Beyoncé is calling on her fans to exercise their rights to vote!
On Sunday, the momma of three accepted the BET Humanitarian Award, and like the humble Queen she is, dedicated the prestigious honor to protestors and those who have been speaking out against racial inequalities and violence.
Related: Beyoncé Drops Surprise Single Black Parade On Juneteenth
In the pre-recorded speech, she shared (below):
“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. I’m encouraging you to continue to take action. Continue to change and dismantle the racist and unequal system.”
Bey concluded the powerful message with a call to vote:
“We have to vote like our life depends on it, because it does.”
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Bey is in good company with past Humanitarian Award recipients like Muhammad Ali, Quincy Jones, and Reverend Al Sharpton, with the honor presented to her by none other than former First Lady Michelle Obama. Praising her friend’s commitment to the Black community, she gushed:
“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 she’s doing it all while staying devoted to her children and the loved ones she holds dear. To my girl, I just want to say – you inspire me. You inspire all of us.”
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We’d be remiss not to also congratulate Blue Ivy Carter on her first BET Award, making the 8-year-old the youngest winner ever, with her single Brown Skin Girl featuring her mother, WizKid, and Saint Jhn. The work was featured on The Lion King: The Gift soundtrack album.
Congratulations, Blue!!
As we previously shared, it was a pretty full weekend for the Queen, who dropped a teaser trailer for her new visual album, Black Is King, on Saturday night. The 38-year-old’s production company, Parkwood Entertainment, published a joint statement (below) with Disney about the upcoming album, which will stream in a premiere on July 31:
“Black Is King is a celebratory memoir for the world on the Black experience. The film is a story for the ages that informs and rebuilds the present. A reunion of cultures and shared generational beliefs. A story of how the people left most broken have an extraordinary gift and a purposeful future. These timeless lessons are revealed and reflected through Black voices of today, now sitting in their own power. Black Is King is an affirmation of a grand purpose, with lush visuals that celebrate Black resilience and culture. The film highlights the beauty of tradition and Black excellence.”
We can’t wait!!
[Image via Ivan Nikolov/WENN.]