Cardi B walked away with the coveted title of the 2020 Woman of the Year Award at this year’s Billboard Women In Music Awards Show.
Like almost every other event that happened this year, the show took on a virtual format. The Teyana Taylor hosted event featured appearances from Miley Cyrus, politician Bernie Saunders, Latin superstar Maluma and Beyonce, alongside performances from the likes of Dua Lipa and rising stars Chloe X Halle.
Among the women who received awards were Jennifer Lopez, Dolly Parton, Jamila Thomas, and Brianna Agyemang, Jessie Reyez, and outspoken rapper Cardi B. The distinguished award was presented to Cardi B by the mother of Breonna Taylor. 26-year-old Taylor was shot and killed in Louisville, Kentucky, after plain clothes police officers allegedly forced their way into the apartment where she and another occupant were staying. The shooting, which happened on March 13, 2020, helped to fuel Black Lives Matter protests all across the United States. The matter is still being contested in court.
“From the start, Cardi B has used her platform to spread the truth about what happened to Breonna, and to reaffirm that Black women’s lives matter,” said Breonna’s mom.
Cardi B accepted the award while thanking all the parties involved in making it a possibility.
“Thank you so much @Billboard for this honor and @tamikalpalmer for presenting it to me! I am also extremely grateful to @tamikamallory and @aliciakeys for inviting me to the call where I got the chance to meet Tamika Palmer and hear Breonnas whole story for the first time. So many black men and women are wrongfully killed everyday with no consequence. Every one of you women inspire me! Thank you!” Wrote Cardi below an upload of her acceptance speech.
Her speech spoke to the negative effects of the coronavirus pandemic on her musical outputs, as well as thanked her fans for supporting her record-breaking single “WAP.”
You can check out the rapper’s acceptance speech below.
