Enough Is Enough Campaign Protests BET Honor Awards

Jan 12th Update - The show goes on. Here is an article that summarizes the BET Honors Award show. The protest did take place, however, the show was still taped.

Jan 10th Update - Click here to read about WAOD call for action against the corporate sponsors that fund BET.com and their foolishness that exploits our Black women.

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Since mid-September 2007, the Enough is Enough Campaign has demonstrated each Saturday outside the Washington, DC residence of Debra Lee and the New York City home of Viacom CEO, Philippe Dauman.

Drumbeats from WAOD informed us that hundreds have agreed to protest peacefully yet persuasively outside the Warner Theater where the BET Honors award show is scheduled to be taped on Saturday, January 12, 2008 @ 7:00 p.m. EDT. The protest rally starts at 6:00 p.m. with assemblies on the corners of 13th and E Street and 13th and F Street N.W.

Enough is Enough Campaign supporters regard the BET Honors as a red herring – an attempt to mask the offensive musical content that is being aired on BET Networks by spotlighting the achievements of prominent African Americans. In a December 17, 2007 Washington Post article entitled, "Positively Honored", BET Networks CEO, Debra Lee, said, "People are clamoring all the time for positive images."

In point of fact, what the Enough Is Enough Campaign and others have been clamoring for is for BET to address the negative music video images and messages that degrade women and glorify violence and criminal activity. In a September 12, 2007 letter to Rev. Coates, Ms. Lee stated that BET does not air programming or music videos that endorse or condone illegal drugs, gratuitous violence, or contain graphic or excessive sexual activity.

Despite these written guidelines, BET continues to air music video content that does not conform to these guidelines on video shows geared towards youth and teens. Enough is Enough Campaign Organizer, Rev. Delman L. Coates, said that BET can best honor Black History Month by removing those videos that do not conform to BET’s own programming guidelines.

Citizens, students, Villagers and activists are encouraged to come out and let their voices be heard at the Saturday, January 12th protest outside the Warner Theater. For more information you can reach by Enough Is Enough folks via their website or email.