BET Awards 2022: In Memoriam Pays Homage To Those Lost To Gun Violence
BET Awards 2022 honored the lives of celebrities who passed away since the last award show, a list that included Bizie Markie, Michael Williams and Young Dolf. The tradition segment opened and closed in untraditional inclusions: Roe v. Wade and the names gun violence victims.
Several times during the award show, speakers noted the U.S. Supreme Court’s reversal Friday (June 24), in a 6-3 decision, of the landmark ruling 50 years ago that established a constitutional right to abortion.
As the nation faces a rising tide of gun violence, the high court on Thursday (June 23) struck down a century-old New York law that limited the right to carry firearms in public, sparking outrage from Black leaders in the Empire State.
The names of gun violence victims flashed on the screen at the end of the segment, forming a wall of names. In one of the most shocking acts of violence, accused gunman Payton Gendron, 18, entered the Tops Friendly Markets store in Buffalo with a military-style assault rifle and opened fire. Federal prosecutors say he killed 10 people in a hate crime to protect the future of the white race.
