Keys’ celebration of diversity comes at a time when initiatives promoting DEI — diversity, equity and inclusion — have been increasingly attacked and rolled back.

“The more voices, the more powerful the sound,” said Keys in her speech. “When destructive forces try to burn us down, we rise from the ashes like a phoenix. And as you see tonight, music is the unstoppable language that connects us all.

“Let’s keep showing up with compassion, with empathy, what I call soul care. Keep opening the doors, the dreams that the world is ought to be. Dream the world as it ought to be, as the great Toni Morrison said.”