We know that women have been running the music industry for a while, and the 2024 BET Awards showcased that perfectly through its many performances. But before we get into the performances, we must first acknowledge our sister, the beloved actress Taraji P. Henson, who hosted the award show and looked good doing it. While she isn't a musical artist, she did, however, open her set, rapping her own version of Kendrick Lamar's "Not Like Us."
Megan Thee Stallion set the tone by opening the show, performing a melody of songs from her new self-titled album. Victoria Monét had everyone singing along to "On My Mama" and gasping for air with her sultry performance of "Alright." She also took home two awards: BET Her and Video of the Year. Sexyy Red instantly had everyone on their feet when she performed "U My Everything" and "Get It Sexy." GloRilla performed her popular anthem "Yeah Glo!," her most recent hit "TGIF," and Megan joined her onstage to rap their song "Wanna Be" together.
Keke PalmerPhoto by Paras Griffin/Getty Images for BET
Latto took us to church with "Sunday Service" and showed out with "Big Mama." Five-year-old VanVan and eight-year-old Heiress Harris gave the cutest performance of their song "Be You." Ice Spice performed her viral hit "Think You The Shit (Fart). The legendary Lauryn Hill sang a melody of her hits from "Lost Ones" to Fugees' "Fu-Gee-La" with Wyclef Jean and her son YG Marley joined her to give a riveting performance of "Praise Jah In The Morning." Tyla took us to Africa with her recent single "Jump," featuring Skillibeng and Gunna, and she also walked away with two awards. She won Best New Artist and Best International Act.
Sexyy Red
Photo by Kevin Winter/Getty Images
But that's not all. While Usher was being honored with the Lifetime Achievement Award, he received a primarily female tribute. This included Coco Jones, Marsha Ambrosius, Teyana Taylor, Chloe Bailey, Keke Palmer, Victoria Monét, Tinashe, Summer Walker, and Latto. Check out each performance below.
Megan Thee Stallion Performs "Boa," "Hiss" And "Where Them Girls At"
Victoria Monét Performs "On My Mama" And "Alright"
GloRilla Performs "Yeah Glo!" "TGIF," And "Wanna Be!"
Tyla, Gunna & Skillibeng Perform "Jump"
Latto Performs "Sunday Service" And "Big Mama"
Sexyy Red Performs "Get It Sexyy" And "U My Everything"
Ice Spice Performs "Think You The Shit (Fart)"
VanVan And Heiress Perform "Be You"
Lauryn Hill And Son YG Marley Perform "Praise Jah In The Moonlight"
Teyana Taylor, Victoria Monét, Coco Jones, Chloe Bailey, Keke Palmer And More Honor Usher
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Yung Miami, Vedo, Eric Bellinger & More Tell Us How They're Putting Self-Care Firstyoutu.be
Feature image by Kevin Winter/Getty Images
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Camesha created the organization after her struggles with mental health and the lack of community she experienced. The Chicago native explains how she created Sista Afya to be rooted in “culturally grounded care.”
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“So at my organization, Sista Afya Community Care, we focus on providing mental health care through a cultural and gender lens,” she tells xoNecole. “So when we think about the term intersectionality, coined by Kimberlé Crenshaw, we think about the multiple identities that lead to certain experiences and outcomes as it relates to Black women.
“So in the context of culturally grounded care, being aware of the cultural history, the cultural values, and then also the current issues that impact mental health outcomes.”
Words like “strong” and “independent” have long been associated with Black women for some time and many of us have begun to embrace the soft life and are using rest as a form of resistance. However, some of us still struggle with putting ourselves first and overall shedding the tainted image of the “strong, Black woman” that had been forced on us.
Camesha shares that while there’s more and more communities being created around empowerment and shared interests like running, she still questions, “are Black women really comfortable with being vulnerable about sharing their experiences?”
Being vulnerable with ourselves and others play an important role in healing the instinctive nature of always being “on” for everyone. “I'm currently facilitating a group on high functioning depression, and yesterday, we talked about how when Black women may be struggling or have shared their concerns with other people. They may be minimized, or they're told to just be strong, or it's not so bad, or I went through something worse back in Jim Crow era, so you should be thankful,” she explains.
“So I think there's a challenge with Black women being able to be honest, to be vulnerable and to receive the support that they need in the same capacity as how much they give support to other people. So that is probably a very common theme. I think we've made a lot of progress when we talk about the superwoman syndrome, the mammy stereotype, the working hard stereotype, the nurturing stereotype. I think we're beginning to unpack those things, but I still see that we have definitely a long way to go in that area.”
I think there's a challenge with Black women being able to be honest, to be vulnerable and to receive the support that they need in the same capacity as how much they give support to other people.
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While we’re unpacking those things, we know that we’re still women at the end of the day. So as we continue to serve in various roles like mothers, daughters, sisters, and caretakers, we have to make caring for ourselves a priority. Camesha reveals four ways we can still care for others without abandoning ourselves.
Trust
First things first, trust. Camesha explains, “Some of the burdens that Black women have can be linked to not feeling like you can trust people to carry the load with you.
“It's hard because people experience trauma or being let down or different experiences, but one of the things that I found personally is the more that I'm able to practice trust, the more I'm able to get my needs met. Then, to also show up as my best to care for other Black women.”
Know Your Limitations
Another thing Camesha highlighted is Black women knowing their limitations. “The other thing that I would like to bring up in terms of a way to care for yourself is to really know your limitations, or know how much you can give and what you need to receive,” she says.
“So often, what I see with Black women is giving, giving, giving, giving, giving to the point that you're not feeling well, and then not receiving what you need in return to be able to feel well and whole individually. So I really think it's important to know your limitations and know your capacity and to identify what it is that you need to be well.”
Don’t Take On A Lot Of Responsibilities
Next on the list is not taking on so many responsibilities, sharing herself as an example. “The other thing is taking on too much responsibility, especially in a time of vulnerability.
“One thing that I personally struggled with was being so passionate about community mental health for Black women, and saying yes to everything and taking on so much responsibility,” she reveals. “That affected me to do well in serving Black women and then also impacting my own well being.”
Practice Self-Care
Lastly, she notes the importance of practicing self-care. “The last thing is really practicing regular self care, regular community care, so that it's embedded into your daily life. So for me, having prepared meals, going to the gym, getting eight hours of sleep, spending time with friends and family, all of those things are part of my self care that keep me at my best,” she explains.
“Then community care, leaning into social networks or social groups, or spending time with other interests or hobbies. That's a part of my community care that keeps me going, so that I can take care of my needs, but also to be able to show up best in care for others.”
Find out more about Camesha and Sista Afya Community Care at communitycare.sistaafya.com.
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