Every year at the BET awards, an artist gets graced with the Humanitarian Award for their philanthropic work, and this year, Beyonce will be honored for her work with her BEYGood foundation with the award. Queen Bey has raised money for a number of causes that support young women in college, including BeyGood4Burundi, a multi-year partnership with UNICEF created to provide safe sanitation and clean water to the East African country of Burundi.
In addition to BeyGood4Burundi, when the coronavirus struck all parts of the world, the BEYGood foundation sprung into action by donating $6 million to coronavirus relief funds. Beyonce, along with her mother, also joined the #IDIDMYPART initiative, which gave out 1,000 test kits, face masks, gloves, essential vitamins, and household supplies to residents while urging Houston residents to get routinely tested for the award.
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Presenting the award to Beyonce, Michelle Obama commended Beyonce for her work in the community, her ability to select Black artists to place a spotlight, and her consistent efforts in calling out sexism and racism in music and in the world. The former first lady also labeled Beyonce as an inspiration to herself. Accepting the award, Beyonce dedicated the award to brothers and sisters who have protesting in the streets and fighting for equal rights. She also took the moment to urge viewers to vote in order to create the change desired in the world.
The award comes after Beyonce revealed that her upcoming visual album, Black Is King, would premiere July 31 on Disney Plus. A follow-up to the 2019 film Lion King, Disney Plus and Beyonce’s Parkwood Entertainment said Black Is King would aim to help “today’s young kinds and queens in search of their own crowns.”
