At Sunday night’s BET Awards, Beyoncé will be the recipient of the 2020 Humanitarian Award, which will be presented virtually. According to a press release obtained by The Root, outside of her successful music career, Beyoncé has a proven philanthropic track record which demonstrates her ability to “give back to the world at large.”
Some of her charitable contributions include the BeyGOOD Initiative’s “Formation Scholars” scholarship in 2017, given to four college-aged women “who are unafraid to think outside the box and are bold, creative, conscious and confident,” and ‘BeyGood4Burundi,’ her partnership with UNICEF to provide clean water and sanitation to the East African country.
More recently, in an effort to help those struggling during this year’s COVID-19 pandemic, Bey and mother Tina Knowles-Lawson sponsored the #IDIDMYPART mobile testing initiative, which provided free COVID-19 tests to Houston Black and Latinx residents, as these communities have been disproportionately affected by the pandemic. She also donated $6 million to COVID-19 relief efforts through the BeyGOOD Initiative.
The BET Awards will also recognize French anti-racist activist Assa Traoré as the 2020 BET International Global Good recipient, and Timbaland, Swizz Beatz, D-Nice and Nicolas Johnson as the 2020 Shine a Light Award recipients. The latter honor recognizes “exceptional resilience, ingenuity and creativity in the face of adversity,” and the 2020 honorees demonstrate how art and education have the power to unite communities in dark, uncertain times.
Additionally, this year will honor the public figures we’ve lost this year with special tributes. Grammy Award-winning artist Lil’ Wayne will pay tribute to Kobe Bryant, while Wayne Brady will honor Little Richard with a performance.