National
2015 BET Experience: Black Lives Matter Takes Center Stage
Tre’vell Anderson, THE L.A. TIMES
LOS ANGELES (The Los Angeles Times) — At the end of a week full of celebratory moments — Supreme Court decisions affirming marriage equality, public housing and affordable healthcare and the removal of Confederate flags in pockets of the South — political commentator Marc Lamont Hill cautioned a panel audience Saturday night at the Los Angeles Convention Center not to rejoice just yet.
Hill moderated a conversation on the #BlackLivesMatter movement that was part of a series of talks hosted by BET during the network’s weekend of activities leading up to its Sunday awards show.
Along with two cofounders of #BlackLivesMatter, Patrisse Cullors and Alicia Garza, Hill opened the discussion with hopeful trepidation.
“At a moment when we are celebrating, my concern is that we not celebrate too soon because every time we celebrate too soon, like Cleveland Cavaliers fans after Game 3, we don’t win,” the Morehouse College professor and CNN regular said.
Laughter and moans of contemplation from an audience of about 100 greeted his statement.
The #BlackLivesMatter panel, by far the most serious (and least attended) of the day, was the final of five held throughout Saturday as part of the Genius Talks series.
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