Civil War Gen. Lee's descendant introduces Heather Heyer's mom at VMAs

FILE: Rev. Robert Wright Lee IV, fourth generation nephew of General Robert. E. Lee and Susan Bro, mother of Heather Heyer. (Reuters)

A descendant of Civil War general Robert E. Lee and the mother of a woman killed earlier this month in Charlottesville, Virginia, took the stage at the MTV Video Music Awards to denounce white supremacists.

Rev. Robert Wright Lee IV and Susan Bro each denounced racism and white supremacists in speeches that were met with resounding applause inside The Forum in Inglewood, California.

Bro, whose daughter Heather Heyer was killed earlier this month while protesting white supremacists rallying in Charlottesville, announced from the stage Sunday that MTV had chosen to honor all six videos nominated in its “Best Fight Against the System” category.

Bro, who previously called on Americans to make her daughter's death 'count' in the fight against injustice, also announced she had established a foundation in her daughter’s name to provide scholarships to activists.

"I'm here to speak for my child," Bro said. "She's not allowed to speak now except through me, so I'm going to speak for social justice; I'm going to speak for being outraged and paying attention; I'm going to speak for positive action."

Lee introduced Bro and said his distant uncle had become a symbol for white supremacists and that everyone needed to stand up to hate groups.

“We have made my ancestor an idol of white supremacy, racism and hate. As a pastor, it is my moral duty to speak out against racism, America’s original sin,” Lee said. “Today, I call on all of us, with privilege and power to answer God’s call to confront racism and white supremacy head-on. We can find inspiration in the Black Lives Matter movement; the women who marched in the women’s march in January; and especially Heather Heyer, who died fighting for her beliefs in Charlottesville.”

He credited the Black Lives Movement and women who marched in the Women’s March as helping combat hate.

The speeches were just one of several moments when the VMAs addressed politics and the course of the country.

The Associated Press contributed to this report