First Lady Michelle Obama took the stage at the BET Honor awards ceremony alongside poet Maya Angelou, Stevie Wonder, Mariah Carey, and other notable African American celebrities who called the black community to civic action, starting with voting in the 2012 presidential election.

The taping of the BET Honors, hosted by Black Entertainment Television was held at the historic Warner Theatre in downtown Washington. It brought out stars including singers Patti LaBelle and queen of soul Aretha Franklin, as well as Washington political figures such as former Secretary of State Colin Powell and U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder.

The politics-meets-glamour event fits in with the recently ramped up efforts by Obama to help her husband, President Barack Obama, win a challenging re-election bid in November.

Speakers at the ceremony praised the Obamas for being the first black family in the White House and told the audience to “vote like your life depends on it.”

“We have to exercise our constitutional right to vote. And there’s a man out there with a vision for this country and he intends to finish what he started,” said Beverly Kearney, head coach of the University of Texas’ women’s track team.

Those honored were filmmaker Spike Lee, World War Two Tuskegee airmen, as well as Angelou, Kearney, Wonder and Carey.

Obama stayed for the three-hour taping during which several acts had to be done over. While posing on stage with the award winners an audience member yelled, “We love you, First Lady!”

Read the rest of the story at Huffington Post….

(CNN) — When BET launched 30 years ago, they were the only kid that looked like them on the block. The network aimed at black viewers stood alone in a spotlight that often shone brightest on the criticisms against them — from shoddy productions to less than positive imagery of the black community via what some viewed as misogynistic, hyper-sexualized music videos. These days, the network is trying to shake those negative views with expanded programming, an initiative to take the brand global and a new channel, Centric, aimed at older adults

Read More…