It was all about social justice during the 2018 BET Awards on June 24, hosted by Jamie Foxx.
Actresses Amandla Stenberg and Regina Hall presented the Best Collaboration Award and during some pre-presentation banter, they gave a shoutout to two “real-life black women superheroes,” Rep. Maxine Waters and Sen. Kamala Harris. Of Waters, they noted her “unyielding superpower of re-claiming her time” and of Harris they described her as having a "real-life Wonder Woman lasso of truth.”
Regina Hall: So we're graciously waiting for the prompter. And here it is.
Amandla Stenberg: It has been so dope to see all these black women killing it in the superhero game.
Hall: Shout out to Tessa Thompson in "Thor," to Zazie Beetz in "Deadpool 2," and Danai Gurira and all that black girl magic in "Black Panther."
Stenberg: But there's so many other real-life black women superheroes out here.
Hall: Like Maxine Waters, who has the unyielding superpower of reclaiming her time.
Stenberg: And Kamala Harris with her real-life Wonder Woman lasso of truth.
Hall: You know what? It's two things I don't want -- and that's to piss off Pusha T or get questioned by Kamala Harris.
Just Saturday, Rep. Waters called upon the resistance crowd to harass and protest every member of the Trump administration as they go about normal activities, such as dining out, going to a gas station, and just appearing on a public street. Is that “re-claiming her time”?
Rapper Meek Mill, who was recently released from prison, previewed his new song, “Stay Woke,” and his lyrics were acted out as he sang. Rapper Miguel joined in with lyrics equally political in nature. The performance depicts white police officers beating black men on the street; the scene ends with the shooting of a child as a mother screams. The screenshot above is from the performance.
Given recent award shows, this one wasn’t quite as filled with political hyperbole. Just enough was inserted, though, so that the theme of injustice toward the black community and police brutality was spotlighted quite dramatically, as a child’s death at the hands of a policeman’s shows. Perhaps next year the celebration can rise above shock stunts.
