The Rev. Robert Wright Lee IV, a many-times-removed nephew of Robert E. Lee who has been outspoken about his support of the removal of the statue of his ancestor in Charlottesville, spoke out against racism, which he called “America’s original sin” on the VMAs stage.
“We can find inspiration in the Black Lives Matter movement, the women who marched in the Women’s March in January, and especially Heather Heyer, who died fighting for her beliefs in Charlottesville,” he said before introducing Heyer’s mother, Susan Bro.
“Only 15 days ago, my daughter was killed as she protested racism. I miss her but I know she’s here tonight,” said Bro before announcing the launch of the Heather Heyer Foundation. Bro then revealed that MTV was honoring all six nominees with wins in the Best Fight Against the System Award because they all tried hard and resistance is #winning in MTV’s book.