While the majority of stars at the American Music Awards use their acceptance speeches to thank all the little people who got them there, Macklemore and Ryan Lewis used their moment to preach tolerance.
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Having won the award for favorite rap/hip hop album, Macklemore (whose real name is Ben Haggerty) quoted Martin Luther King Jr. from a live satellite feed from the group’s current tour stop Florida.
“Due to the fact that we are in Florida tonight accepting this award I want to acknowledge Trayvon Martin and the hundreds and hundreds of kids each year that are dying due to racial profiling and the violence that follows it,” he said. “This is really happening. These are our friends, our neighbors, our peers and our fans, and it’s time that we look out for the youth and fight against racism and the laws that protect it.”
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