feminine and discover the fierceness of a black girl’s magic.”[1]
Controversy
Brand Confusion
Joan Morgan had the first documented use of "Black Girl Magic" in her book, "When Chicken Heads Come Home to Roost", first published in 1999.
Beverly Bond has the first documented trademark registration and Twitter and Facebook social media handles for Black Girl Magic, first filed in 2014.
CaShawn Thompson claims that she is "the mother of #BlackGirlMagic" and the person who popularized the phrase “Black Girl Magic” after she created Black Girls are Magic T-shirts for an intimate circle of friends in 2014.[6] Thompson claims the success of her #BlackGirlsAreMagic t-shirts and social media campaign led to the popularity of the truncated #BlackGirlMagic hashtag,however, when one traces the origins of the Black Girl Magic hashtag there are several uses from various people as early as 2009, and there is not any evidence that identifies Thompson as the sole driver of popularity. There are numerous records of tweets from various users using the [hashtag] #BlackGirlMagic as early as 2009.[7]
Legal
In 2016 Essence created a digital series titled "Black Girl Magic" using the trademark filed by Beverly Bond. In 2017, the term Black Girl Magic was under legal dispute between Beverly Bond and Essence Magazine. Essence tried to trademark "Essence Black Girl Magic," when the registration for Black Girl Magic was already filed by Beverly Bond."[8] Bond later won the dispute.
In March 2019, Google released an advertisement "Black Girl Magic: A moment in search", but neglected to mention or contact Bond to use her trademarked phrase, which rankled individuals who believe that Black women's contributions to popular culture are being erased or minimized.[9]
References
- Kai, Maiysha (March 10, 2019). "'Black Girl Magic'? Google's Latest Ad Reignites Enduring Issues of Erasure'". The Root. Retrieved February 3, 2022.
- Beygood, Beyonce Knowles Carter's (March 15, 2018). "'Women Making History: Beverly Bond, Founder of BLACK GIRLS ROCK!'". Begged. Retrieved February 5, 2022.
- White, Eeshé (April 5, 2016). "'Lauryn Hill Brings Down the House at Rock Like a Girl'". Ebony Magazine. Retrieved February 3, 2022.
- Carroll, Rebecca (April 5, 2016). "'Beverly Bond's Black Girl Magic The inspiring -- founder of Black Girls Rock! never stops doing her best work for those in her charge '". Shondaland. Retrieved February 3, 2022.
- Goldberg, Lesley (November 18, 2013). "'Beverly Bond Inks New BET Deal'". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved February 5, 2022.
- Thomas, Dexter (September 8, 2015). "Why everyone's saying 'Black Girls are Magic'". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved September 3, 2016.
- Hope, Clover. "Who Gets to Own 'Black Girl Magic'?". Jezebel. Retrieved June 26, 2019.
- Lucas D’Oyley, Demetria (January 14, 2016). "'Elle, You Just Don't Understand #BlackGirlMagic'". The Root. Retrieved February 4, 2022.
- Kai, Maiysha. "Who Benefits from 'Black Girl Magic'? Google's Latest Ad Reignites Enduring Issues of Erasure". The Glow Up. Retrieved June 26, 2019.