While the BET Awards ceremony on Monday night was marked by a strong sense of nostalgia, American rapper and singer Doechii pivoted to address a pressing current event, bringing the ongoing protests against immigration raids in Los Angeles directly to the stage.
Accepting the award for Best Female Hip-Hop Artist, Doechii, acknowledging her connection to BET as a lifelong viewer and first-time awardee, immediately shifted her focus.
“As much as I am honoured by this award, I do want to address what’s happening right now outside of the building,” she stated.
She condemned what she described as “ruthless attacks that are creating fear and chaos in our communities in the name of law and order.” President Donald Trump is using military forces to stop a protest.
The Grammy Award-winning artist further questioned the nature of such government actions: “I want y’all to consider what kind of government it appears to be when every time we exercise our democratic right to protest, the military is deployed against us. What type of government is that?”
Doechii highlighted the human cost, noting that “People are being swept up and torn from their families.”
She concluded by stating her responsibility as an artist “to use this moment to speak up for all oppressed people, for Black people, for Latino people, for trans people, for the people in Gaza.”
Doechii ended her impactful speech with a call to action, earning a standing ovation from some in the audience.
“We all deserve to live in hope and not in fear,” she urged. “And I hope we stand together, my brothers and my sisters, against hate, and we protest against it.”
The BET Awards, known for celebrating Black culture, was held in Los Angeles, a city that has experienced days of unrest due to protests against recent immigration enforcement actions. These protests intensified after President Trump ordered National Guard troops to the region, a decision that was opposed by both Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass and California Governor Gavin Newsom.
