First Lady Michelle Obama Joins a Star-studded BET Honors | Arts & Culture

Washington, DC. -- For the fifth year in a row BET HONORS was housed at the historic Warner Theatre on Saturday in Washington, DC. The show celebrates and honors the outstanding achievements of extraordinary legends in music, literature, entertainment, media, service and education. Acclaimed actress Gabrielle Union hosted the show for a fourth year, honoring renowned poet/author Maya Angelou (Literary Arts), internationally acclaimed musician Stevie Wonder (Musical Arts), Grammy-Award winning songstress Mariah Carey (Entertainer), influential filmmaker Spike Lee (Media), the heroic Tuskegee Airmen (Service) and inspirational coach and mentor Beverly Kearney (Education).

From the red carpet, much of the buzz was about the "Red Tails" movie, chronically the story of the Tuskegee Airmen who were honored at the show. Star Wars' George Lucas who executive produced the film ironically faced some of the same discrimination that the airmen faced over 60 years ago with the film having an all black star cast.  Terrence Howard who stars in the movie was on hand along with honoree and filmmaker Spike Lee to promote the movie which opens on January 20, 2012. President Obama was so touched by the movie he will air the movie at the White House in honor of the airmen. His wife Michelle Obama attended the festivities in a crimson, one-shouldered gown, presented the Literary Arts award to Angelou and appealed to the crowd to follow Angelou's example as an activist. "It is not enough merely to seek greatness for ourselves, we must help others discover greatness within themselves. We need to reach down and reach out, and give back and lift others," she said.

BET Honors has increasingly be attended each year and being recognized as a show that honors the achievements of Black Americans that are not necessarily recognized by the rest of Hollywood. Gabrielle Union, when asked why she continues to host the event every year said, "I love the job, I love that the check clears, I love that it’s a FUBU production, for us by us. I love celebrating my friends and finding new inspiration of amazing people that inspire us to persevere."

The BET HONORS, star-studded lineup included performances by Aretha Franklin, Patti Labelle, Cicely Tyson, Common, Jennifer Hudson and Kelly Rowland, with appearances by Cuba Gooding Jr., Terrence Howard, Willow Smith and Jill Scott.

Proceeds from this year's BET HONORS private ticket sales will be given to Metro TeenAIDS. Metro TeenAIDS, a longtime partner of BET, is a community health organization dedicated to supporting young people in the fight against HIV/AIDS, through education, support, and advocacy.

Check out the video footage above for exclusive red carpet interviews!

The BET HONORS premieres during Black History Month, on Monday, February 13 at 9:00 p.m.