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BET announces the BET 2023 ‘BET Her Awards’ Dinner honouring Kandi Burruss, Kym Whitley, Marsai Martin, MC Lyte, Sam Jay and others

Photo: Courtesy of BET

BET Media Group, a unit of Paramount (NASDAQ: PARAA; PARA; PARAP), announced on March 1 that the 2023 “BET Her Awards”, honouring the brilliance and beauty of Black women who are moving the community forward will take place on Sunday, March 5 in Atlanta. Sponsored by Walmart, the “BET Her Awards” shines a spotlight on the impact of Black women through the pillars of Black Love, Black Joy, Black Pride, and Black Power.

Hosted by author, actor, media personality, and pop culture queen Bevy Smith, the “BET Her Awards” will gather the most celebrated and transformative women across industries. This year’s honorees will be recognized for their contribution to uplifting women to dream, inspire, create, and overcome including Kandi Burruss, Kym Whitley, Marsai Martin, MC Lyte, Sam Jay, and Thasunda Brown Duckett. In addition to the star-studded list of honorees, Gospel superstar Tamela Mann and honoree MC Lyte are set to blaze the stage with unforgettable performances.

“Black women are the backbone of their communities”, said Tavia Pitts, Senior Vice President of Ad Sales at BET Media Group. “For centuries Black women have done it all, displaying strength and grace that flows naturally in every act. It is an honor to have the “BET Her Awards” return to celebrate the incredible Black women who contribute to society and show unparalleled resilience and courage to propel our communities forward.”

The 2023 “BET Her Awards” honorees include:

  • LOVE Award – Kandi Burruss, an accomplished singer-songwriter, record producer, actress, and businesswoman, will receive the LOVE Award, honoring women whose work advances Black love and relationships.
  • JOY Award presented by My Black is Beautiful – Kym Whitley, comedian, and actress, will receive the JOY Award, honouring women who advance the feeling of Black joy.
  • RISING STAR Award presented by American Express – Marsai Martin, actress and the youngest Black Executive Producer in history, will receive the RISING STAR Award, which honors a “young, gifted and Black” rising star who is making a difference in their community.
  • LEGEND Award presented by Walmart – MC Lyte, lyricist, inspirational speaker, DJ, pioneer, Hip-Hop icon, voiceover artist, and entrepreneur, will receive the LEGEND Award, honoring those who have demonstrated Black excellence by committing their lives to advance love, joy, pride, and power.
  • PRIDE Award presented by Discover – Sam Jay, stand-up comic and Emmy®-nominated writer, will receive the PRIDE Award honoring women who advance inclusivity and representation for the LGBTQ+ community through their work.
  • POWER Award – Thasunda Brown Duckett, President and Chief Executive Officer of TIAA, a leading provider of secure retirements and outcome-focused investment solutions to millions of people and thousands of institutions, will receive the POWER Award, honoring successful women entrepreneurs and corporate leaders who pave the way for others in business, while supporting Black women’s initiatives.

    • Innovative programming like the “BET Her Awards” furthers BET Media Group’s commitment to supporting the creation, distribution, marketing, and promotion of content aimed at ending systemic racism in America and highlighting issues central to the continued advancement of the Black community. In addition to honoring esteemed guests, BET Media Group has also strategically partnered with Black women-owned businesses to produce the evening, furthering its commitment to reinvest in the Black community.

    BETBET Her Awards

    Written by Grungecakeinc

    Richardine Bartee is a New York City-based designer, writer and publicist. She grew up in the digital frontier where false promises of exposure and unpaid internships lead you to the land of nowhere. Emerging from MySpace to blogging to creatively directing the budding landscape is how she became the content alchemist. This multi-layered vision for artists is what led her to create GRUNGECAKE, a magazine for indie artists. Having a platform like GRUNGECAKE allows Richardine to be in touch with the emerging sound and with journalists, designers, and filmmakers. This tight-knit group keeps her tied to her roots. With 3 million views a month, GC continues to bring obscure artists into the mainstream. The platform also works with your favourite labels to break major acts to audiophiles alike.

    Rich’s innate tenacity has forged relationships with brands like New Balance, Google, and The Big Three major record labels: Sony BMG, Universal Music Group, and Warner Music Group. As a publicist, her synergetic work ethic moves mountains. She commits so much of herself to projects that it forces musicians to believe in themselves. An agent for transformation, Richardine, meets artists where they’re at and gently pulls them to their potential. She has a penchant for finding the story and hero, in each soul, she touches. This type of nurturing and mentoring cannot be swayed or bought; it must be felt.

    Known to leverage her access for others, most recently, Richardine utilized her relationship with the Recording Academy to secure content by Laycon, Oxlade, and others for Grammy.com. The stage has since evolved from the Lower Eastside to Lagos. This mission to bridge the gap between the Americas, Africa, and other continents has been covered by The Guardian and Vanguard. Her cultural activism has led her to spearhead campaigns for Davido’s ‘A Good Time’ tour and just recently becoming Head of Publicity for Ghanaian superstar D-Black in the US. Raw and unshaken, Richardine continues to blaze a path for others to follow. We mere mortals are just catching up with her vision.

    In February 2022, Richardine Bartee was awarded BEFFTA’s Woman of the Year Award to recognise her endless efforts to help musicians across the globe evolve.

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