Beyoncé Receives Humanitarian Award at BET Awards

All hail Queen Bey.

Beyoncé was honored with the Humanitarian Award at the 2020 BET Awards on Sunday. Former First Lady Michelle Obama paid homage to the living legend, celebrating her philanthropic efforts as part of her BeyGOOD foundation.

“Ever since she was a little girl in Houston, Beyonce Knowles-Carter has been lighting up the stages and gracing the world with her talent, with her generosity and spirit, and with her love for her community,” said Obama. “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. And no matter how big the stages get, I know my girl isn’t satisfied unless she’s sharing all that shine she has with the next generation.”

She continued, “She’s always turning up, looking out, and making us all a little bit better, a little more fierce, and she’s doing it all while staying devoted to her children and the loved ones she holds dear. So to my girl, I just want to say: You inspire me. You inspire all of us.”

Close friends including Tyler Perry and Bey’s own mother Tina Knowles-Lawson celebrated her merits in a tribute accompanied by her new song “Black Parade.”

Bey accepted the award in a pre-taped video, dedicating it 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,” she said.

But the fight is not over. She encouraged everyone to continue to demand justice and vote. “Continue to take action, continue to change and dismantle a racist and unequal system,” added Bey. “Because 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.”

Her speech was followed by a trailer for her visual album Black Is King, which premieres July 31 on Disney+.