Amanda Seales says BET Awards 2020 will speak out against racial injustices
The “Insecure” actress said that the ceremony is taking place “during a global uprising against racial discrimination.”
Ahead of the BET Awards 2020, host Amanda Seales is opening up about her plans for this year’s ceremony.
During an interview with PEOPLE, the “Insecure” star explained that the show, which is set to take place on Sunday (June 28), will tackle conversations regarding racial injustices. Over the last few weeks, several Americans have spoken out against the police brutality-related deaths of George Floyd and many others.
“It’s less about it being during a pandemic and more about it being during a global uprising against racial discrimination. I don’t think there’s a better time for us to be doing a show celebrating Black folks for living in their craft to the best of their abilities,” Seales said of the upcoming show.
She added, “I was more so just keenly aware of the importance of this time. I need to be thoughtful and I always am, but really making sure that I’m not taking anything for granted in terms of what this stage means at this time. When I say ‘at this time’ I don’t just mean about the uprising but about the fact that BET is celebrating 40 years. It’s the 20-year anniversary of the BET Awards itself. So all of these things converging really is not something I take lightly and I’m looking forward to stepping into those shoes with grace.”
Earlier this month, news broke that the BET Awards will take place virtually in light of the COVID-19 pandemic. As a result, performers will find different ways to bring their respective stages to light.
“Well, we’re not in a theater so there’s that. Also, the performers are being given budgets to perform, to come up with their different renditions of how they want to bring their music out, so that’s going to be different because they’re not on a stage, they’re in their own setups,” Seales explained.