What Big Honor Did Queen Latifah Just Receive?
On June 27, 2021, Queen Latifah was honored at the BET Awards by being given the prestigious Lifetime Achievement Award. During her acceptance speech, per Entertainment Tonight, Latifah had her father Lancelot Owens, Sr. join her on stage and also carried a photo of her late mother, Rita Owens. She told the audience, "I'm so extremely moved, I don't even know what to say." But of course, she did manage to figure out the perfect things to say. "Let me just say that I want to thank God, because God designed this whole thing to be this way," Queen Latifah said. "There is no way that I could have had the parents that I was born to, my father, my mother, who instilled so much in me. My family, I love you. My siblings, my best friends who ride or die with me. Whether my face is on the dirt or flying in the sky, they know me and they are there for me." Not only did she shout out her family, but also the network hosting the event. She continued, "I want to thank BET for creating an outlet for beautiful Blackness to thrive, to shine. When we couldn't get played on the radio and other places, we couldn't get our videos played in other places, there was BET, that allowed us to be in our fullness and to shine to this night right now, right here. Bless everybody that graced the stage tonight and everyone in the audience for all your support." She added, "Be Black. Black is beautiful."