BLACK GIRLS LEAD(TM) 2020 Goes Virtual in Partnership with emerge(TM)

NEW YORK, July 14, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- BLACK GIRLS ROCK! announces its annual BLACK GIRLS LEAD conference, in partnership with hair care brand emerge, taking place July 31-August 1, 2020. This year's conference has been re-imagined as a virtual event and is designed to bring together young girls across the nation for two days of self-discovery, reflection and celebration.

The partnership between BLACK GIRLS ROCK! and emerge, a line of moisture-rich textured hair care products for Gen Z polycultural women, was born from the understanding that there is an urgent need to provide the resources and tools needed for young women of color to succeed.

"As a hair care brand rooted in self-expression and creativity, emerge is committed to unlocking opportunity for young girls of color so they can successfully pursue their creative passions," said Cara Sabin, CEO, Sundial Brands. "With the impact of COVID-19 on Black and Latinx communities, and the continued fight against systemic racism, we are honored to partner with Beverly Bond and BLACK GIRLS ROCK! to empower, inspire and support the next generation of creative trailblazers."

The BLACK GIRLS LEAD conference was created by BLACK GIRLS ROCK! to amplify leadership skills, critical thinking, ingenuity and creativity for girls ages 13-18. The conference will welcome 1,000 young women from communities across the United States and its territories to join in on a variety of panels, keynotes, workshops and masterclasses led by prominent thought leaders and speakers who will discuss social justice, women in STEM, financial literacy, career exploration, health and wellness, creativity, sisterhood and more.

"I created BLACK GIRLS LEAD to support young women's holistic development. The program is designed to help girls find their voices, define their truths, own their agencies and forge the futures they envision," said BLACK GIRLS ROCK! Founder/CEO, Beverly Bond. "I am grateful for this partnership with emerge and their dedication to joining our efforts to engage and inspire Black girls to thrive."

Hosting BLACK GIRLS LEAD virtually will provide an opportunity for even more deserving young girls to participate. Girls who are US residents and ages 13-18 are encouraged to apply for the conference by going to lead.blackgirlsrock.com.

For more information about BLACK GIRLS ROCK! and BLACK GIRLS LEAD visit www.blackgirlsrock.com. For Twitter and Instagram use handle: @BlackGirlsRock + hashtags: #BlackGirlsRock and #BlackGirlsLead.

For more information about emerge, visit emergeBeautiful.com, follow emerge on Instagram and Twitter, and become a fan on Facebook.

Press Contacts:
Carissa Smith
BLACK GIRLS ROCK!
pr@blackgirlsrockinc.com
862-202-6822

Samantha Colton
Edelman
Samantha.Colton@edelman.com
315-720-3592

ABOUT BLACK GIRLS LEAD(TM) AND BLACK GIRLS ROCK! ®
BLACK GIRLS LEAD was created to advance young women's leadership development, critical thinking skills, academic achievement, civic engagement, and philanthropy. Since its inception BLACK GIRLS ROCK! has been committed to empowering girls to lead by giving them the tools needed to find their voice, define their truth, own their agency, and honor their calling. Founded by celebrity DJ and philanthropist, Beverly Bond, BLACK GIRLS ROCK! is a multifaceted movement dedicated to shifting the culture of media images and empowering women and girls. BLACK GIRLS ROCK! Inc. is the 501(c)(3) nonprofit arm of the multifaceted movement that has been committed to enriching girls through leadership, education, and positive identity development programs since 2006.

About emerge(TM)
emerge(TM) is a new brand of clean beauty care products for a new wave of creative naturalistas created in collaboration by Unilever and Sundial Brands. Infused with almond milk and pequi oil, emerge keeps your curls and coils moisturized and defined. Free from sulfates, parabens, phthalates, silicones, mineral oil, petrolatum or dyes - our products love your hair back. Visit your local Target store or Target.com to shop emerge(TM) products.

About Unilever North America
Unilever is one of the world's leading suppliers of Beauty & Personal Care, Home Care, and Foods & Refreshment products with sales in over 190 countries and reaching 2.5 billion consumers a day. In the United States and Canada, the portfolio includes brand icons such as: Axe, Ben & Jerry's, Breyers, Degree, Dollar Shave Club, Dove, Hellmann's, Klondike, Knorr, Lever 2000, Lipton, Love Beauty and Planet, Magnum, Nexxus, Noxzema, Pond's, Popsicle, Pure Leaf, Q-tips, Seventh Generation, Simple, Sir Kensington's, St. Ives, Suave, Talenti Gelato & Sorbetto, TAZO, TIGI, TRESemmé and Vaseline. All of the preceding brand names are trademarks or registered trademarks of the Unilever Group of Companies.

Unilever's Sustainable Living Plan (USLP) underpins the company's strategy and commits to:

    --  Helping more than a billion people take action to improve their health
        and well-being by 2020.
    --  Halving the environmental impact of our products by 2030.
    --  Enhancing the livelihoods of millions of people by 2020.

The USLP creates value by driving growth and trust, eliminating costs and reducing risks. In 2018, the company's Sustainable Living Brands grew 69% faster than the rest of the business, compared to 46% in 2017.

Since 2010 we have been taking action through the Unilever Sustainable Living Plan to help more than a billion people improve their health and well-being, halve our environmental footprint and enhance the livelihoods of millions of people as we grow our business. We have already made significant progress and continue to expand our ambition - most recently committing to ensure 100% of our plastic packaging is fully reusable, recyclable or compostable by 2025. While there is still more to do, we are proud to have been recognized in 2018 as sector leader in the Dow Jones Sustainability Index and as the top ranked company in the GlobeScan/SustainAbility Global Corporate Sustainability Leaders survey, for the eighth-consecutive year.

For more information on Unilever U.S. and its brands visit: www.unileverusa.com

For more information on the USLP: www.unilever.com/sustainable-living/

About Sundial Brands:
Sundial Brands, a leading skincare and haircare manufacturer renowned for its innovative use of high-quality and culturally authentic natural ingredients, is the maker of emerge(TM), SheaMoisture, Nubian Heritage, nyakio(TM) and MCJW. A certified B Corp, the company's Community Commerce purpose-driven business model creates opportunities for sustainable social and economic empowerment throughout its supply chain and communities in the United States and Africa, focusing on entrepreneurship, women's empowerment, education and wellness. Widely credited with introducing the "New General Market" inclusion concept to the beauty and retail industries, Sundial Brands is led by CEO Cara Sabin and a majority Black and inclusive executive team, operating as a subsidiary of Unilever.

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SOURCE Unilever; Sundial Brands