The Black Music Action Coalition (BMAC) has announced trailblazers Lizzo and veteran music executive Sylvia Rhone will honored at the 2023 BMAC Gala.
Lizzo to be presented with the Quincy Jones Humanitarian Award. Epic Records CEO and chair Rhone will get the Clarence Avant Trailblazer Award at the Gala, according to a press release.
“The Black Music Action Coalition is proud to honor Lizzo and Sylvia Rhone at this year’s Gala, as they join a group of trailblazers who have made an immense impact within the music industry and beyond,” BMAC co-founder and chair Willie “Prophet” Siggers said. “We applaud their dedication to pushing boundaries, amplifying Black voices and crashing through those glass ceilings, creating space for Black women.”
Lizzo would be awarded due to her outstanding “philanthropic work and commitment to social justice,” according to the press release. The Grammy award-winning singer-songwriter has supported marginalized communities and substantial social justice causes throughout her career. Back in 2020, Lizzo launched her organizational and informative website, Lizzolovesyou.com, which outlined a slew of causes to which viewers could donate to. Her other involvements have stemmed from her Annual Juneteenth Giveback, which has been ongoing for four years. Lizzo has donated and raised nearly $1 million to 18 different social justice organizations like Black Girls Smile, the Bail Project, and Save Our Sisters.
While Lizzo has been under scrutiny lately due to a lawsuit which several of her dancers have filed a lawsuit accusing the singer of sexual, religious, and racial harassment, as well as fat shaming, the BMAC will honor her good works.
Additionally, after the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, Lizzo donated $1 million to Planned Parenthood and the National Network of Abortion Funds in order to increase accessibility to reproductive health care for women. All the while, she’s continued to speak her message of inclusivity and body positivity in her music and clothing line.
Rhone, credited as the first woman to become CEO of a Fortune 500 record label, is receiving the Clarence Avant Trailblazer Award for her groundbreaking impact in the music industry. Before becoming CEO of Epic Records, Rhone made waves at major entertainment companies like Universal Records, Elektra Entertainment Group, and Motown Records.
Other BMAC honorees include big names like Keke Palmer, Jermaine Dupri, and Jesse Collins.
The 2023 BMAC Gala will take place at the Beverly Hilton on September 21 and be hosted by Kenny Burns.
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