Black lives celebrated and mourned at emotional BET Awards

FILE PHOTO: 50th NAACP Image Awards - Show - Los Angeles, California, U.S., March 30, 2019 - Beyonce reacts after winning the entertainer of the year award. REUTERS/Mario Anzuoni/File Photo

(Reuters) - Black power, suffering and the fight for justice took center stage at the BET awards on Sunday, the first Black celebrity event in the United States since nationwide mass protests broke out this month over systemic racism.

The show, which celebrates Black excellence in music, film, sports and philanthropy, was filled with speeches, songs, images of protests and the names of dozens of Black men and women who have died at the hands of police in recent years.