August 28, 2016 9:14 PM EDT
T he most recognizable face among Beyoncé’s posse at the MTV VMAs red carpet on Sunday night may have been the youngest one—her 4 1/2-year-old daughter Blue Ivy , sporting a fierce tutu—but her squad also included a group of many of the women and girls featured in her visual album Lemonade , which is nominated for 11 awards.
Posing on the red carpet with Queen Bey were 13-year-old Annie actress Quvenzhané Wallis, sibling musicians and Bey protegees Chloe x Halle, Canadian model Winnie Harlow and child model Ava Clark, among others. Harlow and Clark, who have vitiligo and albinism respectively, are known for redefining beauty standards, while Wallis, the youngest Oscar nominee in history, withstood an ugly backlash for portraying the lovable orphan, originally a fair-skinned redhead, while black.
Beyoncé, who will perform at the awards ceremony, also brought along Lezley McSpadden, Gwen Carr, Wanda Johnson and Sybrina Fulton, the mothers of Mike Brown, Eric Garner, Oscar Grant and Trayvon Martin, respectively. Three of the four mothers appeared in Lemonade holding pictures of their sons. Brown, Garner and Grant were killed by police officers, while Martin was shot by neighborhood watch coordinator George Zimmerman in 2012. The performer has spoken out in recent months against police brutality and injustice, both in her music and in interviews.
VMAs 2016: See Celebrities on the Red Carpet Beyoncé attends the 2016 MTV Video Music Awards at Madison Square Garden on Aug. 28, 2016 in New York City. Larry Busacca—Getty Images Nicki Minaj attends the 2016 MTV Video Music Awards at Madison Square Garden on Aug. 28, 2016 in New York City. Dimitrios Kambouris—Getty Images Kim Kardashian and Kanye West attend the 2016 MTV Video Music Awards at Madison Square Garden on Aug. 28, 2016 in New York City. Dimitrios Kambouris—Getty Images Britney Spears attends the 2016 MTV Video Music Awards at Madison Square Garden on Aug. 28, 2016 in New York City. Jamie McCarthy—Getty Images Nick Jonas attends the 2016 MTV Video Music Awards at Madison Square Garden on Aug. 28, 2016 in New York City. Jamie McCarthy—Getty Images Amber Rose attends the 2016 MTV Video Music Awards at Madison Square Garden on Aug. 28, 2016 in New York City. Dimitrios Kambouris—Getty Images Heidi Klum attends the 2016 MTV Video Music Awards at Madison Square Garden on Aug. 28, 2016 in New York City. Jamie McCarthy—Getty Images Michael Phelps and Nicole Johnson attend the 2016 MTV Video Music Awards at Madison Square Garden on Aug. 28, 2016 in New York City. Jamie McCarthy—Getty Images Future attends the 2016 MTV Video Music Awards at Madison Square Garden on Aug. 28, 2016 in New York City. Dimitrios Kambouris—Getty Images Rita Ora attends the 2016 MTV Video Music Awards at Madison Square Garden on Aug. 28, 2016 in New York City. Jamie McCarthy—Getty Images Jaden Smith attends the 2016 MTV Video Music Awards at Madison Square Garden on Aug. 28, 2016 in New York City. Jamie McCarthy—Getty Images Swizz Beatz and Alicia Keys attend the 2016 MTV Video Music Awards at Madison Square Garden on Aug. 28, 2016 in New York City. Jamie McCarthy—Getty Images Sean Combs attends the 2016 MTV Video Music Awards at Madison Square Garden on Aug. 28, 2016 in New York City. Nicholas Hunt—Getty Images Ariana Grande attends the 2016 MTV Video Music Awards at Madison Square Garden on Aug. 28, 2016 in New York City. Jamie McCarthy—Getty Images DJ Khaled attends the 2016 MTV Video Music Awards at Madison Square Garden on Aug. 28, 2016 in New York City. Kevin Mazur—Getty Images Naomi Campbell attends the 2016 MTV Video Music Awards at Madison Square Garden on Aug. 28, 2016 in New York City. Jamie McCarthy—Getty Images Rupaul's Drag Race All Stars attend the 2016 MTV Video Music Awards at Madison Square Garden on Aug. 28, 2016 in New York City. Angela Weiss—AFP/Getty Images 2 Chainz attends the 2016 MTV Video Music Awards at Madison Square Garden on Aug. 28, 2016 in New York City. Jamie McCarthy—Getty Images Halsey attends the 2016 MTV Video Music Awards at Madison Square Garden on Aug. 28, 2016 in New York City. Dimitrios Kambouris—Getty Images Fashion designer Jeremy Scott and model Stella Maxwell attend the 2016 MTV Video Music Awards at Madison Square Garden on Aug. 28, 2016 in New York City. Nicholas Hunt—Getty Images Lance Bass attends the 2016 MTV Video Music Awards at Madison Square Garden on Aug. 28, 2016 in New York City. Jamie McCarthy—Getty Images Baddie Winkle attends the 2016 MTV Video Music Awards at Madison Square Garden on Aug. 28, 2016 in New York City. Jamie McCarthy—Getty Images Nicole 'Snooki' Polizzi attends the 2016 MTV Video Music Awards at Madison Square Garden on Aug. 28, 2016 in New York City. Dimitrios Kambouris—Getty Images Jay Pharoah attends the 2016 MTV Video Music Awards at Madison Square Garden on Aug. 28, 2016 in New York City. Dimitrios Kambouris—Getty Images Chance the Rapper attends the 2016 MTV Video Music Awards at Madison Square Garden on Aug. 28, 2016 in New York City. Nicholas Hunt—Getty Images Fabolous attends the 2016 MTV Video Music Awards at Madison Square Garden on Aug. 28, 2016 in New York City. Jamie McCarthy—Getty Images Tinashe attends the 2016 MTV Video Music Awards at Madison Square Garden on Aug. 28, 2016 in New York City. Jamie McCarthy—Getty Images Cassie attends the 2016 MTV Video Music Awards at Madison Square Garden on Aug. 28, 2016 in New York City. Nicholas Hunt—Getty Images Ty Dolla Sign attends the 2016 MTV Video Music Awards at Madison Square Garden on Aug. 28, 2016 in New York City. Nicholas Hunt—Getty Images Flo Rida attends the 2016 MTV Video Music Awards at Madison Square Garden on Aug. 28, 2016 in New York City. Dimitrios Kambouris—Getty Images Desiigner attends the 2016 MTV Video Music Awards at Madison Square Garden on Aug. 28, 2016 in New York City. Nicholas Hunt—Getty Images Farrah Abraham attends the 2016 MTV Video Music Awards at Madison Square Garden on Aug. 28, 2016 in New York City. Dimitrios Kambouris—Getty Images Hailey Baldwin attends the 2016 MTV Video Music Awards at Madison Square Garden on Aug. 28, 2016 in New York City. Nicholas Hunt—Getty Images More Must-Reads from TIME