*Angela Bassett accepted the Icon Award at the annual Black Girls Rock! Awards, which aired Sunday night on BET, and Twitter is still raving about her powerful acceptance speech.
During her speech, Bassett recalled her experiences as a Black actress and her “purpose” as a woman of color.
“My purpose as a black woman, as an actress, has always been to portray excellence on the screen, to be proud, unapologetic, and without regret,” she said.
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(Aug. 24, 2019 – Source: Getty Images North America)
“It hasn’t always been easy. And there have been tough times, days when the phone didn’t ring, even after What’s Love Got to Do with It, as well as moments of uncertainty and of doubt,” Bassett said. “But what women like my mother, Betty Jane, and my Aunt Golden taught me is that there will be times when you seemingly face insurmountable obstacles, but that’s when you dig deep into your soul for the courage and the fortitude … .”
She also thanked her family for “giving me the opportunity and the space to be a black girl who rocks.”
Later, she served up some empowering words for Black women: “When you’re told you’re not good enough, you tell them, not only am I good enough, I’m more than enough,” she said. “When they say send her back home, you tell them, I am home. I am the foundation of what you call home. When they tell you that you’re angry or nasty, you tell them that they’re mistaken. This is me. This is me being resolute and standing firmly in my truth. And when they say you’re not beautiful, you tell them that you are the descendant of royalty.”
Bassett ended her acceptance speech with an inspiring message of unity.
“We have much work to do, and together we are unstoppable. Always remember that our voices, the very power that we hold individually, and all of us collectively, it does matter,” she said. “Now is not the time to be silent. Find your purpose, pursue it relentlessly, passionately, and loudly. Be persistent and win.”
Scroll up and hear Angela tell it via the clip above.
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