Recap: Who Won What at the NAACP Image Awards in Pasadena

 

Actor, producer and humanitarian Danny Glover receive dthe President’s Award at the 49th NAACP Image Awards Monday night at the Pasadena Convention Center. Glover, the NAACP said, is “a remarkable man whose accomplishments in Hollywood are matched by his philanthropic triumphs.”

 

The NAACP President’s Award is bestowed in recognition of special achievement and distinguished public service. Past President’s Award honorees include Lonnie G. Bunch, III, John Legend, Van Jones, President Bill Clinton, Soledad O’Brien, Ruby Dee, Muhammad Ali, the Founding Members of the Black Stuntmen’s Association, Kerry Washington, and Spike Lee.

 

As the award was presented to Glover, he asked the audience and TV viewers to text in their pledge to vote in 2018 and make a difference.

 

In a ceremony filled with rhetoric about the present state of political affairs in the country, film director and producer Ava DuVernay was named Entertainer of the Year. Accepting the award, DuVernay praised other African American artists for their role in emphasizing the black community’s power to create change. “This is our time. We can say we were here when all this gorgeous art was happening, and that we supported it, that we lifted each other up, that we did as Dr. King said we would do: ‘Live the dream.’ We’re the dream,” DuVernay said.

 

Anthony Anderson hosted the show at the Pasadena Convention Center’s Civic Auditorium, dishing out some political monologue poking fun at the Trump administration, while others who came up the stage spoke about civic involvement and social justice.

 

“Sisters, especially the ones from Haiti and Africa, we love you as your brothers,” said producer Will Packer as he criticized Trump’s recent comments about immigration while accepting an award for “Girls Trip,” which won for Outstanding Motion Picture.

 

Angela Robinson, Jurnee Smollett-Bell, Lena Waithe, Laverne Cox, Kerry Washington, and Tracee Ellis Ross came up onstage holding hands to declare support for the campaign to stop sexual harassment and gender discrimination. They also urged the audience to speak up in the coming midterm elections. “The midterms are a perfect moment for us to use our voices,” Robinson said. “If we can take back a Senate seat in Alabama…”

 

“Then we can shift the imbalance of power,” Smollett-Bell retorted.

 

As Halle Berry presented the Music Makes a Difference Award to Charlie Wilson, she spoke about the significance of presenting the Image Awards on MLK Day. “We need to take heed to his eloquent words: ‘Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about the things that matter.’ Today is an affirmation that we will never, ever, ever, ever be silent again,” Berry said.

 

Wilson himself talked about how he recovered from addiction and homelessness and went on the way to musical success and philanthropy. He said he is now focused on helping homeless addicts.

 

William Lucy, who fought apartheid in South Africa, was given the NAACP Chairman’s Award for his more than 40 years of service in the labor organizing front. He said he was accepting the award in honor of the Memphis sanitation workers who went on strike in 1968. Dr. King spoke to the striking employees the night before he was assassinated.

 

The NAACP Image Awards is considered to be the preeminent multi-cultural awards show celebrating the accomplishments of people of color in television, music, literature, and film, and also honors individuals or groups who promote social justice through creative endeavors.

 

Del Yarbrough, President of the Pasadena NAACP, last week said the awards are a way of recognizing those in the entertainment industry in ways that others don’t, and give recognition to those not yet on the national stage.

 

Here’s the list of the winners:

 

Outstanding actor in a motion picture: Daniel Kaluuya in “Get Out”
Outstanding actress in a motion picture: Octavia Spencer in “Gifted”
Outstanding actor in a comedy series: Anthony Anderson in “black-ish”
Outstanding actress in a comedy series: Tracee Ellis Ross in “black-ish”
Outstanding comedy series: “black-ish”
Outstanding actor in a drama series: Omari Hardwick in “Power”
Outstanding actress in a drama series: Taraji P. Henson in “Empire”
Outstanding drama series: “Power”
Outstanding supporting actor in a comedy series: Jay Ellis in “Insecure”
Outstanding supporting actress in a comedy series: Marsai Martin in “black-ish”
Outstanding supporting actor in a drama series: Joe Morton in “Scandal”
Outstanding supporting actress in a drama series: Naturi Naughton in “Power”
Outstanding television movie, limited series or dramatic special: “The New Edition Story”
Outstanding actor in a television movie, limited series or dramatic special: Idris Elba in “Guerrilla”
Outstanding actress in a television movie, limited series or dramatic special: Queen Latifah in “Flint”
Outstanding news/information (series or special): “Unsung”
Outstanding talk series: “The Real”
Outstanding reality program/reality competition series: “The Manns”
Outstanding variety or game show (series or special): “Lip Sync Battle”
Outstanding supporting actor in a motion picture: Idris Elba in “Thor: Ragnarok”
Outstanding supporting actress in a motion picture: Tiffany Haddish, in “Girls Trip”
Outstanding independent motion picture: “Detroit”

 

For more information, visit https://naacpimageawards.net/