By: Philtrina Farquharson | Contributing Writer
This past week NAACP, the largest and most distinguished civil rights organization in the nation, and BET, one of the largest providers of entertainment programming for Black audiences came together for a higher purpose to pay tribute to Black excellence in music, television, film, and sports. The week was filled with honor, progression, and peace through a variety of events counting panels, receptions, and a fashion show, leading up to the official 54th NAACP Image Awards.
Left to Right: Abdul Abdullah, Tunde Ogundipe, Audu Maikori, and Abiola Oke
Ahead of the official awards show, NAACP hosted an entertainment summit at the GRAMMY Museum in downtown LA which focused on international Black artists, filmmakers, and influencers for conversations to engage in collaborative discussions that promote unity and creativity. There were five panel discussions including topics around the dominance and influence of Afrobeats Music and Black equity in sports and entertainment.
“When you think about Bob Marley and how just listening to one of his songs transported you to Jamaica even though you may have never been to Jamaica. Right now, African music is doing the same thing for a lot of the diaspora around the world. It is allowing us to somewhat close the gap,” said Abdul Abdullah, Founder, and CEO, Culture Management Group (CMG) and AfroFuture Festival, when asked about connecting the world to Afrobeats music.
Queen Latifah kicked off the official 54th NAACP Image Awards as host at the Pasadena Civic Auditorium, after being on hiatus for three years since the pandemic. She performed a monologue about the “drive, determination, and success” of the Black royalty in the room.
The awards show recognized talent in more than 70 categories with ABC and Netflix leading with 28 and 15 nominations. Among the highlights of the night was tennis legend Serena Williams receiving the Jackie Robinson Sports Award from actress Kerry Washington, and Viola Davis accepting the award for Outstanding Actress in a Motion Picture, presented by Issa Rae and Jonathan Majors.
The most noteworthy moment of the night was Civil rights attorney Benjamin Crump as he looked at the crowd while accepting the Social Justice Impact Award uttering touching words. “As Carter G. Woodson portetically warned,” “If a race has no history, if it has no worthwhile tradition, it becomes a negligible factor in the thought of the world, and it stands in danger of extermination.” “We will not let elected officials exterminate our history, our literature, or our culture, Black history is American history,” said Crump as the crowd cheered and acknowledged him with a standing ovation. Benjamin Crump is known for his work on high-profile cases most recently representing the family of Tyre Nicholas as well as the families of Trayvon Martin, Michael Brown, and Breonna Taylor.
“The Image Awards have always been a coveted event where Black artists could gather to recognize each other’s work when Hollywood refused,” said NAACP President and CEO Derrick Johnson. “We’ve come a long way since then, and we want to make sure we continue to do our part to see Black excellence amplified.”
NAACP and BET continue to make it their pursuit to highlight Black excellence in the entertainment industry, giving flowers to some of the most talented and influential Black artists, actors, activists, and creators. These organizations showcased the importance of representation with hopes to inspire equality, justice, and progressive change for the world to see.
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