The 2020 BET Awards celebrated its 20th Anniversary of the award show this past Sunday, June 28th on CBS. Although it was filmed virtually and from all different locations due to the effects of COVID-19, it was no time to be silent about black excellence in the entertainment industry. The BET Awards proved that now, more than ever, the entertainment world, and the world, in general, should be uplifting black figures and celebrating their impact and achievements. 

The award show kicked off with a powerful message from 12-year-old gospel singer Keedron Bryant. His recent release and record deal landing song, “I Just Wanna Live”, opened the show, with him singing and delivering his thoughts on police brutality. Amanda Seales hosted the show virtually, all under the theme of “Our Culture Can’t Be Cancelled”. The theme highlighted the racial injustice the black community has faced both systematically, and in the recent incidents of police brutality. Where cancel culture seems to be the norm today, the black community refuses to be silenced. 

Unlike other awards shows which stick to one form of entertainment, the BET Awards honored achievements in music, television, movies, and sports. Categories such as Video of the Year, Best Actor, Best Movie, and Best Sportswoman were presented. Performances continued throughout the night between award presentations from famous artists such as Megan Thee Stallion, John Legend, DaBaby, and Roddy Rich. Megan Thee Stallion brought home two major awards of Viewer’s Choice and Female Hip Hop Artist. Other artists such as DaBaby went on to win Best Male Hip Hop artist, and Lizzo took home Female R&B/Pop Artist. 

The Humanitarian Award was presented to Beyonce by Michelle Obama. This award presentation was a major moment of the night, which highlighted Beyonce’s philanthropic efforts in the black community, and her recent launch of “BeyGood”, a black business fund. Other standout moments included Alicia Keys debut of her song, “A Perfect Way to Die”.  The song was written from the perspective of a mother who lost her child to incidents of police brutality and racism. 

The BET Awards served as a place for the black community to come together to celebrate the numerous creators and figures who have made significant contributions to not just the entertainment industry, but in the world itself. Now more than ever, these artists, actors, and athletes came together to use their platform for good and used their voice to speak about the racial injustices in this country.