In considered one of her first public appearances since a trio of former dancers filed a lawsuit accused her of turning a blind eye to poisonous working situations, Lizzo took the stage at Thursday night time’s (Sept. 21) 2023 Black Music Motion Coalition gala to obtain the night time’s ultimate honor: the BMAC Quincy Jones Humanitarian Award. The occasion was held on the Beverly Hilton Lodge in Beverly Hills, Calif.
The award was introduced by the Massive Grrrls from Lizzo’s Emmy-winning actuality present, Watch Out For the Massive Grrrls, simply hours after the singer was hit with the newest lawsuit from a former worker, this one alleging sexual and racial harassment, incapacity discrimination and unlawful retaliatory termination; the go well with from Particular Tour clothes designer Asha Daniels filed in L.A. Superior Courtroom named Lizzo, together with tour supervisor Carlina Gugliotta and the Massive Grrrl Touring firm as defendants. It’s the second such lawsuit in two months, alleging sexual and racial harassment.
Earlier than Lizzo got here onstage, one of many solid members spoke about her being the “first individual to ever consider in us, present us love and consider in our expertise and our craft.” One other stated, “After we came upon Lizzo was being honored, we knew that we needed to be right here. This has all the time been someone that provides again. She cares deeply. She loves together with her entire coronary heart … she put within the work to get to this second.”
Stepping onstage to simply accept the statuette, an emotional Lizzo stated, “BMAC thanks as a result of I wanted this proper now. God’s timing is all the time on time! I’ve been blessed to obtain plenty of unbelievable awards. However this one actually hits totally different as a result of humanitarianism is selfless. And to be type to somebody isn’t a expertise. Everybody can do it. It’s a present that you simply give. In all my years of activism and outreach, I’ve witnessed on the core of each group, each motion, each march is simply folks serving to folks. And so they do it each rattling day. I get to come back in, assist and return to my life as a musician. These persons are nonetheless serving to folks as a result of they’ve devoted their lives to service. And so they don’t get awards; they don’t get a spherical of applause. Due to that, I’ve devoted my life and determined to share my platform to shine a lightweight on these folks. As a result of I so badly wish to stay in a world the place we award goodness with our consideration.”
Lizzo additional shared that she donated 1 / 4 of one million {dollars} in June to a number of Black-led organizations devoted to serving to Black youth, Black girls, the Black queer/Black trans communities. To applause and shouts, she went on to call the organizations, which included the Marsha P. Johnson Institute, Black Ladies Smile, Sphinx Group, Save Our Sisters and a scholarship partnership with the College of Houston.
“It’s simple to do the suitable factor when everyone’s watching you,” Lizzo continued within the speech that didn’t straight deal with any of the allegations. “However it’s what you do in these moments the place no person’s watching that defines who you might be. I’m going to proceed to be who I’m, regardless of who’s watching. I’m going to proceed to amplify the voices of marginalized folks as a result of I’ve a microphone and I understand how to make use of it. And I’m going to proceed to placed on, signify and create protected areas for Black fats girls as a result of that’s what the f–okay I do! My household’s right here, Good Life is right here … the Massive Grrrls. This assist proper now means the world to me.”
Lizzo responded to the primary go well with alleging sexual harassment and weight-shaming in August, calling them “false allegations” and “sensationalized tales.”
“I’m not the villain that individuals and the media have portrayed me to be these previous couple of days,” Lizzo wrote in a press release posted on X (previously Twitter). “I’m very open with my sexuality and expressing myself however I can not settle for or enable folks to make use of that openness to make me out to be one thing I’m not.”
At press time it didn’t seem that Lizzo had responded to the allegations within the newest lawsuit. Daniels is being represented by legal professional Ron Zambrano, who can be representing former dancers Ariana Davis, Crystal Williams and Noelle Rodriguez, who claimed of their go well with that they have been subjected to sexual harassment and a hostile work surroundings, together with being pressured to the touch nude dancers throughout a stay intercourse present.
