Acting as the self-appointed champion for all politically-correct causes, Macklemore & Ryan Lewis used their American Music Awards acceptance speech to send a message of tolerance on Sunday night. Ben Haggerty, the rapper known as Macklemore, accepted the award for favorite rap/hip-hop album, then quoted Martin Luther King Jr. in a live satellite feed from the rap group’s latest tour stop. “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.” Macklemore also used their single “Same Love,” to support LGBT rights, including same-sex marriage, and he also condemns homophobia in mainstream hip hop, society, and mass media. Macklemore is not the first person to use an awards show as a platform for personal causes, and I’m sure he won’t be the last.
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