Press Releases

Reverend Dr. Al Sharpton To Be Honored with Prestigious Humanitarian Award at BET Awards 12

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Jun 14, 2012

REVEREND DR. AL SHARPTON TO BE HONORED WITH PRESTIGIOUS
HUMANITARIAN AWARD AT BET AWARDS 12

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MUSICAL PERFORMANCES AND APPEARANCES BY USHER, CHRIS BROWN, NICKI MINAJ,
2 CHAINZ, BIG SEAN, KEVIN HART, CEDRIC THE ENTERTAINER AND MORE

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Hosted by Samuel L. Jackson / LIVE from the Historic Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles on Sunday, July 1, 2012 at 8:00 pm* on BET

NEW YORK, NY – June 14, 2012 – On Sunday, July 1, 2012, live from the legendary Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles, Reverend Dr. Al Sharpton will be honored with the BET AWARDS 12 Humanitarian Award for his unwavering commitment to political activism and social reform over the last five decades.

Since the late 1960’s, when Sharpton was a pre-teenager, he has firmly made his mark as a prominent political activist, leader and spokesperson. As the Founder and President of the National Action Network (NAN), a not-for-profit civil rights organization headquartered in Harlem, NY, with over 47 Chapters nationwide, Sharpton continues to raise awareness about civil rights and political issues, and actively takes a stand against prejudice and injustice for all people-no matter one’s race, gender, sexual orientation or political affiliation. Furthering his political and social commitment to the community, Sharpton hosts his own radio talk program called “Keepin’ It Real” and a national television cable news show called “Politics Nations” on MSNBC.

Reverend Dr. Al Sharpton joins an exceptional list of previous BET AWARDS Humanitarian Award winners who have been honored for their philanthropic efforts toward charitable causes, like Steve Harvey, John Legend, Alicia Keys, Wyclef Jean, Quincy Jones, Don Cheadle, Harry Belafonte, Denzel Washington, Pauletta Washington, Danny Glover, Magic Johnson and Muhammad Ali.

BET AWARDS 12 will be hosted by box office superstar Samuel L. Jackson, and will include exciting performances by Usher, Chris Brown, Nicki Minaj, Big Sean and 2 Chainz. Kevin Hart and Cedric the Entertainer will grace the Shrine Auditorium stage as presenters on Sunday, July 1^st at 8:00 pm* on BET Networks.

Join the conversation on social media by logging on to BET’s multiple social media platforms:

On Twitter by using hashtag: #BETAWARDS, #2BIG2MISS; and following us @BETAWARDS.
On Facebook by liking the fan page at facebook.com/TheBETAwards
On Google plus at bet.us/gplusBET

The BET AWARDS 12 will premiere Tuesday, July 3, 2012 at 8:00 p.m. BST across BET’s international platforms in the UK and Africa.

*All times are ET/PT.

About BET Networks

BET Networks, a subsidiary of Viacom Inc. (NASDAQ: VIA, VIAB), is the nation’s leading provider of quality entertainment, music, news and public affairs television programming for the African-American audience. The primary BET channel reaches more than 90 million households and can be seen in the United States, Canada, the Caribbean, the United Kingdom and sub-Saharan Africa. BET is the dominant African-American consumer brand with a diverse group of business extensions: BET.com, a leading Internet destination for Black entertainment, music, culture, and news; CENTRIC, a 24-hour entertainment network targeting the 25- to 54-year-old African-American audience; BET Digital Networks – BET Gospel and BET Hip Hop, attractive alternatives for cutting-edge entertainment tastes; BET Home Entertainment, a collection of BET-branded offerings for the home environment including DVDs and video-on-demand; BET Event Productions, a full-scale event management and production company with festivals and live events spanning the globe; BET operates in the United Kingdom and oversees the extension of BET network programming for global distribution.

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