BET’s “Year of the Black woman” Theme

Queen Latifah has been nominated to receive a lifetime achievement honor in this Year’s BET awards. The award is meant to recognize women’s contributions in all aspects of our life including pop culture. She was appointed for the award as one of the pioneer female hip hop artists to open up the men dominated scene to other female MC’s like Niki Minaj, Cardi B and Eve. In addition to that, Golden Globe actress Taraji P. Henson has been invited to host the T.V Networks annual award show. The appointment of the two female celebrities was meant to actualize this Year’s theme, “Year of the Black woman.”

Queen Latifah was Born and raised in New Jersey and was a, actress, singer and a co-founder of flavor Unit Production Company. She was popular with her track, “ladies first” which made an iconic contribution in the realization of gender equality and women inclusion in art, business and academics. According to BET’s Executive Vice President of Specials, Music Programming & Music Strategy Cornie Orlando, “Black women have been essential drivers of change throughout history from the political sphere to cultural zeitgeist.”

She is the only hip hop MC to have won a Grammy, Emmy, Golden GLOBE, Two and Three NAACP Image and Screen Actors Guild Awards respectively, she has also appeared as a Star in the Hollywood Walk of Fame. She has sold over two million copies from her seven albums but significantly achieved much success in her black reign album and especially because of the UNITY Track which championed for the empowerment of black women in 1993.

She has also been recognized as the first female to feature as a lead character in sitcom. She was the Star character in FOX’s living single since 1993 up to 1998 when it was syndicated. One of her recent appearances include a lead character in the CBS reboot of the crime drama EQUALIZER.

2021 BET Awards will be on the 27^th of June and will be aired live on the BET Channel at 8 p.m. E.T.