“I’m up here as the grand-daugher of an immigrant,” said the singer, whose grandmother Carmen was part of the Windrush generation.
“I’m a product of bravery and I think those people deserve to be celebrated. We’re nothing without each other.”
Earlier, Kendrick Lamar won best rap album for GNX, at which point he overtook Jay-Z as the rapper with the most Grammy Awards – 26 in total.
“I’m not good at talking about myself, but I express it through the music,” he said.
“Hip-hop is always going to be right here.”
It was the star’s fourth victory in the rap album category, starting with 2016’s To Pimp A Butterfly.
Lamar is also up for the night’s main prize, album of the year, where he faces competition from Lady Gaga, Bad Bunny, Justin Bieber and Sabrina Carpenter.
Carpenter gave the second performance of the night, with an elaborate version of her number one hit Manchild.
She took to the stage dressed as a stewardess, dancing across luggage carousels and navigating male dancers dressed as baggage handlers. She ended the performance with a dove in her hands before taking to the skies.
