Beyoncé accepts the humanitarian award during the BET Awards
Beyoncé accepts the humanitarian award during the BET Awards. Photograph: AP

Beyoncé has been awarded the humanitarian award at the BET Awards, using her speech to encourage viewers to vote “like our life depends on it” in the upcoming US election.

Michelle Obama highlighted Beyonce’s commitment to the Black community before presenting her with the award, saying: “You can see it in everything she does, from her music that gives voice to Black joy and Black pain, to her activism that demands justice for Black lives.”

Obama praised Beyoncé for promoting younger performers and for “calling out sexism and racism when she sees it”.

Beyoncé dedicated the award to protesters around the country.

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.@Beyonce's acceptance speech for her 'BET Humanitarian Award' #BETAwards pic.twitter.com/FqNHBBWKQk

June 29, 2020

“I want to dedicate this award to all of my brothers out there, all of my sisters out there inspiring me, marching and fighting for change. Your voices are being heard and you’re proving to our ancestors that their struggles were not in vain. Now we have one more thing we need to do to walk in our true power, and that is to vote,” she said.

“I’m encouraging you to continue to take action, continue to change and dismantle a racist and unequal system,” she said. “There are people banking on us staying at home during local elections and primaries happening in states across the country. We have to vote like our life depends on it, because it does.”

Beyoncé was praised for her charitable work through the BeyGOOD foundation, including teaming up with her mother, Tina Knowles, to ensure more Covid-19 testing was available to Black residents in her home city of Houston, Texas.

The BET Awards celebrate black artists and sportspeople. Previous recipients of BET’s humanitarian award include boxer Muhammad Ali, music producer Quincy Jones and actor Denzel Washington.

Sunday’s show celebrated BET’s 20th awards show and BET’s 40th year as a network. The three-hour event, which aired on CBS for the first time, was hosted by comedian, actress and TV personality Amanda Seales.

Several artists made political points during their performances, including Roddy Ricch, who wore a Black Lives Matter shirt while he rapped.



source https://www.theguardian.com/music/2020/jun/29/beyonce-urges-black-community-to-vote-like-our-life-depends-on-it-in-bet-awards-speech