Doechii Urges United Front During BET Awards Speech: 'We all deserve to live in hope'
During her acceptance speech at last night's (June 9) BET Awards for Best Female Hip Hop Artist, rapper Doechii questioned US President Donald Trump's governance and use of military forces to stop Los Angeles protests against Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) raids.
"First of all, thank you so much BET. This is my first BET Award, so this means a lot to me. I grew up watching this. I just want to acknowledge all of the girls in my category that work so hard. They're extremely talented and very, very creative. You ladies are amazing. So, thank you BET for honoring me with this," she said.
While the 26-year-old Tampa native, who recently re-recorded her 2019 hit "Anxiety" after it gained lots of traction via social media, began her speech thanking her fellow nominees, she was not shy in calling out Trump for his response to protests.
"But as much as I'm honored by this award, I do want to address what's happening right now outside of the building. There are ruthless attacks that are creating fear and chaos in our communities in the name of law and order. [Donald] 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. What type of government is that?"
She continued, "People are being swept up and torn from their families, and I feel it's 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 my sisters against hate, and we protest against it. Thank you, BET."
Trump is set to host a military parade on June 14, which is also his birthday, and warns that anyone who tries to protest at that event will be met with "very heavy force".
