The Root's Jenée Desmond-Harris was on the scene Jan. 14 at the taping of the 2012 BET Honors at the Warner Theatre in Washington, D.C. She caught up with some of the who's who of the black community, including former Secretary of State Colin Powell, singer Kelly Rowland and host Gabrielle Union. Hear what they had to say about this year's honorees, including director Spike Lee, singers Stevie Wonder and Mariah Carey, poet Maya Angelou, track-and-field coach Beverly Kearney and members of the Tuskegee Airmen, in our exclusive video.
The BET Honors airs on Monday, Feb. 13, at 9 p.m. EST on BET. Click here for a recap of the event.