As part of a show that wasn’t afraid to skew political, the 2017 MTV Video Music Awards welcomed a descendant of Confederate emblem Robert E. Lee to the stage, who decried the alt-right and Nazi movements and heralded a woman who was killed while protesting racism during the Charlottesville, Virginia protests.

“As a pastor, it is my moral duty to speak out against racism, America's original sin," Robert Lee IV said to a moved audience before introducing Susan Bro. "Today, I call on all of us with privilege and power to answer God's call to confront racism and white supremacy head on."

Bro, whose daughter Heather Heyer was run down by a car operated by a white supremacist, introduced a new scholarship that will honor the fight against hatred.

"Heather never marched alone," Bro said, adding that people of every race and background stood in solidarity with her daughter.

Bro then introduced the nominees for the Best Fight Against the System video, and noted that in 2017, each would receive the award.

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