Lizzo was given top honors at the Black Music Action Coalition’s Quincy Jones Humanitarian Award on Thursday night.
At the BMAC Gala, which took place on Sept. 21 at the Beverly Hilton in Los Angeles, the singer and activist closed the three-hour evening by accepting her award after a turbulent day. Hours before the night, a former stylist for her tour earlier this year filed a lawsuit against her and others involved in the production for sexual harassment, disability discrimination, illegal retaliatory termination, assault and more. It marked yet another lawsuit against Lizzo from former employees on tour for similar accusations.
But the evening erred on positive. Lizzo skipped the Black carpet, opting to sit in the audience as industry executives like Sylvia Rhone and Jermaine Dupri accepted awards. At the end of the event, Lizzo’s Big Grrls—and a few Big Boiis—graced the stage to show their support and present her with her accolade. The crew, which consisted of dancers from “The Special Tour” that began in the U.S. last year and continued through Europe this summer, appeared to voice their love of the pop singer. It was notable considering the increasing number of workers who have filed recent suits.
After a video montage showcasing her philanthropic efforts for LGBTQ+ advocacy and initiatives like Planned Parenthood, Lizzo took to the microphone to indirectly reference the recent legal hardships she’s experiencing.
“Black Music Action Coalition, y’all really are about that action. Thank you so much for this, because I needed this right now. God’s timing is always on time!” she said, tearing up. “I didn’t write a speech because I don’t know what to say in times like these.”
She went on to describe her humanitarian and activist initiatives, including donating a quarter of a million dollars in June to Black-led organizations dedicated to helping Black youth, women and the trans community. “It’s easy to do the right thing when everybody’s watching you, and it’s what you do in those moments when nobody’s watching that defines who you are,” she said. “And I’m going to continue to be who I am, no matter who’s watching. I’m going to continue to shine a light on the people who are helping people, because they deserve it. I’m going to continue to amplify the voices of marginalized people because I have a microphone and I know how to use it.
“And, I’m going to continue to put on and represent safe spaces for fat Black women, because that’s what the fuck I do!”
Hosted by Kenny Burns, the BMAC Gala also honored Keke Palmer, Jason Flom, Trae tha Truth, Rolling Loud’s Tariq Cherif, Dr. Menna Messina and Jesse Collins.
