Doechii accepted the BET Award for Best Female Hip-Hop Artist and used the platform to address the current political climate.
“I do want to address what’s happening right now outside of the building,” Doechii began, referring to the ICE protests in Los Angeles. “There are ruthless attacks that are creating fear and chaos in our communities in the name of law and order. Trump is using military forces to stop a protest, and I want y’all to consider what kind of government it appears to be when every time we exercise our democratic right to protest, the military is deployed against us.”
“People are being swept up and torn from their families,” she continued. “And I feel it is my responsibility as an artist to use this moment to speak up for all oppressed people: for Black people, for Latino people, for trans people, for the people in Gaza. We all deserve to live in hope and not in fear and I hope we stand together, my brothers and sisters, and we protest against hate.”
President Donald Trump deployed the National Guard to respond to protests across Los Angeles fighting against increased ICE agent presence in the city.
This isn’t the first time the “Anxiety” rapper used the stage to make a statement. In her Grammy speech in February, Doechii used her time to encourage Black women, saying, “Anything is possible. Don’t allow anybody to project any stereotypes on you, that tell you [that] you can’t be here, that you’re too dark, or that you’re not smart enough or too dramatic or too loud. You are exactly who you need to be.”
