The BET Honors award show was recently recorded in Washington D.C. on Sunday. And although the show made a valiant attempt to do its part for the community by honoring distinguished African Americans, protests against the network took place right outside the ceremony.
Maryland pastor, Rev. Delman Coates, brought thousands of people with him by bus to protest the network’s portrayal of African Americans outside of the Warner Theater in Washington D.C. as Tyra Banks, Cornel West, Alicia Keys and others accepted their awards.
The protesters carried signs like “I’m Not a Pimp,” “I’m Not a Gangster” and “BET Does Not Represent Me.”
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The efforts were to put an end to “The music and video content (shown) by this network that degrades women of color, that negatively stereotypes black men and glorifies criminal activity,”Coates stated.
“(My daughter) grows up with negative images of herself,” a protester said outside the invitation only event. “She doesn’t know that she is a princess and a queen and that she can be anything if she only sees pimps, prostitutes and profanity spoken on that station.”
Actress Vivica A Fox came to the defense of the network. “You’re not going to always make everyone happy,” she stated. “But the fact that you are providing opportunity and employment for others is what is important to me.”
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Wyclef also chimed in lending his support to the network. “They have always put our culture to the forefront, negative or positive,” he says. “And the positive has always outweighed the negative.”
