Beyoncé to receive Humanitarian honour at BET Awards

Beyoncé is adding another trophy to her shelf, but this one is less about her brilliance on stage and in the studio and more about her being a fantastic human being. The BET Awards have announced that when the 20^th annual show goes down on June 28, they’re honouring Queen Bey with the prestigious Humanitarian Award.The award is to formally recognize all of the philanthropy work Beyoncé has done over the years, including all of the initiatives she has created and supported through BeyGOOD. Over the years, the singer has established programs like Formation Scholars to help young women foster their full potential; partnered with UNICEF to bring safe water and sanitation to the landlocked East African country of Burundi; and created the Homecoming Scholars Award Program to help students across various colleges and universities.As the press release announcing the award points out, Beyoncé's support for her commmunity hasn't wavered in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic and the current global Black Lives Matter moment. She has supported organizations on the ground to help vulnerable Black and Brown communities (which are disproportionally affected by COVID-19) meet basic food and shelter needs. She's continued calling out systemic racism in policing and the justice system following the killings of George Floyd and Breonna Taylor. For Juneteenth, her latest song, “Black Parade,” was a celebration of Black joy and encouraged the support of Black-owned small businesses.

 

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Happy Juneteenth Weekend! I hope we continue to share joy and celebrate each other, even in the midst of struggle. Please continue to remember our beauty, strength and power. _ “BLACK PARADE” celebrates you, your voice and your joy and will benefit Black-owned small businesses. Click the link in my bio to learn more.

A post shared by Beyoncé (@beyonce) on Jun 19, 2020 at 6:47pm PDT

“A global phenomenon, Beyoncé is one of the most successful artists to date, with over 100 million records sold worldwide, numerous awards, including 24 Grammys, and a catalog of timeless music,” the release notes. “Along with her illustrious music career, she has acted in several films including Dreamgirls, Cadillac Records, and most recently Disney's The Lion King, which became the highest-grossing animated film of all time. On top of her numerous successes, Beyoncé is also a philanthropist who has created several initiatives to give back to the world at large.”In addition to announcing Bey’s latest crowning achievement, the awards show also announced several other last-minute additions to the June 28 show, like Lil Wayne giving a tribute to late NBA star Kobe Bryant, and Wayne Brady memorializing Little Richard. Beyoncé, meanwhile, is up for several awards at the show too, including the BET Her Award, in which she received a nomination for “Brown Skin Girl.”[video_embed id='-1']RELATED: Deborah Cox reflects on her experiences as a Black woman [/video_embed]The BET Humanitarian Award came into existence in 2002 and is designed to honour celebs who donate their time and money to charitable causes. When Beyoncé collects her trophy, she’ll join the likes of Denzel Washington, Danny Glover, Don Cheadle, Quincy Jones, Muhammad Ali, Jesse Williams and Earvin “Magic” Johnson.The 20^th BET Awards air Sunday, June 28 on CBS.[video_embed id='1982962']BEFORE YOU GO: How Hollywood has reinforced the idea that police brutality is the norm [/video_embed]