It was an evening full of glamour, hope and inspiration, as BET presented its inaugural celebration of THE BET HONORS at the Warner Theatre in Washington, D.C. on Saturday, January 12. Hosted by the always hilarious and charming Cedric "The Entertainer," the show, which recognizes African American luminaries across a broad range of achievements, will premiere on BET on Friday, February 22 at 8:00 p.m. ET/PT.
The night kicked off with R&B queen Jill Scott's powerful rendition of "The Real Thing" to honor Dr. Cornel West, University Professor in the Center for African American Studies, who received the Award for Education. Hill Harper of CSI: Crime Scene Investigation was on hand to present Dr. West with his award.
Wyclef Jean got the audience on their feet during his performances of "The Sweetest Girl" and "Bad Mama Jama," and Idris Elba of The Wire spoke about the trailblazing media mogul Tyra Banks, who was recognized for her contributions in Media. Next up came Vivica A. Fox and Brian McKnight, who honored CEO Janice Bryant Howroyd for the Entrepreneur Award with "Win" and "Back at One."
Dirty Sexy Money star Blair Underwood introduced Entertainment Award honoree Alicia Keys, who was left speechless by Stevie Wonder's jaw-dropping performance of "Ebony Eyes" and "As." Time Warner Chairman Richard Parsons was presented with the Corporate Citizen Award by Danny Glover, and John Legend paid tribute to Parsons with crowd favorites "Ordinary People" and "We're a Winner." The legendary Gladys Knight then performed "The Need to Be" and "(Just My) Imagination" to honor The Honorable Maxine Waters (Public Service Award), who was presented with her award by Kerry Washington.
Other performances of the night included Raheem DeVaughn singing "Lift Every Voice & Sing" and Ne-Yo with a rendition of Michael Jackson's "Lady in My Life."
Each honoree gave an emotional and uplifting acceptance speech, thanking their families for support and noting that this event not only highlighted the diversity of achievement in the Black community, but also the potential for future generations to achieve their dreams.
