Beyonce received the Humanitarian Award (open in new tab) at Sunday night's BET Awards, which were held virtually amidst the ongoing coronavirus outbreak. She was recognized for her work through her charity, BeyGOOD. Most recently, she and her mother, Tina Knowles-Lawson, worked to make COVID-19 testing available to the black community in their hometown of Houston.

In her moving acceptance speech, Beyonce dedicated the award to the Black Lives Matter protesters, saying, as reported in the Guardian (opens in new tab), "Your voices have been heard, proving that our forefathers' struggle was not in vain."

Beyonce continued, urging viewers to vote in the ongoing primaries, saying, "There are people counting on us to stay home in the local elections and primaries that are taking place in states across the country." She continued, "We have to do this." We must vote as if our lives depended on it.

Michelle Obama presented Beyonce with the Humanitarian Award, applauding her "generous spirit" and "love of community," according to "Entertainment Tonight" (opens in new tab). Obama said, "You can see it in everything she does, from her music, which speaks for black joy and black pain, to her activism, which demands justice for black lives."

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