This article was originally published by Them.
While accepting a BET Award for best female hip-hop artist, Doechii used her brief time on stage to make a big political statement.
At Monday’s ceremony, the rapper chose to focus on what was going on “outside of the building” — namely the use of military force to respond to protests against ICE raids in Los Angeles.
After giving thanks for the honor and mentioning her fellow nominees, she continued, “As much as I am honored by this award, I do want to address what’s happening right not outside of the building. There are ruthless attacks that are creating fear and chaos in our communities in the name of law and order.”
Doechii then explicitly called out President Trump for his use of military force as a response to people exercising their First Amendment rights to protest.
“Trump is using military forces to stop a protest, and I want y’all to consider what kind of government it appears to be when every time we exercise our democratic right to protest, the military is deployed against us,” Doechii said.
As she continued, the crowd began to applaud. “What type of government is that?” she asked. “People are being swept up and torn from their families, and I feel it’s my responsibility as an artist to use this moment to speak up for all oppressed people, for Black people, for Latino people, for trans people, for the people in Gaza. We all deserve to live in hope and not in fear, and I hope we stand together, my brothers and my sisters, against hate, and we protest against it.”
Her speech caused quite a reaction online, with many people supporting Doechii’s decision to make a political statement. “Yall see how she did that. DO YALL SEE HOW SHE USED HER F***NG PLATFORM,” wrote one person on social media. “Stop giving other artists excuses. Thank you Doechii.”
