52nd NAACP Image Awards Program Journal

MARCH 27, 2021

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Honoring history and heritage.

Wells Fargo congratulates all of the amazing NAACP Image Awards® nominees and we celebrate the empowerful spirit of the Black family that nurtures generations of creativity, innovation and excellence.

Learn more at

wellsfargo.com/empowerful © 2021 Wells Fargo Bank, N.A. All rights reserved.

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TABLE OF CONTENTS MESSAGES................................................................................................................................................ 2 NAACP HOLLYWOOD BUREAU..........................................................................................................20 MONDAY, MARCH 22, AWARDS SHOW NIGHT ONE.......................................................................29 Literature and Documentary Nominees NAACP Activist of the Year, NAACP Youth Activist Sponsored by Wells Fargo TUESDAY, MARCH 23, AWARDS SHOW NIGHT TWO.....................................................................46 Writing, Directing and Short Form Nominees Spingarn Medal – Misty Copeland WEDNESDAY, MARCH 24, AWARDS SHOW NIGHT THREE................................................................82 Television + Streaming Nominees Founder’s Award – Toni Vaz THURSDAY, MARCH 25, AWARDS SHOW NIGHT FOUR................................................................110 Recording Nominees Jackie Robinson Sports Award – Women’s National Basketball Players Association FRIDAY, MARCH 26, AWARDS SHOW NIGHT FIVE........................................................................142 Television + Streaming and Motion Picture Nominees Jackie Robinson Sports Award – Stephen Curry Key of Life Award Sponsored By Wells Fargo - Dr. Kizzmekia S. Corbett SATURDAY, MARCH 27, 2021 PROGRAM.........................................................................................176 52ND NAACP IMAGE AWARDS Television + Streaming, Motion Picture, Entertainer of the Year Nominees Social Justice Impact Award Nominees Chairman’s Award Sponsored By Wells Fargo – Rev. Dr. James Lawson President’s Award – LeBron James Hall of Fame Award – Eddie Murphy

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MESSAGE FROM

LEON W. RUSSELL It is my honor as Chairman of the NAACP to welcome you to the 52nd NAACP Image Awards.

As we celebrate the amazing accomplishments of our nominees this year, we must also recognize the significance of this moment.

From the COVID pandemic that disproportionately affects Black and Brown individuals across the country, to the rise of white supremacist groups who were emboldened by the rhetoric coming from the former administration and stormed our Capitol, this year has tested our communities like no other.

This year has also shown how our power as a people is limitless – where our influence spans from the streets, to the silver screen, and to the voting booth this past November.

That’s why the Image Awards is more important than ever – when so many groups are trying to suppress our voice and our power, the Image Awards is an opportunity to put a spotlight on Black excellence, and share our stories of social justice, equality, and love – moving us forward when so many groups want to turn the clock back.

We applaud our nominees this year for their commitment to progress in the face of adversity, and we charge them to continue to share our stories, get involved, and show the world we are all Black excellence.

And a special thank you to all of our board members, staff, and organizers who continue to dedicate themselves to make sure our voices are heard – from the halls of Congress, to the boardrooms of Hollywood executives.

A heartfelt congratulations to everyone involved in this year’s show.

This is truly an amazing accomplishment, and we share this victory with you today.

Best of luck to all of our nominees!

LEON W. RUSSELL Chairman, NAACP Board of Directors

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CHAIRMAN VIDEO

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MESSAGE FROM

DERRICK JOHNSON As President and CEO, I am honored to welcome you to this year’s 52nd NAACP Image Awards.

2020 was a seminal year in the constant struggle for civil rights and equality. Now as 2021 rapidly unfolds, our community continues to face crises on multiple fronts. Across the country, Black people are still disproportionately affected by a global pandemic.

Black people constantly fear for their lives while they jog, while they walk, even while they sleep, while white supremacists freely capitalize on hateful rhetoric and division and storm the halls of our democracy.

Yet as I reflect on what it means in 2021 to be Black in America, I recognize our history, our courage, and our power, and I could not be more hopeful.

Black organizers inspired millions across the world to take to the streets in protest after the death of George Floyd, declaring WE ARE DONE DYING. Black voters were the deciding factor in one of the most consequential elections of our lifetime, ushering in a new administration, new leadership in Congress, and the first Black American to represent Georgia in the US Senate.

And this year, countless Black visionaries, artists and creatives told powerful stories of protest, empowerment, and equality, providing entertainment that moved and inspired millions. Now more than ever, we need these stories to move us forward and create change in our communities and the world.

Tonight we honor these creatives, and it reminds me how fortunate I am to serve an organization that has advocated for equal opportunity and Black empowerment for more than 100 years. The NAACP and its members work every day to fight for change, carrying on this proud legacy into the future.

And, in the most challenging of years, this night of celebration would not be possible without the generous contributions from our supporters, sponsors, staff and members. We thank you and share this success with you!

A heartfelt congratulations to all of our nominees and honorees.

We hope you enjoy this year’s show!

DERRICK JOHNSON President and CEO, NAACP

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PRESIDENT VIDEO

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WELCOME

NAACP: STILL FIGHTING FOR YOU.

(1:28)

NAACP

WHAT YOU SHOULD KNOW ABOUT THE

FOUNDED IN 1909 TO ADVANCE EQUALITY

2.2 MILLION ADVOCATES FROM ALL WALKS OF LIFE

The NAACP is the nation’s foremost, largest, and most widely recognized civil rights organization.

Formed by activists in response to eruptions of anti-black violence, the NAACP has long championed equal rights to eliminate racial discrimination and advance the interests of African Americans. NAACP is leading the struggle to improve the lives of Black people and continues to use its activist roots to coalesce other racial causes and social justice groups.

NAACP members, supporters, and digital activists throughout the United States are advocates for social justice in their communities. They are raising awareness for political, educational, social and economic equality for communities of color, leading grassroots campaigns, conducting voter mobilization and organizing in the electoral and legislative process.

TO JOIN THE FIGHT, TEXT READY TO 20207

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BECOME A SUSTAINER Supporters are the backbone of our organization by making a commitment to support the work of the NAACP, you take a stand for freedom.

®

IMAGE AWARDS COMMITTEE CHAIRMAN KAREN BOYKIN-TOWNS VICE CHAIRMAN KATHERINE EGLAND VICE CHAIRMAN THOMAS L. KALAHAR VICE CHAIRMAN MORANDON HENRY Angela Dorn Dr. Delman Coates Ed Foster-Simeon Elder Edward DuBose Georgette “Gigi” Dixon Helen Myers Howard Jefferson Leonard James III Michael A. Curry, Esq. Michael T. Turner Nicholas I. Wiggins Ron Hasson Roslyn M. Brock Scot X. Esdaile William “Bill” Lucy

STAFF Eris T. Sims Chief of Staff, NAACP

Robin R. Harrison Vice President NAACP Hollywood Bureau 9 | 52nd Annual NAA C P Imag e Aw ard s

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MESSAGE FROM

KAREN BOYKIN-TOWNS On behalf of the NAACP Image Awards Committee, I want to welcome you to the 52nd NAACP Image Awards.

For more than 50 years, the NAACP Image Awards has showcased artists and individuals of color who share their talents and contributions with the world, ensuring that the Black experience is properly portrayed and that Black actors, writers, producers, directors, and artists get the recognition they truly deserve.

Since its inception, the Image Awards has grown into the premier event celebrating the outstanding creative achievements of people of color, but it also sends a message to the world that we as Black people demand EQUITY, justice, and a seat at the table.

In a year unlike any other, we gather to salute those who truly embody Black excellence both through their art and their actions, elevating our stories, breaking barriers, and continuing to motivate us and give us hope and courage.

I want to congratulate every one of this year’s nominees and special award recipients. We thank you for your continued support, and we stand together with you in the face of injustice, discrimination, and intolerance.

We extend our best wishes to you tonight -- thank you for embodying the ideals of the NAACP, and thank you for inspiring the generations to come.

KAREN BOYKIN-TOWNS Vice Chair, National Board of Directors Chairman, Image Awards Committee

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VICE CHAIRMAN VIDEO

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CHARLIE SCHARF On behalf of Wells Fargo, I’d like to congratulate all the nominees of the 52nd NAACP Image Awards! We are honored to help celebrate the tremendous achievements of Black leaders in the areas of film, literature, music, television and streaming, and activism. We are proud to be a long-time supporter of the NAACP and its vision for a society in which all individuals have equal rights without discrimination based on race.

For more than 20 years, Wells Fargo has collaborated with the NAACP to create solutions for stronger communities through economic empowerment. Together, we’ve designed programs to provide resources, education, and partnerships to develop sustainable economic models that advance diversity and equity. Helping to guide these efforts has been the strong leadership of President Derrick Johnson, Chairman Leon W. Russell and Vice Chair Karen Boykin-Towns.

The past twelve months have been incredibly difficult as the world continues to deal with an unprecedented public health crisis and the U.S. has been forced to reckon with its history of inequality and racial discrimination. The events of 2020 demonstrated that societal challenges are part of a web of interconnected economic, social, and environmental issues disproportionately impacting the most vulnerable.

Statistics show that Black- and African American-owned businesses, and other minority-owned small businesses, have been disproportionately impacted by the effects of the pandemic. Wells Fargo is committed to being a force for change in this country and we are working to support economic opportunities for diverse entrepreneurs and small businesses. Our Open for Business Fund is donating approximately $420 million to nonprofits helping small businesses navigate the pandemic, with an emphasis on Black, African American, and other minorityowned small businesses.

While we’re optimistic that vaccines will begin to mitigate the health risks of the pandemic, we recognize that the economic impacts will likely continue to be felt for years to come. We are committed to working with organizations like the NAACP to foster an inclusive, sustainable economic recovery for all.

Wells Fargo also recently invested in six African American Minority Depository Institutions as part of our pledge to invest up to $50 million in Black-owned banks.

Our goal is for these institutions to not only survive, but to flourish and create employment and economic revitalization opportunities in the communities in which they serve.

The financial services industry, including Wells Fargo, must do more to remove the long-term barriers that have impacted the ability of the Black community from achieving economic empowerment. Moving forward, we are committed to driving intentional transformation — inside our walls and beyond — and we will work to lead the industry in doing what needs to be done and what’s long overdue.

I thank the NAACP for the important work it is doing to create tangible good for the Black community. Wells Fargo stands with you and we look forward to many more years of continued collaboration.

CHARLIE SCHARF CEO, Wells Fargo & Company

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WELLS FARGO VIDEO

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MESSAGE FROM

SCOTT MILLS On behalf of BET and ViacomCBS, it is an incredible honor to partner with the NAACP for our second consecutive year to celebrate the 52nd NAACP Image Awards!

For many of us, the 51st NAACP Image Awards of 2020 marked the last time we gathered together. It is fitting that as we look toward brighter days, we come together to honor the best and brightest entertainers of our time and the change agents who use their platforms to advocate for positive change in our communities.

We are an extraordinarily proud longtime partner of the NAACP, whose mission is to secure political, educational, social, and economic equality, to eliminate race-based discrimination and to ensure the health and well-being of all. This mission is more vitally important than ever. BET shares this commitment of service to our community.

Together, we worked to drive record voter turnout in Black communities.

Our partnership contributed directly to the historic election of President Joe Bidden and Kamala Harris, the first woman and first woman of color as Vice President of the United States and Rev. Raphael Warnock, the first Southern Black Democratic Senator in our nation’s history. When we use our voices together, we are powerful beyond measure.

Our plans with the NAACP continue to gain momentum every day as we work in concert to ensure equitable vaccine allocation and education.

Partners like the NAACP make it possible for BET to not only entertain, but engage and empower our communities. We are truly grateful for their continued partnership and the limitless potential of our impact when we work collectively.

Congratulations to the NAACP, the NAACP Board, and each and every nominee. To quote Issa Rae, BET is “rooting for everybody Black!” because when one of us wins, we all do.

In service and gratitude,

SCOTT MILLS President, BET

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BET VIDEO

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NET

52

P R O U D LY

ND

CONG

NAACP IMAGE FILMS OUTSTANDING INTERNATIONAL MOTION PICTURE

OUTSTANDING BREAKTHROUGH CREATIVE (MOTION PICTURE) - NADIA HALLGREN

OUTSTANDING BREAKTHROUGH CREATIVE (MOTION PICTURE) - REMI WEEKES

OUTSTANDING SHORT FORM (ANIMATED)

OUTSTANDING MOTION PICTURE OUTSTANDING SHORT FORM (ANIMATED)

OUTSTANDING ACTOR IN A MOTION PICTURE - FOREST WHITAKER OUTSTANDING ACTRESS IN A MOTION PICTURE - MADALEN MILLS OUTSTANDING SUPPORTING ACTRESS IN A MOTION PICTURE - ANIKA NONI ROSE

OUTSTANDING MOTION PICTURE OUTSTANDING ACTOR IN A MOTION PICTURE - DELROY LINDO OUTSTANDING SUPPORTING ACTOR IN A MOTION PICTURE - CHADWICK BOSEMAN OUTSTANDING SUPPORTING ACTOR IN A MOTION PICTURE - CLARKE PETERS OUTSTANDING ENSEMBLE CAST IN A MOTION PICTURE

OUTSTANDING SUPPORTING ACTRESS IN A MOTION PICTURE - PHYLICIA RASHAD OUTSTANDING BREAKTHROUGH PERFORMANCE IN A MOTION PICTURE - MADALEN MILLS OUTSTANDING ENSEMBLE CAST IN A MOTION PICTURE OUTSTANDING WRITING IN A MOTION PICTURE (FILM) - DAVID E. TALBERT

OUTSTANDING DIRECTING IN A MOTION PICTURE (FILM) - GINA PRINCE-BYTHEWOOD

OUTSTANDING DIRECTING IN A MOTION PICTURE (FILM) - DAVID E. TALBERT OUTSTANDING SOUNDTRACK/ COMPILATION ALBUM VARIOUS ARTISTS (ATLANTIC RECORDS)

OUTSTANDING BREAKTHROUGH CREATIVE (MOTION PICTURE) - RADHA BLANK OUTSTANDING WRITING IN A MOTION PICTURE (FILM) - RADHA BLANK OUTSTANDING DIRECTING IN A MOTION PICTURE (FILM) - RADHA BLANK

OUTSTANDING MOTION PICTURE OUTSTANDING ACTOR IN A MOTION PICTURE - CHADWICK BOSEMAN OUTSTANDING ACTRESS IN A MOTION PICTURE - VIOLA DAVIS OUTSTANDING SUPPORTING ACTOR IN A MOTION PICTURE - COLMAN DOMINGO OUTSTANDING SUPPORTING ACTOR IN A MOTION PICTURE - GLYNN TURMAN OUTSTANDING SUPPORTING ACTRESS IN A MOTION PICTURE - TAYLOUR PAIGE OUTSTANDING ENSEMBLE CAST IN A MOTION PICTURE OUTSTANDING DIRECTING IN A MOTION PICTURE (FILM) - GEORGE C. WOLFE OUTSTANDING SOUNDTRACK/ COMPILATION ALBUM BRANFORD MARSALIS (MILAN)

OUTSTANDING INTERNATIONAL MOTION PICTURE

OUTSTANDING ANIMATED MOTION PICTURE

OUTSTANDING BREAKTHROUGH PERFORMANCE IN A MOTION PICTURE - DOMINIQUE FISHBACK

FLIX R ATU L ATES

OUR

AWARDS NOMINEES ®

SERIES

8:46

OUTSTANDING VARIETY SHOW (SERIES OR SPECIAL)

OUTSTANDING JAZZ ALBUM - VOCAL

OUTSTANDING WRITING IN A COMEDY SERIES MINDY KALING, LANG FISHER - “PILOT” OUTSTANDING DIRECTING IN A COMEDY SERIES KABIR AKHTAR – “… STARTED A NUCLEAR WAR”

OUTSTANDING ANIMATED SERIES OUTSTANDING CHILDREN’S PROGRAM OUTSTANDING COMEDY SERIES

OUTSTANDING TELEVISION MOVIE, LIMITED-SERIES OR DRAMATIC SPECIAL OUTSTANDING ACTOR IN A TELEVISION MOVIE, LIMITED-SERIES OR DRAMATIC SPECIAL - BLAIR UNDERWOOD OUTSTANDING ACTRESS IN A TELEVISION MOVIE, LIMITED-SERIES OR DRAMATIC SPECIAL - OCTAVIA SPENCER

OUTSTANDING CHILDREN’S PROGRAM OUTSTANDING CHARACTER VOICE-OVER PERFORMANCE (TELEVISION) - DEON COLE OUTSTANDING DRAMA SERIES OUTSTANDING ACTOR IN A DRAMA SERIES - REGÉ-JEAN PAGE OUTSTANDING SUPPORTING ACTRESS IN A DRAMA SERIES - ADJOA ANDOH

OUTSTANDING DOCUMENTARY (TELEVISION)

OUTSTANDING ANIMATED SERIES

OUTSTANDING REALITY PROGRAM / REALITY COMPETITION SERIES

AND SALUTES THE

E N T E R TA I N E R O F T H E Y E A R N O M I N E E S REGINA VIOLA KING DAVIS

TYLER D-NICE TREVOR NOAH PERRY

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MESSAGE FROM

EXECUTIVE PRODUCERS It’s been a tough year worldwide. Pandemic, police brutality, income inequity, democracy in crisis – we are at an inflection point for us as a nation and as a people.

As is so often the case, Black America rose to the occasion to save the country. Black elected officials like James Clyburn and the Black voters of South Carolina elevated the calm, steady experience of Joe Biden as the candidate who was the best person for the job and the one that white America would embrace. Black America also made history by advocating for the first woman to ascend to the executive branch of government. The election of Vice President Kamala Harris represents so many firsts simultaneously (Black, Asian, Woman) and represents the future of the great American experience. The BidenHarris administration is already off to a great start as they address social justice, the immense national health crisis, climate change and all of the other damage left by the previous administration.

The entertainment business has been very hard hit this year. No concerts, no movies in theaters, and lots of projects are on the shelf, waiting for the COVID-19 crisis to end, or they will eventually be released on different platforms, other than what was originally intended.

Despite these challenges, there were plenty of great films, television shows, books and music made by Black creators this year. This unstoppable need to create is what we celebrate every year at the NAACP Image Awards. The constant evolution of Black cultural expression is one of the greatest commodities in American business. It enthralls and entertains audiences throughout the world. Despite this, Black creativity is constantly underrated both as art and product, which is why it’s crucial that the NAACP gives artists their flowers now.

Producing the show virtually to keep everyone safe during a pandemic is especially challenging, but it allows us to experiment and make a show that won’t just be “Image Awards-like” but “Image Awardsinnovative” as we try some things that are so cool, we will want to keep them in future shows!

From the comfort of our own homes, let’s celebrate!

REGINALD HUDLIN, PHIL GURIN AND BYRON PHILLIPS Executive Producers

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SPONSORS PRESENTING SPONSOR

GOLD SPONSOR

SILVER SPONSORS

BRONZE SPONSORS

FRIEND

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MESSAGE FROM

KYLE BOWSER Welcome to the 52nd NAACP Image Awards, our first virtual presentation of the most stellar performances and artistic expressions showcased across the spectrum of media and publishing platforms. This year’s program was adroitly managed by a talented team, despite a global pandemic, so your viewing experience will remain consistent with our well-established high standard.

A comprehensive view of the Black experience in Hollywood will reveal that our contributions have long been seen through a virtual lens. Our creativity and artistry have always been evaluated on a proximal basis, as compared to the “mainstream.” Despite disadvantages of unequal access to opportunity, insufficient access to capital, and inequitable access to distribution, Black storytellers and performers have consistently delivered premium results. As society continues to evolve toward greater enlightenment and willingness to acknowledge the merit of our contributions, the NAACP Image Awards remains resolute to uplift the writing, performing, and producing that defines the essence of popular culture and occupies the virtual soul of America.

Enjoy the show, but do so with the awareness that Black entertainment is an integral extension of Black advocacy and activism. Much of Black art emerges from subjugation that was designed to stifle our spirit. Instead, our inextinguishable light brightens the world with imagination, ingenuity, and infinite talent. This is our gift and our achievements in entertainment further substantiate our unyielding determination to overcome.

KYLE BOWSER Senior Vice President NAACP Hollywood Bureau

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Because history demands.

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HOLLYWOOD BUREAU

KYLE BOWSER

SENIOR VICE PRESIDENT For nearly three decades, Kyle Bowser has worked as an entertainment industry executive. His experience spans the areas of film, television, music, theater, radio, and new media. This vocational variety has provided him with unique insight into the intersecting parameters of the arts, culture, business development, and emerging technologies. Bowser has enjoyed the distinguished honor of serving as Executive Producer for the hugely impactful Inspired By…The Bible Experience, a fully dramatized audio Bible featuring an all-star cast of over 400 actors, musicians, athletes, clergy, and other noteworthy personalities.

ROBIN HARRISON VICE PRESIDENT

As Vice President of the Hollywood Bureau, Robin Harrison is responsible for multiple aspects of the Bureau’s entertainment industry advocacy. She consistently meets with networks and studio heads to evaluate their hiring practices in front of and behind the camera. She also manages the submissions process and produces the events related to the NAACP Image Awards. In addition, Harrison works to develop programs and initiatives that broaden the pool of emerging diverse talent in the entertainment industry.

QUINTAN SIMS

PROGRAM MANAGER, SPECIAL PROJECTS Quintan Sims has over 10 years of experience in the events and entertainment industries. He has worked for organizations such as the Marriott International, AEG, a sports and live entertainment company, and the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. Quintan currently serves the NAACP as Program Manager, Special Projects at the Hollywood Bureau.

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HOLLYWOOD BUREAU

SEPTEMBER HILL

PROGRAM MANAGER, ADVOCACY & OUTREACH With over fifteen years of experience, September has worked in television production for award shows, music specials, sitcoms, and large sporting events.

As the Program Manager, Advocacy & Outreach, September is now responsible for developing, organizing, and managing the NAACP’s advocacy and outreach efforts within and beyond the entertainment industry.

J’AI MCCORKLE EXECUTIVE ASSISTANT

J’ai McCorkle comes to the NAACP with a background in entertainment including music, film, and television. Over her 20+ year career, she has worked at various Fortune 500 companies in a wide range of departments where she’s taken on numerous responsibilities from live event production, product placement, and any mission that needs to get done.

TIARA WILSON PROJECT MANAGER

Tiara Wilson has experience with music, podcasts and media in which she’s done a hybrid of administrative and creative tasks to improve efficiency at startups, record labels, and streaming platforms. She is now responsible for effectively communicating and coordinating projects in an effort to execute experiences, production, and media that drive the message of the NAACP.

BRITTANY COOPER ADMINISTRATIVE ASSISTANT

Before joining the NAACP Hollywood Bureau, Brittany Cooper, who’s passionate about advocacy and the arts, was an executive assistant in the music department at Paramount Pictures. She also worked as a residuals analyst at Motion Picture Industry Pension and Health Plans.

HOLLYWOOD BUREAU

Hollywood Bureau Restructures to Have More

INFLUENCE AND IMPACT

BY LOTTIE L. JOINER

When the NAACP’s Hollywood Bureau was established 20 years ago, the goal was to increase diversity in the entertainment industry. There was not only a lack of minority representation on television and in film, there also were few opportunities for people of color behind the scenes. In addition to the Image Awards, which recognizes the contributions of diverse creative artists, the Hollywood Bureau works with industry leaders and executives on issues of diversity programming and minority employment in entertainment.

However, for the last two decades, the Hollywood Bureau has been creating miracles out of morsels. The small staff was able to make a big impact with very little resources, creating programs that opened doors for minorities in entertainment and forming relationships with top industry leaders. But with a new expanded staff and more resources, the Hollywood Bureau will now be able to make an even greater impact, says Robin Harrison, vice president of the Hollywood Bureau.

The restructured Hollywood Bureau will have two sides.

The special events side will focus on the NAACP annual convention, Image Awards and special projects. The advocacy and outreach side will focus on relationships with industry partnerships with the guilds and talent, the ambassador program, internships and fellowship programs. Both sides will work to create projects that could be fundraisers for the NAACP. The Bureau will look at how it can utilize technology to enhance its work within the NAACP. It will also examine how it can be cultural consultants to networks, studios and industry insiders to help improve the media portrayal and representation of diverse cultures as well as create a minority executive pipeline for talented C-suite level professionals.

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“One of the goals of the [Hollywood] Bureau is to create pathways to inclusion,” said Harrison. “How do we create pathways for inclusion be it the Image Awards, our internship, fellowship programs, a symposium or partnership with the guilds? Delivering on that is big.

So, with everything that we do, that is the end game.”

Leading that charge is industry veteran Kyle Bowser.

A native of Philadelphia, Penn., Bowser developed television shows for Fox and HBO. He worked on a number of popular 90s classics including Martin, In Living Color and Roc. Bowser also produced the first television series for the late comedian Bernie Mac called Midnight Mac. As the new senior vice president of the Hollywood Bureau, Bowser says he sees the restructured Bureau as having an important role in facilitating dialogue between the social justice and entertainment communities.

“It’s easy for people to see the glitz and the glamour and the celebrities and the things that they know from popular culture, but what they may not realize is, beneath the surface of all of that that looks so special and exciting, is real advocacy work,” says Bowser. “In addition to the Image Awards, there’s this need for a very intimate relationship between the Hollywood Bureau and the entertainment community — all of the studios, all the networks, all of the production companies, all the agencies, all the guilds, all of the major operators that make up what we call entertainment. They need to know us. They need to know that we’re there, they need to know that we have a voice that is prominent, and they may need our help.”

HOLLYWOOD BUREAU

Bowser says the Hollywood Bureau will also play an integral part in presenting more positive images of African Americans, working in tandem with industry partners to determine which stories to tell and how to tell them.

“Entertainment has a way of shaping hearts and minds.

You could travel abroad and you could meet someone and their only understanding of who you are as an African American is based completely on some film and TV programming that they’ve seen, because they’ve had no other exposure,” said Bowser. “We have to influence how those images are being made and how those stories are being told, because it’s impacting how we’re being perceived and how we’re being handled worldwide.”

Projects from the CBS/NAACP partnership could range from documentaries to feature films and sitcoms.

“The sky’s the limit,” said Harrison.

Veteran media executive Sheila Ducksworth will serve as president of the CBS/NAACP production partnership. Ducksworth has done projects for Oprah Winfrey’s OWN Network and most recently the Wendy Williams biopic on the Lifetime Network. She credits the president and CEO of CBS Entertainment Group George Cheeks for making sure that CBS was involved in the NAACP venture and that the media conglomerate made an investment in telling diverse stories.

“I am very much looking forward to being a part of getting out great TV that is compelling, that’s interesting, that’s entertaining,” said Ducksworth.

“Television that will have people talking, television that will make people think, television that will make people just enjoy spending time watching these stories either alone or with their family or friends, television shows that really make a statement.”

The NAACP’s new partnership with CBS is one step toward that goal. Last summer, CBS Television Studios and the NAACP agreed on a groundbreaking “multi-year partnership to develop and produce scripted, unscripted and documentary content for Ducksworth said that the linear television networks content for the projects and streaming platforms.” will be primarily created by , African-American talent and According to an NAACP -Robin Harrison that the door is open for statement, “as part of the VP, Hollywood Bureau people with great stories. The agreement, CBS Television response to the CBS/NAACP Studios’ creative leaders will work with the civil rights organization to establish venture has been remarkable she says. a dedicated team of executives and infrastructure to acquire, develop and produce programming. The “There are so many people who are just excited and partnership will focus on producing premium content elated about a new opportunity that exists to tell that expands the number of diverse voices contributing the kinds of stories that we’re looking to tell,” said to an ever-evolving society, and by telling inclusive Ducksworth. stories that increase the visibility and impact of Black The NAACP and CBS Studios partnership is just the artists in a growing media landscape. beginning of how the restructured Hollywood Bureau “The CBS/NAACP partnership includes a commitment plans to play big. Whether as a facilitator in a dialogue to develop content for the CBS Television Network as on African-American images or creating pathways for well as the ability to sell programming to third-party inclusion, the Bureau will have influence and impact. platforms across the media landscape.”

“What’s really exciting is a lot of the ideas that we Harrison describes the partnership as a “gamechanger.” thought about for the Hollywood Bureau five, ten years She notes that as a nonprofit, the NAACP has a unique ago, I now see the possibilities of that happening,” says opportunity to have a seat at the table as a content Harrison. “We’re going to be able to take the Bureau to creator and to produce content that speaks to African that next level.”

Americans and the concerns of the Black community.

“THE SKY’S THE LIMIT”

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PROGRAM HOSTS

P R E-SHOW HOST

NISCHELLE TURNER Nischelle Turner is an Emmy Award-winning co-host for five-time Emmy Award-winning show Entertainment Tonight. She joined ET as a correspondent in 2014 and was named co-host in 2021.

Turner is an award-winning journalist and a contributor for CNN where she is featured in entertainment segments on CNN Newsroom, New Day, CNN Tonight and more. Turner often lends her voice to entertainment and political news of the day, along with joining their coverage on the Grammys, Golden Globes and Oscars.

Turner began her journalism career in 1998 when she joined WEHT as a reporter and fill-in anchor in Evansville, Ind. In 2000, Turner was a weekday reporter and weekend anchor for WVUE-TV FOX8 in New Orleans. After establishing a presence in news, Turner joined KTTV in Los Angeles in 2004 as a reporter on Good Day LA and anchor for Good Day LA Weekend.

She returned to New Orleans a few months after leaving to cover Hurricane Katrina and its aftermath for Good Day LA. Her coverage of the disaster won several journalism awards.

As an avid sports fan, Turner’s passion and knowledge came in handy when she joined Fox NFL Sunday as a sideline reporter for national football broadcasts in 2007. In addition to covering football, Major League Baseball and basketball for Fox, Turner became a host for Extra on Essence in 2009, an online entertainment show focusing on Hollywood’s most elite stars. Turner also has served as a freelance reporter and host for KNBC. In addition to appearing as an entertainment news expert for CNN and HLN’s Michaela, The Dr. Drew Show and The Daily Share, Turner was featured in multiple episodes of The Young and the Restless.

R ED C A R P ET HOST

TANIKA RAY Tanika Ray is a dancer, actor, host, producer, and moderator who has learned through her adventurous journey that life isn’t only about reaching the dream, but it’s also about each chapter that inches people closer to their ultimate goal, even when they can’t recognize it as progress.

Acting on shows such as NYPD Blue, Living Single, Wayans Bros, and Family Matters opened the doors for Tanika to serve as a host on a wide range of amazing programs, including Wheel of Fortune 2000, Head2Toe, Soapcenter, Extra, HGTV’d, HGTV Design Star, and OhSit. Due to her unapologetic and interesting take on Hollywood and life, she can also be seen in over 100 episodes as a guest panelist on the following shows: GMA, The Today Show, The View, CNN, Showbiz Tonight, The Daily Take, Chelsea Handler, Hollywood Today Live and Larry King.

Tanika has the ability to deftly manage the multi-layered responsibility of hosting and producing live red-carpet events and has covered major LA & NYC shows, namely the Oscars, Emmys, Golden Globes, Met Gala, MTV Music Awards, American Music Awards and countless movie premieres for companies like TV Guide Network, NBC, Colgate, Essence Magazine, Home Depot, Cadillac and the NAACP. Her goal is to uplift, inspire and bring the diverse global community together through positive and sometimes crazy shared experiences. Tanika’s daughter inspires her to keep going forward, fiercely focused on what’s NEXT!!

2 6 | 52nd NAACP I m ag e Aw ard s

Driving a Brighter Future For more than 65 years, Ford Motor Company Fund has worked to improve people’s lives, investing $1.5 billion to support innovative programs in Community Life, Education, Safe Driving and the Ford Volunteer Corps.

For opening minds and building a better tomorrow,

As a proud supporter of the NAACP for decades, Ford Motor Company and Ford Motor Company Fund are honored to present a special tribute to First Responders and Essential Workers during this year’s Image Awards.

Ford salutes the NAACP Image Awards.

www.community.ford.com • @fordfund_ • @ford

ford.com

|

fordfund.org

INTRO

Welcome to the NAACP Image Awards where the outstanding performances of people of color in the arts and those who promote social justice through their creative endeavors are celebrated.

This year’s historic show will air on BET, Saturday, March 27, 2021, at 8:00 PM (EST) and simulcast across ViacomCBS networks, including for the first time on CBS. Due to COVID-19, the live broadcast and non-televised awards program will be virtual and accompanied by a series of inspiring events that will take place on multiple stages and in rooms curated with Black excellence. Be sure to tune in and enjoy the celebration right from the comfort of your own home.

Start the night in your gorgeous gowns and dashing designer wear on the virtual red carpet with host, Tanika Ray. Also, come join us backstage in the press room. Give us your best pose in our virtual photo booth and sit back and relax as you take in the artistic splendor of the NAACP Theatre featuring past performances and speeches. Learn from the voices featured in the Our Culture, Our Stories Stage. After the show, get ready to have a good time at the Post-Show Virtual Celebration featuring Questlove and DJ Kiss, and turn the lights down low for a smooth jazz experience with an exclusive performance by Robert Glasper featuring Lalah Hathaway.

During the week leading up to the, 52nd NAACP Image Awards, be sure to join us for virtual events where winners in certain categories will be announced, special awards will be given, and other exciting moments will be featured, including the following: NAACP Young Creatives – Hosted by Miles Brown (‘black-ish), discussions featuring accomplished young artists under the age of 16 will showcase their talent and provide a platform for them to tell the story of their journey and their aspirations for the future.

Inside the Industry: A Conversation with Industry Partners – The NAACP Hollywood Bureau will host a series of discussions between the NAACP’s President and CEO, Derrick Johnson and entertainment industry leaders. Each segment will focus on the institutional philosophies and operational methodologies that reflect the value of racial and cultural diversity with a particular emphasis on the depiction of Black people.

Fashion Pull-up – An exploration of the mostnotable fashion moments from the NAACP Image Awards’ red carpet.

Be sure to follow along using our Digital Program Book which has been organized into sections based on the events unfolding each night.

Sit back, relax and enjoy both the week and the show!

2 8 | 52nd NAACP I mag e Aw ard s

INTRO TO LITERATURE

MO N DAY | MARC H 22, 2021 Welcome to the first night of the 52nd NAACP Image Awards Presentations, the Virtual Experience. Tonight, we announce the winners of the Literature and Documentary categories.

Program highlights include:

Awards will be given to the NAACP Activist of the Year Rev. Dr. Wendell Anthony and NAACP Youth Activist of the Year sponsored by Wells Fargo, Madison Potts.

• The Inside the Industry will kick off the week with a discussion on the NAACP in Hollywood with CBS Studios.

To participate virtually, please register for the 52nd NAACP Image Awards Presentations, the Virtual Experience presented by Wells Fargo at www.naacpimageawards.net.

• A Fashion Pull-up is hosted by celebrity wardrobe stylists, GooGoo Atkins and Apuje Kalu.

• The NAACP Young Creatives discussion hosted

by Miles Brown with orator, Gregory Payton.

Presenters for this evening are Daymond John (Shark Tank), Madalen Mills (Jingle Jangle: A Christmas Journey), and Terrance Terrell (B Positive).

Introducing our Literature category is business owner and philanthropist, Marley Dias, who is nominated for her Outstanding Children’s Program Bookmarks: Celebrating Black Voices (Netflix).

2 9 | S pon s or ed By

LITERATURE LITERATURE LITERATURE LITERATURE

OUTSTANDING LITERARY WORK DEBUT AUTHOR

“A Knock at Midnight” BRITTANY BARNETT

“Greyboy: Finding Blackness in a White World”

(PENGUIN RANDOM HOUSE)

COLE BROWN

“Lakewood” MEGAN GIDDINGS (AMISTAD/HARPERCOLLINS PUBLISHERS)

(SKYHORSE)

“The Compton Cowboys”

“We’re Better Than This”

WALTER THOMPSON-HERNÁNDEZ

ELIJAH CUMMINGS

(WILLIAM MORROW/HARPERCOLLINS PUBLISHERS)

(HARPER/HARPERCOLLINS PUBLISHERS)

30 | 52nd NAACP I mag e Aw ard s

LITERATURE LITERATURE LITERATURE LITERATURE

OUTSTANDING LITERARY WORK NONFICTION

“A Black Women’s History of the United States”

“A Promised Land” BARACK OBAMA

“Driving While Black” GRETCHEN SORIN

DAINA RAMEY BERRY & KALI NICOLE GROSS (BEACON PRESS)

(CROWN)

(W. W. NORTON & COMPANY)

“Long Time Coming: Reckoning with Race in America”

“We’re Better Than This”

MICHAEL ERIC DYSON

(HARPER/HARPERCOLLINS PUBLISHERS)

ELIJAH CUMMINGS

(ST. MARTIN’S PRESS)

31 | S pon s or ed By

LITERATURE LITERATURE LITERATURE LITERATURE

OUTSTANDING LITERARY WORK FICTION

“Black Bottom Saints”

“Lakewood”

“Riot Baby”

ALICE RANDALL (AMISTAD/HARPERCOLLINS PUBLISHERS)

MEGAN GIDDINGS (AMISTAD/HARPERCOLLINS PUBLISHERS)

(TORDOTCOM PUBLISHING,

TOCHI ONYEBUCHI

IMPRINT OF TOM DOHERTY ASSOCIATES)

“The Awkward Black Man”

“The Vanishing Half”

WALTER MOSLEY

BRIT BENNETT

(GROVE ATLANTIC)

(RIVERHEAD BOOKS)

32 | 52nd NAACP Im ag e A w ard s

THE IMPACT OF LITERATURE IN 2020 2020 was an unprecedented year that saw many challenges present themselves as we all dealt with the effects of a deadly virus, social change, political unrest, and a country divided. During this time, people looked for respite from the vitriol that appeared across news shows and on social media and turned back to literature. Despite the uncertainty of the time, what we all seemed to have more of than ever was just that, time. Time to slow down, time to think, and most of all; time to read. Reading is Fundamental, more than a slogan, brought books and the bookmobile to economically challenged neighborhoods. Over 50 years later, we are receiving electronic distribution of books, but the result is the same, an opportunity to leave your surroundings and travel to magical lands created by the words on a page.

A recent survey charted that time spent reading had doubled. It even

said that nonfiction, thrillers, and crime books have become the favorites. Not surprisingly at the top of the sales charts was part one of Barack Obama’s book, A Promised Land which gives readers an in-depth look at his time in the White House. Nonfiction books as a whole seemed to dominate the literary landscape as many first-time authors went the route of self-publishing. You were able to read about being a vegetarian through Vegetable Kingdom by Bryant Terry, and we learned about self-care in Finding Success Through Faith with The Woman God Created You to Be

by Kimberla Lawson Roby. People got busy writing everything from self-help books, cookbooks, and guides on raising your children during a pandemic. Even books about climate change saw a rise in publication.

been involved in a love affair with books. They have become the basis for several exciting, nominated programs and individual achievements. Some of the titles include Lovecraft Country, Bridgerton, The Witches, and The Old Guard. Little Fires Everywhere holds a special distinction of being nominated for an NAACP Image Awards as a book and now as a Limited Series.

As we continue to navigate a still somewhat uncertain future, we look to our writers to help guide us forward through uncharted waters and roads without signs.

Those who write and tell stories can be sources of hope and inspiration going forward. The things we consume during times of unrest and difficulty tell us who we are. Now that we understand, we can look for comfort, look for ideas or look to escape in a book.

The entertainment industry has

LOVECRAFT COUNTRY When the groundbreaking piece of work known as Lovecraft Country was released, science fiction lovers, most specifically and most intentionally Black sci-fi lovers, understood it to be more than just a cheeky basic series meant to entertain and appeal to every audience. For them and countless other fans, it was so much more. Lovecraft Country was imaginary, it was steeped in history, and it was REVOLUTIONARY in its portrayal of Black people.

Set in the nightmarish backdrop of the 1950s Jim Crow era, each episode has viewers following Atticus (Tic), Leti, Uncle George, Montrose, and others while they navigate a bizarro world of monsters and magic. Tic is on a mission to find his father and reclaim his family’s history and heritage from those who only want to use him – body and soul – to serve their purpose. The series balances the complexities of family, loyalty, and honor, while navigating the realities of racism in the south. It is clear that the creators wanted viewers to see themselves in these rich, complicated, multi-layered characters, all of whom have their own struggles and demons and all of whom are seeking joy, purpose, and freedom.

From the crafting of the characters to the shaping of the storylines, it is evident that showrunner Misha Green was intentional in determining how this narrative was communicated on screen. And this visual set – what is seen onscreen – is supremely matched by the music soundtrack of the series. The audio is a finely curated mix of rich music of present and past, highlighting the experiences of Black folks, providing a well-crafted multi-sensory experience of both sight and sound. Viewers hear Gil Scott Heron and Sonia Sanchez and Etta James and James Baldwin and so many other icons and expressionists. Green captured experience and BE-ing and presented the viewer with the dichotomy that is fictional truth telling in a way that only one who has first-hand knowledge could. She could have told that story any other way, but she did not.

When watching Lovecraft Country, one can be reminded of the Kwanzaa principle of Kujichagulia – self-determination which calls for Black people to define themselves, name themselves, create for themselves and speak for themselves.

One could wonder if when Misha Green was working on the series, Kujichagulia was on her mind too.

It certainly seems that it was.

LITERATURE LITERATURE LITERATURE LITERATURE

OUTSTANDING LITERARY WORK BIOGRAPHY/AUTOBIOGRAPHY

“A Promised Land”

“A Most Beautiful Thing: The True Story of America’s First All-Black High School Rowing Team”

BARACK OBAMA (CROWN)

“Olympic Pride, American Prejudice” DEBORAH DRAPER, TRAVIS THRASHER

ARSHAY COOPER

(SIMON & SCHUSTER)

(MACMILLAN)

“The Dead Are Arising The Life of Malcolm X”

“Willie: The Game-Changing Story of the NHL’s First Black Player”

LES PAYNE, TAMARA PAYNE

WILLIE O’REE WITH MICHAEL McKINLEY

(W. W. NORTON & COMPANY)

(PENGUIN CANADA)

34 | 52 nd NAACP I mag e Aw ard s

LITERATURE LITERATURE LITERATURE LITERATURE

OUTSTANDING LITERARY WORK INSTRUCTIONAL

“Do Right by Me: Learning to Raise Black Children in White Spaces”

“Living Lively”

VALERIE HARRISON & KATHRYN PEACH D’ANGELO

(WILLIAM MORROW/HARPERCOLLINS PUBLISHERS)

“The Black Foster Youth Handbook”

HAILE THOMAS

ÁNGELA QUIJADA-BANKS

(TEMPLE UNIVERSITY PRESS)

(SOULFUL LIBERATION)

“The Woman God Created You to Be: Finding Success Through Faith–Spiritually, Personally, and Professionally”

“Vegetable Kingdom” BRYANT TERRY (PENGUIN RANDOM HOUSE)

KIMBERLA LAWSON ROBY (LENOX PRESS)

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LITERATURE LITERATURE LITERATURE LITERATURE

OUTSTANDING LITERARY WORK POETRY

“Homie”

“Kontemporary Amerikan Poetry”

DANEZ SMITH (GRAYWOLF PRESS)

“Seeing The Body” RACHEL ELIZA GRIFFITHS (W. W. NORTON & COMPANY)

JOHN MURILLO (FOUR WAY BOOKS)

“The Age of Phillis”

“Un-American”

HONORÉE JEFFERS

HAFIZAH GETER

(WESLEYAN UNIVERSITY PRESS)

(WESLEYAN UNIVERSITY PRESS)

36 | 52nd NAACP Im ag e A w ard s

POEM

WE ARE TIRED

BY MICHAEL GUINN Somebody tell me! “What good is my masters degree if I can’t be the master of me.”

See…Our people are not just supposed to cling to the hope that the Negro National Anthem justifies the color of our skin enough for THEM to realize that stimulus checks will never replace the scar tissue on our souls.

Our heritage is more than rope burns around history’s black necks.

It’s a deep desire for survival no matter how loudly genocide speaks of rivers.

Our melanin is so rich that every time this nation denies us our color, it will be impossible to feel safe in this house arrest called America. And We Are Tired!

And even after we’ve given this country all of our Africa and our life light goes dim because the son refused us immunity. THEY WILL REALIZE that our lives did not begin on the back porch of shotgun houses. That even though chalked outlines silhouette themselves in the shapes of lonely bulls-eyes searching for another black target. We are tired of fitting the profile!

And it’s not our fault that we were born verbs in past tense, unwilling subjects in a narrative that kept on running. But here we are, fractured by the manner in which the wind whistled and Emmitt-tilled our future. AND we are tired! of being body cam shameless, nameless until CNN makes our movement famous.

WE ARE TIRED!` Of our people and promises being stolen and exploited by a systemic racism that is as relentless as hurricanes and as unforgiving as white privilege. We are tired of dying inside the way “THEY” intended, but not today! Our legacy will no longer be blood stains on sidewalks or a redundancy of clichés rewinding themselves into tornadoes of fully refurbished lies.

THEY can no longer label us as sagging smoked out deadbeats while they walk around golf courses entitled and have the audacity to hold up clean hands when they still owe us so much more.

WE ARE TIRED of random stops and dirty cops.

TIRED of having our faith spiritually lynched.

TIRED of hashtags and body bags.

I’m tired. You’re Tired! We’re Tired!

This world needs to know that when we die, at least we stood up for our freedom!

WE ALL HAVE A VOICE AND A VOTE! LET’S USE IT! WE DESERVE HONOR, EQUALITY AND RESPECT. NOT WHITE KNEES ON BLACK NECKS. Because our beautiful black lives matter!

We will march and protest on every corner of oppression. We will not stop.

Because this is more than a moment. THIS is a movement. Enough is Enough…

BECAUSE WE ARE TIRED!

This poem was written by National Poet, Michael Guinn for the Arlington Texas Chapter of NAACP’s Black Lives Matter Rally and March in 2020.

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LITERATURE LITERATURE LITERATURE LITERATURE

OUTSTANDING LITERARY WORK CHILDREN

“I Promise”

“Just Like Mama”

LEBRON JAMES (AUTHOR)

ALICE FAYE DUNCAN (AUTHOR)

“Kamala Harris: Rooted in Justice”

NINA MATA (ILLUSTRATOR)

CHARNELLE PINKNEY BARLOW (ILLUSTRATOR)

NIKKI GRIMES (AUTHOR)

(HARPERCOLLINS)

(SIMON & SCHUSTER)

LAURA FREEMAN (ILLUSTRATOR) (SIMON & SCHUSTER)

“She Was the First!: The Trailblazing Life of Shirley Chisholm”

“The Secret Garden of George Washington Carver”

KATHERYN RUSSELL-BROWN (AUTHOR)

FRANK MORRISON (ILLUSTRATOR)

ERIC VELASQUEZ (ILLUSTRATOR)

(HARPERCOLLINS)

(LEE & LOW BOOKS)

38 | 52 nd NAACP Im ag e Aw ard s

GENE BARRETTA (AUTHOR)

LITERATURE LITERATURE LITERATURE LITERATURE

OUTSTANDING LITERARY WORK YOUTH/TEENS

“Before the After”

“Black Brother, Black Brother”

JACQUELINE WOODSON (PENGUIN RANDOM HOUSE)

JEWELL PARKER RHODES

NIC STONE

(HACHETTE BOOK GROUP)

(CROWN BOOKS FOR YOUNG READERS)

“Stamped: Racism, Antiracism, and You” JASON REYNOLDS & IBRAM X. KENDI

“Dear Justyce”

“This is Your Time” RUBY BRIDGES (DELACORTE BOOKS FOR YOUNG READERS)

(HACHETTE BOOK GROUP)

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ACTIVIST OF THE YEAR ACTIVIST OF THE YEAR ACTIVIST OF THE YEAR SPECIAL AWARDS

NAACP ACTIVIST OF THE YEAR

REV. DR. WENDELL ANTHONY

Rev. Dr. Wendell Anthony is the outspoken, dynamic, activist and Senior Pastor of Fellowship Chapel whose master’s thesis discussed the church as an agent for reform and renewal in the African-American community. He is a proven freedom fighter and social justice advocate who is effective in the community and corporate boardroom.

This native of St. Louis (Kinloch), Missouri, was educated in Detroit Public Schools and graduated from Wayne State University (BA), Marygrove College (MA) and attended the University of Detroit for Advanced Study in Black Theology.

This Diamond Life Member serves on the NAACP National Board of Directors, Co-Chair of the Religious Affairs Committee, and on other committees.

He was elected president of the Detroit Branch NAACP in 1993 (the largest branch in the country) and was recently reelected to an unprecedented 15th term in November 2020.

Through many years of service, Rev. Anthony has designed and implemented several impactful

programs such as Education 2000 (tutoring from elementary through college) and the Isuthu and Intonjane Institutes which are programs for young people to come into manhood and womanhood.

It is one of the oldest mentoring programs in the country.

As president of the Detroit Branch NAACP, Rev. Anthony founded the Freedom Institute which is a 501(c)(3) non-profit, urban think tank, Take Your Souls to the Polls voter registration effort, and the Fannie Lou Hamer Political Action Committee, a grassroots activist organzation supporting issues and candidates both locally and nationally.

Rev. Anthony has had a global impact. He organized a Rwanda Relief program in which the Detroit Branch NAACP raised nearly one million dollars for food, medicine, clothing, and transportation vehicles to provide relief for hundreds of thousands of refugees in both Rwanda and Zaire. Additionally, he was part of a special delegation of the National NAACP leadership

40 | 52 nd Annual NAA C P Im ag e Aw ard s

to visit South Africa in support of the national elections. He founded the Fellowship Chapel Health Care Clinic in Cape Coast, Ghana, providing medical services to children and adults throughout the central region and organized Project D.R.E.A.M.Z.S. (Detroit Relief Effort to Aide Mozambique, Zimbabwe and South Africa).

During the pandemic, Rev. Anthony, understanding the digital divide facing Detroit students, helped raise $20 million dollars to secure over 50,000 laptops and internet access for the Detroit Public School Community District. He organized distribution of thousands of masks and sanitizers within the community. He brought together nine (9) Corporate CEOs to stand up publicly against racism and injustice and support those who were peacefully protesting.

Reverend Anthony Monica G. Anthony daughters: Tolani, and Wendelaya, and Christopher.

is married to and has four Maia, Megan, one grandson:

YOUTH ACTIVIST OF THE YEAR YOUTH ACTIVIST OF THE YEAR YOUTH ACTIVIST OF THE YEAR SPECIAL AWARDS

NAACP YOUTH ACTIVIST OF THE YEAR SPONSORED BY

MADISON POTTS

Madison Potts is a senior political science major and sociology minor at Kennesaw State University (KSU) who was chosen to be the Youth Activist of the Year sponsored by Wells Fargo because of her work as an organizer with voter education and registration in the primary election, general election, and the 2020 GA Senate runoff election.

As a homeschooled student, Madison excelled in her studies and graduated high school at 15 years old. She marked the beginning of her college career by being selected Student of the Year, Student Government President, and she became a member of the Student Government Minority Student Advisory Board, the Honor Society, and the Ladies of Distinction.

Her passion for social justice, advocacy, and equality are what drew her to the Kennesaw State University Office of Diversity and 41 | 52 nd NAACP I mag e Aw ard s

Inclusion where she is serving as an Ambassador for the 2020 – 2021 school year. During her tenure, she has worked on the Minority Student Advisory Board of the SGA and is currently interning at Be the Bridge, an organization devoted to empowering people towards racial healing, equity, and reconciliation.

Madison is also the President of the KSU NAACP and a member of the Georgia Youth and College Division Get Out the Vote Committee. Under Madison’s leadership, the KSU NAACP chapter was the national winner of the “Who’s Got the Sauce?!” early voting competition. After this achievement, Madison created and presided over a coalition of young leaders and organization presidents at KSU to Get Out the Vote. The coalition brought out over 20 student volunteers to host multiple groups across campus to inform students on the upcoming elections and register them to

vote. After the semester ended, Madison used her passion and drive as the event coordinator for “DO IT AGAIN,” a non-partisan student led Get Out the Vote Rally featuring Lynn Whitfield, Daniel Blackman, Jon Ossoff, and representatives from Rev. Raphael Warnock’s campaign.

Through her efforts, Madison has led community discussions to work towards healing and reconciliation with the local police department at an event she hosted called “Beyond the Protest.” Madison seeks to not just make noise on the issues that matter to our community but make progress and make sure that we see tangible change. She hopes to use her passion for social justice, advocacy, and equality in corporate America, working in Diversity and Inclusion after her graduation in May of 2021.

WRITING WRITING WRITING WRITING

OUTSTANDING WRITING IN A DOCUMENTARY TELEVISION OR FILM

Mary Mazzio

Melissa Haizlip

“A MOST BEAUTIFUL THING”

“MR. SOUL!”

(PEACOCK)

(MAYSLES DOCUMENTARY CENTER)

Royal Kennedy Rodgers “HOLLYWOOD’S ARCHITECT: THE PAUL R. WILLIAMS STORY” (PBS)

Nile Cone, Deirdre Leake-Butcher and Tracey Uy “THE BEAT DON’T STOP” (TV ONE)

Yoruba Richen, Elia Gasull Balada, Valerie Thomas “THE SIT-IN: HARRY BELAFONTE HOSTS THE TONIGHT SHOW” (PEACOCK)

42 | 52 nd NAACP I m ag e Aw ard s

DIRECTING DIRECTING DIRECTING DIRECTING

OUTSTANDING DIRECTING IN A DOCUMENTARY TELEVISION OR FILM

Keith McQuirter

Muta’Ali

“BY WHATEVER MEANS NECESSARY: THE TIMES OF GODFATHER OF HARLEM”

“YUSUF HAWKINS: STORM OVER

(EPIX)

(HBO)

Sam Pollard, Maro Chermayeff

BROOKLYN”

“ATLANTA’S MISSING AND MURDERED: THE LOST CHILDREN” PART 1 & 2 (HBO)

Simcha Jacobovici

Yoruba Richen

“ENSLAVED: THE LOST HISTORY OF THE

“THE SIT-IN: HARRY BELAFONTE

TRANSATLANTIC SLAVE TRADE”

HOSTS THE TONIGHT SHOW”

(EPIX)

(PEACOCK)

4 3 | S pon s or ed By

DOCUMENTARY DOCUMENTARY DOCUMENTARY DOCUMENTARY

OUTSTANDING DOCUMENTARY FILM

“All In: The Fight For Democracy”

“Coded Bias”

“John Lewis: Good Trouble”

(7TH EMPIRE MEDIA)

(MAGNOLIA PICTURES, PARTICIPANT)

(AMAZON STUDIOS)

“Mr. SOUL!”

“On the Record”

(SHOES IN THE BED PRODUCTIONS)

(HBO MAX)

44 | 52nd NAACP I m ag e Aw ard s

DOCUMENTARY DOCUMENTARY DOCUMENTARY DOCUMENTARY

OUTSTANDING DOCUMENTARY TELEVISION

“And She Could Be Next (Episode 2)”

“Black Love”

“Enslaved: The Lost History of the Transatlantic Slave Trade”

(OWN)

(PBS)

(EPIX)

“The Last Dance”

“Unsung”

(ESPN/NETFLIX)

(TV ONE)

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INTRO TO WRITING, DIRECTING & SHORT FORM

TU ESDAY | MARC H 23, 2021 Welcome to night two of the 52nd NAACP Image Awards Presentations, the Virtual Experience. Tonight, we celebrate the Writing and Directing categories, along with Short Form Series. All of these awards span Television and Motion Picture.

Misty Copeland will be presented with the Spingarn Medal, which is the highest honor the NAACP presents for outstanding achievement.

To

participate virtually, please register for the 52nd NAACP Image Awards Presentations, the Virtual Experience sponsored by Wells Fargo at www.naacpimageawards.net.

Program highlights include: • The NAACP Young Creatives discussion hosted by Miles Brown with poet and writer, Nyarae Francis.

• The Inside the Industry discussion will focus on the NAACP and the Screen Actors GuildAmerican Federation of Television and Radio Artists (SAG-AFTRA) who present The SAG Awards.

• A Fashion Pull-up with celebrity wardrobe stylists, GooGoo Atkins and Apuje Kalu.

Presenters for this evening are the cast of Bigger (BET), JB Smoove (Mapleworth Murders), and Javicia Leslie (Batwoman).

Introducing our categories is comedian J.B. Smoove, nominated for his performance on Mapleworth Murders (Quibi).

47 | 52nd NAACP I m ag e Aw ard s

WRITING WRITING WRITING WRITING

OUTSTANDING WRITING IN A COMEDY SERIES

Issa Rae

Lee Eisenberg, Kumail Nanjiani, Emily V. Gordon

“INSECURE” LOWKEY FEELIN’ MYSELF

Micaela Coel “I MAY DESTROY YOU” EGO DEATH (HBO)

“LITTLE AMERICA” - THE ROCK

(HBO)

(NBC)

Mindy Kaling, Lang Fisher “NEVER HAVE I EVER” - PILOT (NETFLIX)

48 | 52 nd NAACP I mag e Aw ard s

Rajiv Joseph “LITTLE AMERICA” - THE MANAGER (NBC)

WRITING WRITING WRITING WRITING

OUTSTANDING WRITING IN A DRAMA SERIES

“LITTLE FIRES EVERYWHERE”

Attica Locke

Erika L. Johnson, Mark Richard

THE SPIDER WEB

“THE GOOD LORD BIRD”

(HULU)

Jessica Lamour, Jessie Nelson and Sara Bareilles

A WICKED PLOT

“LITTLE VOICE” - LOVE HURTS

(SHOWTIME)

(APPLE TV+)

Katori Hall “P-VALLEY” - PERPETRATIN’ (STARZ)

Tanya Barfield “MRS. AMERICA” - SHIRLEY (FX)

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TOPIC

BLACK WOMEN WHO GREENLIGHT FROM THE C-SUITE

BY FERN GILLESPIE

For years, CBS dominated television ratings with its middle-of-theroad programs that had dashes of diversity. Only recently did shows with Black leads like The Neighborhood, Bob Hearts Abishola and All Rise actually rise up. In 2020, George Cheeks, president and CEO of the CBS Entertainment Group, the first Black executive to hold that position, made a radical decision. He created CBS/NAACP Production Venture, a multi-year programming partnership.

“Together, we have the opportunity to create and distribute truly groundbreaking content that speaks to the Black experience,” announced Derrick Johnson, president and chief executive of the NAACP. Sheila Ducksworth, a former Will Packer Media executive, was named president of CBS/NAACP Production Venture. The Yale graduate will supervise, develop and produce scripted, unscripted and documentary programming for CBS networks and streaming.

Ducksworth is part of the “Black Lady Magic” happening in corporate suites in television, film, media and publishing. During 2019 and 2020, against a backdrop of a racial awakening heightened with the tragedy of George Floyd’s killing and a growing respect for diversity and inclusion, arts, entertainment and media, Fortune 500 companies began propelling veteran Black women executives to top leadership roles. These Black women in the C-Suite are experts in cultural content from mainstream to multicultural and have the power to greenlight.

Why is it important to have Black executives with the power to greenlight Black stories? “For Black creatives, your project has to meet the aesthetic, political and artistic interest of the white person that you’re pitching. It makes the Black creative person always selfcensoring. Always thinking, how can it be made more palatable to white people,” explained award-winning filmmaker Reginald Hudlin, founding president of the Black Filmmaker Foundation and producer of the landmark films House Party, Boomerang and Bebe Kids. “But if you have a Black person who has the greenlight, presumably if you share the same values and the same politics, you don’t have to do that type of self-censorship.”

In 2020, two Black women, who were veteran entertainment executives, shattered the glass ceiling with chairman positions. Before her recent major appointment as Chairman of Warner Bros. Television Group, Channing Dungey had already made broadcast history. In 2016, she helmed ABC Entertainment as president—the first Black executive to hold that role. Prior to Warner Bros., the UCLA School of Television and Film grad was vice president of original series at Netflix and headed Self Made: Inspired by the Life of Madam CJ Walker and the Shonda Rhimes’ blockbuster Bridgerton. Powerhouse Pearlena Igbokwe is Chairman of Universal Studio Group’s division of NBCUniversal. The former Universal TV president now covers all global aspects of TV content development and production for Universal Television, Universal Content Productions (UCP), and NBCUniversal International Studios.

Previously, the Yale University grad with an MBA from Columbia University had worked at Showtime and NBC Entertainment.

50 | 52 nd NAACP I m ag e Aw ard s

When Tara Duncan was tapped to be president of Freeform, she had just launched her production company tetraVision and had a deal at Hulu for The Other Black Girl by Zakiya Dalila Harris. A Loyola Marymount University grad, Duncan is a former senior creative executive at Netflix, where she worked on Orange Is the New Black, She’s Gotta Have It, The Get Down and Dear White People. Tina Perry, president of OWN Networks, oversees all operations and creative areas of the network including Queen Sugar, Greenleaf and David Makes Man. An attorney, she is a graduate of Harvard Law School with a master’s from Oxford and a bachelor’s from Stanford University.

On the big screen, Nicole Brown, president of TriStar Pictures, became the first Black woman to head a live-action film studio. Already, the Columbia University grad has secured the Whitney Houston biopic I Wanna Dance With Somebody and Gina Prince-Bythewood’s The Woman King starring Viola Davis. Alana Mayo was named president of Orion Pictures by MGM. She concentrates on developing, producing and acquiring feature films that amplify underserved voices. The Columbia

“Together, we have the opportunity to create and distribute truly groundbreaking content that speaks to the Black experience” University grad is the former head of production and development at Michael B. Jordan’s studio Outlier Society. Journalist Rashida Jones made history as the new president of MSNBC. The Hampton University grad had served as senior vice president for news at MSNBC and NBC overseeing daytime news, breaking news, specials, debates and town halls. “For all the progress in news media diversity, no Black journalist has ascended to heading a mainstream network or a news division — until now,” said Richard Prince, columnist for journalism diversity site Journal-isms.

In July 2020, two Black women who headed prestigious literary and journalism awards rocked the publishing industry. Lisa Lucas, executive director of the National Book Foundation, became senior vice-president and publisher of Pantheon and Schocken Books. A graduate of University of Chicago, Lucas was the first Black executive to head the coveted National Book Awards. Dana Canedy was named senior vice president and publisher of the Simon and Schuster imprint.

Previously, as the first Black administrator of the Pulitzer Prizes, she expanded its awards diversity including Kendrick Lamar’s hip hop win.

For over 20 years, the University of Kentucky grad was a reporter and editor for the New York Times. Her bestselling memoir A Journal for Jordan is scheduled to be a film starring Michael B. Jordan and directed

by Denzel Washington.

“As an agent, when I’m working with a client, I’m looking at content not just as a book. It could become a film or television or an animated series or streaming media. There’s all different ways that that content can be shared with the world more than ever,” said literary agent Regina Brooks, founder and president of Serendipity Literary Agency. She is currently working on projects with NAACP Image Awards winners Regina King and Erika Alexander. “It’s important that all of these Black greenlighters know each other. So, Black people in publishing need to know Black people in television and film. We all need to know each other and work as a unit.”

We define our success through yours We can only be successful if our employees, customers and the communities we serve have the opportunity to achieve their own vision of success. Bank of America is helping to build a better tomorrow by using our capital, expertise and innovation to foster a diverse workforce to address societal issues like climate change, gender equality and economic mobility. Shared success means creating responsible, sustainable growth for our company and our world.

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WRITING WRITING WRITING WRITING

OUTSTANDING WRITING IN A MOTION PICTURE

David E. Talbert

Kemp Powers

Lee Isaac Chung

“JINGLE JANGLE: A CHRISTMAS JOURNEY”

“ONE NIGHT IN MIAMI”

“MINARI”

(NETFLIX)

(AMAZON STUDIOS)

(A24)

Pete Docter, Kemp Powers, Mike Jones “SOUL” (WALT DISNEY STUDIOS MOTION PICTURES)

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Radha Blank “THE FORTY-YEAR-OLD VERSION” (NETFLIX)

WRITING WRITING WRITING WRITING

OUTSTANDING WRITING IN A TELEVISION MOVIE OR SPECIAL

Diallo Riddle, Bashir Salahuddin, D. Rodney Carter, Emily Goldwyn, Rob Haze, Zuri Salahuddin, Bennett Webber, Evan Williams, Will Mile

Eugene Ash

Geri Cole

“SYLVIE’S LOVE”

“THE POWER OF WE:

(AMAZON STUDIOS)

A SESAME STREET SPECIAL” (HBO MAX)

“SHERMAN’S SHOWCASE BLACK HISTORY MONTH SPECTACULAR” (IFC)

Lin-Manuel Miranda “HAMILTON” (APPLE+)

Sylvia L. Jones, Camille Tucker “THE CLARK SISTERS: FIRST LADIES OF GOSPEL” (LIFETIME)

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IT TAKES FIVE FINGERS TO MAKE A FIST The image of a raised clinched fist has often been misconstrued as an act of aggression, but that is not at all the case.

Instead, a fist is made of five fingers. And these fingers that have come together to prepare meals for family members, toil in endless jobs to make ends meet, and express other acts of being human can also be raised in a clinched fist to demand to be treated as such – human.

BEING BLACK IN 2020

RECLAIMING OUR SOUL

What was so very special about being Black in 2020 was that we reached down within ourselves and did what we’ve always done so well—created a new experience. The opening line of James Weldon Johnson’s poem, “The Creation,” could have been a prelude to the year:

We are all worthy of beautiful moments. Many of our defining moments have been so traumatic, that even the art we create has come to mimic these tragic cycles.

BY CLARENCE J. FLUKER

“And God stepped out on space, And he looked around and said: I’m lonely I’ll make me a world.”

That’s what we did. In the middle of a global health pandemic that demanded that we physically distance, D-Nice brought hundreds of thousands of us together for dance parties. Audiovisual ministries at churches around the country deserve Daytime Emmy Awards for the worship services they produced that kept us tuned in and turned up for the Lord. Black people have often had a hard time getting jobs at tech and social media companies, but the #challenges we created on social platforms produced opportunities for numerous creative artists to shine and amplify their voices and talents. We blinged out masks, because safety didn’t mean we had to sacrifice style. And I myself have enjoyed more than one plate at a grab-and-go summertime fish fry because Ms. Rhonda said, “Just because we can’t be together don’t mean we can’t eat together!

In 2020, inequity was on full display, but so was the deep abiding love of Black people for Black people. If no one else loved us but us and God, those mighty forces couldn’t be crushed. Despite the devastation of the dueling pandemics of COVID-19 and racism, we made us a world, and in it and each other, we found joy.

And it was good.

BY MELISSA HAIZLIP

So much of what it means to be Black in this country, to be Black on this planet, has been reactionary: survival by any means necessary, as a means toward liberation. It’s time to be happy.

We deserve it: it’s our inalienable right. It’s time for trauma-free Blackness.

Ellis Haizlip knew the importance of curating the culture with positive images of Black excellence.

SOUL!, the groundbreaking PBS series, is the greatest show you’ve never heard of. But those who were there remember SOUL! aired from 1968 to 1973 and changed the landscape of television. It was the first nationally broadcast Black variety show on television, merging artists from the margins with post-civil rights Black radical thought. Although it was conceived as the “Black Tonight Show,” at a time of great turmoil and social unrest in America, SOUL! became a platform for political expression and the fight for social justice.

A quiet revolutionary, Haizlip was determined to elevate the perception of African-American culture by making us visible. The idea of being seen was so important, and so was changing the negative images of African Americans on television into positive ones. SOUL! showcased a staggering array of Black excellence: artists, activists, musicians, community leaders, and politicians at a time when television would neither accurately reflect nor positively portray a full spectrum of society.

Ellis Haizlip ensured that the revolution would be televised.

C O N G R AT U L AT I O NS to our 52 nd

NAACP Image Awards Nominees ®

Outstanding Breakthrough Performance in a Motion Picture

JAHI DI’ALLO WINSTON

Outstanding Documentary (Film)

Outstanding Variety Show (Series or Special)

Outstanding Writing in a Television Movie or Special

GERI COLE Outstanding Directing in a Television Movie or Special

CHUCK VINSON ALAN MURAOKA

Thank you, NAACP members, for our 5 nominations and for your recognition.

DIRECTING DIRECTING DIRECTING DIRECTING

OUTSTANDING DIRECTING IN A MOTION PICTURE

David E. Talbert

George C. Wolfe

Gina Prince-Bythewood

“JINGLE JANGLE: A CHRISTMAS JOURNEY”

“MA RAINEY’S BLACK BOTTOM”

“THE OLD GUARD”

(NETFLIX)

(NETFLIX)

(NETFLIX)

Radha Blank

Regina King

“THE FORTY-YEAR-OLD VERSION”

“ONE NIGHT IN MIAMI”

(NETFLIX)

(AMAZON STUDIOS)

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DIRECTING DIRECTING DIRECTING DIRECTING

OUTSTANDING DIRECTING IN A COMEDY SERIES

Anya Adams

Aurora Guerrero

Eric Dean Seaton

“BLACK-ISH” - HAIR DAY

“LITTLE AMERICA” - THE JAGUAR

“BLACK-ISH” - OUR WEDDING DRE

(ABC)

(NBC)

(ABC)

Kabir Akhtar “NEVER HAVE I EVER” ... STARTED A NUCLEAR WAR (NETFLIX)

Sam Miller, Michaela Coel “I MAY DESTROY YOU” - EGO DEATH (HBO)

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DIRECTING DIRECTING DIRECTING DIRECTING

OUTSTANDING DIRECTING IN A DRAMA SERIES

Cheryl Dunye

Hanelle Culpepper

Misha Green

“LOVECRAFT COUNTRY” - STRANGE CASE

“STAR TREK: PICARD” - REMEMBRANCE

“LOVECRAFT COUNTRY” - JIG-A-BOBO

(HBO)

(CBS ALL ACCESS)

(HBO)

Nzingha Stewart

Steve McQueen

“LITTLE FIRES EVERYWHERE” - THE UNCANNY

“SMALL AXE” - MANGROVE

(HULU)

(AMAZON STUDIOS)

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DIRECTING DIRECTING DIRECTING DIRECTING

OUTSTANDING DIRECTING IN A TELEVISION MOVIE OR SPECIAL

Beyonce Knowles Carter, Emmanuel Adjei, Blitz Bazawule, Kwasi Fordjour

Christine Swanson

“BLACK IS KING”

(LIFETIME)

Chuck Vinson, Alan Muraoka

“THE CLARK SISTERS: FIRST LADIES OF GOSPEL”

“THE POWER OF WE: A SESAME STREET SPECIAL”

(DISNEY+)

(HBO MAX)

Eugene Ashe

Kamilah Forbes

“SYLVIE’S LOVE”

“BETWEEN THE WORLD AND ME”

(AMAZON STUDIOS)

(HBO)

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SPINGARN MEDAL SPINGARN MEDAL SPINGARN MEDAL SPECIAL AWARDS

PRESENTED BY

SUSAN FALES-HILL Writer, Producer, Author, Arts Advocate

SPINGARN MEDAL Susan Fales-Hill is a television writerproducer, author, and arts advocate.

Currently, she serves as executive producer/showrunner on the series, Twenties. She is also under contract with Amistad/HarperCollins to write a history about her New England ancestors.

Working as a writer’s apprentice on The Cosby Show is how Fales-Hill began her career, and at the age of twenty-eight, she became the head writer of its spin-off, A Different World. Under her aegis, the show was nominated for the Humanitas Award. Other credits include Can’t Hurry Love and Kirk (executive producer), as well as Suddenly Susan (consulting producer). She co-created Showtime’s first scripted series, Linc’s, starring Pam Grier.

Fales-Hill is the author of two novels, and her acclaimed memoir, Always Wear Joy, about her mother, the late actress/singer/dancer Josephine Premice, was nominated for an Image Awards for Best Nonfiction.

Her writings have appeared in Vogue, Glamour, Essence, Ebony, Architectural Digest, Town and Country (where she is a contributing editor), and the New York Times.

She hosted a podcast on NYPR, Icons and Innovators, celebrating creators who have influenced world culture (guests included Anna DeVeare Smith, Isaac Mizrahi, Judith Jamison, and Robert Battle, among others). Her TED Talk is available at Ted Ex Met. From 2003-2011, Fales-Hill was a board member of the American Ballet Theatre, and she served four of those years as vice-chairman.

She is the recipient of the Melville Strauss award, the company’s highest honor, and she currently helms its Trustee Emeriti Council as chairman.

Susan Fales-Hill is a graduate of the Lycee Francais de New York and Harvard College. She lives in New York with her husband, her daughter, and their rescue dog, Prince.

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The Spingarn Medal is the NAACP’s oldest and highest honor bestowed to an individual of African descent and American citizenship who has achieved exceptional merit in any one field.

The purpose of the gold medal is to bring attention to the existence of distinction among Americans of African descent and be rewarded for such achievement and to serve as a stimulus to the ambition of colored youth.

SPINGARN MEDAL SPINGARN MEDAL SPINGARN MEDAL SPECIAL AWARDS

SPINGARN MEDAL

MISTY COPELAND Principal Dancer, American Ballet Theatre

Born in Kansas City, Missouri, and raised in San Pedro, California, Misty Copeland began her ballet studies at the late age of thirteen. At fifteen, she won first place in the Music Center Spotlight Awards. She studied at the San Francisco Ballet School and American Ballet Theatre’s Summer Intensive on full scholarship and was declared ABT’s National Coca-Cola Scholar in 2000. Misty joined ABT’s Studio Company in September 2000, joined American Ballet Theatre as a member of the corps de ballet in April 2001, and in August 2007 became the company’s second African-American female Soloist and the first in two decades. In August 2015, Misty was promoted to principal dancer, making her the first African-American woman to ever be promoted to the position in the company’s 75-year history, and she made her Broadway debut in the role of “Ivy Smith/Miss Turnstiles” with the critically acclaimed show, On the Town.

In 2008, Misty was honored with the Leonore Annenberg Fellowship in the Arts, a twoyear fellowship awarded to young artists who exhibit extraordinary talent providing them additional resources in order to attain their full potential. Performing a variety of classical and contemporary roles, one of Misty’s most important roles was performing the title role in Firebird, created for her in 2012 with new choreography by much sought after choreographer Alexei Ratmansky. In December 2014, Misty debuted the lead role of “Clara” in American Ballet Theatre’s production of The Nutcracker, also choreographed by Alexei Ratmansky. In the fall of 2014, she made history as the first Black woman to perform the lead role of “Odette/Odile” in American Ballet Theatre’s

61 | 52nd NAACP I mag e Aw ard s

Swan Lake during the company’s inaugural tour to Australia. Misty reprised the role during ABT’s Metropolitan Opera House spring season in June 2015, as well as debuted as “Juliet” in Romeo & Juliet. During ABT’s spring season in 2017, Misty debuted the lead roles in Giselle and Don Quixote as “Kitri,” as well as Miss Praline in Alexei Ratmansky’s critically acclaimed Whipped Cream. And in November 2017, she debuted the role of “Aurora” in The Sleeping Beauty with The Australian Ballet in Sydney.

Misty has been featured in numerous publications and television programs, including CBS Sunday Morning, 60 Minutes, The Today Show, This Week with George Stephanopoulos, MSNBC’s Melissa Harris Perry, Vogue, Essence, Ebony, and People Magazine. She was honored with an induction into the Boys & Girls Club National Hall of Fame in May 2012, received the “Breakthrough Award” from the Council of Urban Professionals in April 2012, awarded the Young, Gifted & Black honor at the 2013 Black Girls Rock! awards, received a Dance Magazine Award in 2014, named to the Time 100 List in 2015, and received the 2015 Glamour Magazine Women of the Year Award. In 2018, she was honored with the DVF Award for Inspiration by the Diller-von Furstenberg Family Foundation.

Her endorsements, past and present, include American Express, COACH, Seiko, Dannon Oikos, and Diet Dr. Pepper. In 2014, Under Armour announced Misty as one of the faces of their “I Will What I Want” campaign with a commercial that went viral, gaining over 10,000,000 views.

She was named a brand ambassador of Estee Lauder for its Modern Muse perfume in 2017, for Naked Juice’s Health Bars in 2018, for Stuart

Weitzman’s holiday campaign in 2019, and for LG Signature and Breitling in 2020.

Misty’s passion is giving back. She has worked with many charitable organizations and is dedicated to giving of her time to work with and mentor young girls and boys. Misty was named National Youth of the Year Ambassador for the Boys & Girls Clubs of America in June 2013. In 2014, President Obama appointed Misty to the President’s Council on Fitness, Sports, and Nutrition. And in 2015, she traveled to Rwanda with MindLeaps to help launch its girls program and to establish The Misty Copeland Scholarship.

Misty has been a Turnaround Arts Ambassador since 2016, representing the Gregory Jocko Jackson school in Brooklyn.

Misty is the author of the New York Times Bestselling memoir, Life in Motion, co-written with award-winning journalist and author Charisse Jones, published March 2014. She has a picture book titled Firebird in collaboration with award-winning illustrator and author Christopher Myers, published September 2014. In 2016, Mattel released a Firebird Barbie doll in Misty’s image, paying tribute to her groundbreaking performance in the role. Her book, Ballerina Body, an instant New York Times Bestseller, was published in March 2017. In 2020, Misty celebrated the publication of her latest children’s book, the New York Times Bestseller Bunheads, with illustrator Setor Fiadzigbey.

She received an honorary doctorate from the University of Hartford in November 2014 for her contributions to classical ballet and helping to diversify the art form.

TELEVISION + STREAMING TELEVISION + STREAMING TELEVISION + STREAMING TELEVISION + STREAMING

OUTSTANDING SHORT FORM SERIES COMEDY OR DRAMA

“#FreeRayshawn”

“CripTales”

“Lazor Wulf”

(QUIBI)

(BBC AMERICA)

(ADULT SWIM)

“Mapleworth Murders”

“Sincerely, Camille”

(QUIBI)

(OWN)

6 2 | 52 nd NAACP Im ag e Aw ard s

TELEVISION + STREAMING TELEVISION + STREAMING TELEVISION + STREAMING TELEVISION + STREAMING

OUTSTANDING PERFORMANCE IN A SHORT FORM SERIES

Giancarlo Esposito

J.B. Smoove

Jasmine Cephas Jones

“THE BROKEN AND THE BAD“

“MAPLEWORTH MURDERS”

“#FREERAYSHAWN“

(AMC.COM)

(QUIBI)

(QUIBI)

Laurence Fishburne

Stephan James

“#FREERAYSHAWN”

“#FREERAYSHAWN”

(QUIBI)

(QUIBI)

63 | S pon s or ed By

TELEVISION + STREAMING TELEVISION + STREAMING TELEVISION + STREAMING TELEVISION + STREAMING

OUTSTANDING SHORT FORM SERIES REALITY/NONFICTION

“Benedict Men”

“American Masters Unladylike 2020”

(QUIBI)

“Between The Scenes The Daily Show” (COMEDY CENTRAL)

(PBS)

“In The Making”

“Inspire Change Series”

(PBS’ AMERICAN MASTERS

(NFL NETWORK)

AND FIRELIGHT MEDIA)

6 4 | 52 nd NAACP I m ag e Aw ard s

PROUD TO BE PART OF THE COMMUNITY. We fly where you want to go. We live where you live. And we’re committed to taking care of those communities, because we’re all in this together.

Proud to support the 52nd NAACP Image Awards®.

MOTION PICTURE MOTION PICTURE MOTION PICTURE MOTION PICTURE

OUTSTANDING SHORT FORM LIVE ACTION

“Baldwin Beauty”

“Black Boy Joy”

“Gets Good Light”

(POWDERKEG)

(FILM INDEPENDENT PROJECT INVOLVE)

(TEDDY TRACKER ENTERTAINMENT)

“Home”

“Mr. & Mrs. Ellis”

(TEDDY TRACKER ENTERTAINMENT)

(AMB PRODUCTIONS)

6 6 | 52 nd NAACP Im ag e Aw ard s

MOTION PICTURE MOTION PICTURE MOTION PICTURE MOTION PICTURE

OUTSTANDING SHORT FORM ANIMATED

“Canvas”

“Cops and Robbers”

“Loop”

(NETFLIX)

(NETFLIX)

(PIXAR ANIMATION STUDIOS)

“The Power of Hope”

“Windup”

(KALIA LOVE JONES)

(UNITY TECHNOLOGIES)

67 | S pon s or ed By

MEDIA AND THE MOVEMENT But it might take a month to make it around the world. In 2020 everybody knew at once.

The late Congressman John Lewis said, “If it hadn’t been for the media, the civil rights movement would have been like a bird without wings, a choir without a song.” I would say that Mr. Lewis’ image of a bird has been outgrown. The movement in 2020 had the wingspan of a 747 -- but the concept is the same.

MESSAGE FROM

LISA NICOLE MATTHEWS Recent images of the struggle for social justice -- in Minneapolis, Kenosha, Louisville, and Atlanta -- were seen by most of us through the media. We saw the video online, on our phones and laptops, or on TV. We read about or heard talking heads giving their best shot at analysis. What were the real reasons behind what we were seeing, what we were experiencing? We were not all there -but we knew what was happening, we understood, and we experienced much of it in near real time. In the 60s everyone could know about injustice from a photograph in the newspaper of a snarling dog or pointed fire hose in Alabama.

Back in the day, injustice could be local and contained, even hidden, without the media. That was true during the days of Emmett Till, through the more recent events of Rodney King. In a very real sense, the outrage from the tragedy of George Floyd’s murder caused people to march in the streets of Georgia and later to stand in line to vote for President Biden and Vice President Harris in Georgia -- and then, two months later to stand in line and vote for the current Senators from Georgia. None of those people saw George Floyd’s murder directly -- they saw it, through the media. This was a big story -- historically big. Stories sped through fiber and bounced off satellites and images came into people’s living rooms and smart phones and brought them to a moment on a curbside in Minneapolis that would change our country forever. Because we were there, you were there. And so much happened this year because you were there. Without audience there is no media. We needed each other to get the whole picture.

Sharing these events, made them real and unleashed power. Power for good and power for manipulation.

Unfortunately, in some instances the way the media covered those events has normalized the brutality and inhumanity seen in the movement. It’s here, that we in the business of media, must be balanced in our reporting and aware of our own power. Malcolm X said, “The media’s the most powerful entity on Earth. They have the power to make the innocent guilty and to make the guilty innocent, and that’s power.”

The events of 2020 made my own news organization – The Associated Press – look inwardly at who we assigned to cover those stories and how we framed what we were reporting across platforms.

This kind of self-evaluation was apparent in other newsrooms as well.

Civil rights champion Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. said, “the arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends toward justice”. What would he have to say if he could have watched 2020 unfold or the damage done to the Capitol on January 6th? What would any of us give to be able to sit with him and watch all that we have seen as it happened?

Among the reactions that have been heard since the election include “who are those 70 million people?” And “what will it take to convince them?”

To be clear, today there are multiple different forms of media, not all of them share the same standards. In recent weeks we have seen a reaction to everything we saw reported on the social justice front in 2020. So many in the crowd that stormed the Capitol were likely influenced by what they read, what they heard and saw. It is very easy today for people to get trapped in echo chambers of what they want to see and hear.

I am proud of the way my news organization and so many others have covered the continuing events that have grown out of what was 2020. We can always do better, but generally, the news media did what it could to meet the moment.

To make greater progress the news media itself must continue to diversify.

We need more training for minorities in management. We need more diversity in hiring so that the newsroom looks like the community it covers. We need deeper and more valuable conversations within the newsroom and with sources so that what is shared becomes what is published.

We need more time, and yet, we have no more time. We need the audience to trust us as we make progress.

This bird has wings.

LISA NICOLE MATTHEWS President, National Press Club

SOCIAL JUSTICE

These faces of 2020 demanded social justice via social media, civil disobedience or they brought about change through voting.

They made “good trouble.”

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CRIS IS MAGAZINE

CRISIS

WHAT YOU SHOULD KNOW ABOUT THE

FOUNDATION

The Crisis magazine is the official publication of the NAACP. It was created in 1910 by renowned sociologist and NAACP co-founder W. E. B. Du Bois. Du Bois founded The Crisis in one room of the New York Evening Post building at 20 Vesey Street in New York City and edited the publication until 1934.

A group of NAACP leaders, who included Du Bois, Mary White Ovington, and William English Walling, decided to take the name, “The Crisis,” from James Russell Lowell’s poem The Present Crisis, written at the height of the Civil War.

“In its pages was the first encouragement of Negro writers and artists,” wrote former Crisis business manager George S. Schuyler in 1951. “Here [were] the first literary contests, the first section devoted to Negro children, the first presentation of Negro artwork, the first feature stories about successful Negroes, the first full-fledged drive for Pan-Africanism, the first special numbers devoted to Negro educational advancement, the first articles on consumers cooperation. Here were scathing denunciations and flaming defense.”

In the November 1910 premier issue of The Crisis, Du Bois wrote that the goal of the publication was to “set forth those facts and arguments which show the danger of race prejudice, particularly as manifested today toward colored people.” Du Bois noted that The Crisis would be a “a record of the darker races” and wrote of the magazine’s formal mission:

The Crisis, Schuyler wrote, created an intellectual revolution.

“It will first and foremost be a newspaper: it will record important happenings and movements in the world which bear on the great problem of inter-racial relations, and especially those which affect the Negro-American. Secondly, it will be a review of opinion and literature, recording briefly books, articles, and important expressions of opinion in the white and colored press on the race problem. Thirdly, it will publish a few short articles. Finally, its editorial page will stand for the rights of men, irrespective of color or race, for the highest ideals of American democracy, and for reasonable but earnest and persistent attempts to gain these rights and realize these ideals. The magazine will be the organ of no clique or party and will avoid personal rancor of all sorts. In the absence of proof to the contrary it will assume honesty of purpose on the part of all men, North and South, white and black.”

At the time, Du Bois noted, “it was the rule of most white papers never to publish a picture of a colored person except as a criminal and the colored papers published mostly pictures of celebrities who sometimes paid for the honor. In general, the Negro race was just a little afraid to see itself in plain ink.”

But The Crisis was different.

“Here for the first time with brilliance, militancy, facts, photographs and persuasiveness, a well-edited magazine [that] challenged the whole concept of white supremacy then nationally accepted,” Schuyler wrote. The Crisis “became the bible of the militant Negro of the day” and “… was the rallying point for the new interracial deal.”

Former Crisis editor and NAACP executive director Roy Wilkins, who edited The Crisis from 1934-1949, pointed out that The Crisis was “one of the first, if not the first, magazines in America to carry an article of protest on the internment of American citizens of Japanese ancestry in concentration camps.”

“Our content concerned itself with the problems of the day…”

Wilkins wrote. He also noted that, “Its pages contain serious discussion of the problems of a group, enunciate a philosophy, and record progress in the struggle toward full citizenship.”

STRUCTURE The Crisis Publishing Company, Inc., is owned by the NAACP and is located at the NAACP’s national headquarters in Baltimore, MD. At The Crisis, we remain committed: to battle tirelessly for the rights of humanity and the highest ideals of democracy; to tell the world the facts; to expose injustice and propose solutions; to speak for ourselves; to speak the truth to power; to serve as a trustworthy record of the darker races; to serve as a reliable antidote to ignorance; to shape and strengthen our collective consciousness; and to serve humbly and forthrightly as memory and conscience, as spirit and heart.

The Crisis has chronicled Black America for more than 100 years and is a sought-after resource for researchers, scholars and others seeking information on the African-American experience. The Crisis/NAACP digital archive at the Library of Congress is the largest and most used collection totaling over five million pieces.

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HISTORY OF NAACP IMAGE AWARDS

THE NAACP IMAGE AWARDS From its inception, the NAACP has been at the forefront of the struggle to ensure fair employment and positive images in the entertainment industry. In this tradition, the Beverly Hills/ Hollywood Branch of the NAACP was founded in 1962 and heralded as the first branch of the NAACP to deal specifically with the racism experienced by African Americans in the entertainment industry.

Almost immediately after its establishment, the Beverly Hills/ Hollywood Branch of the NAACP hosted a dinner in the Coconut Grove Ballroom of the Ambassador Hotel in Los Angeles on October 22, 1962. The evening was dedicated to honoring Sammy Davis Jr. who had loaned the Branch his Beverly Hills address, which made it possible for them to get the Beverly Hills/Hollywood charter. Davis was also feted for his tireless work to obtain fair employment for African-American entertainers in Hollywood, and for his financial support in helping to establish the Beverly Hills/Hollywood Branch of the NAACP. Five years later, under the leadership of then-Branch President Don Lanclos, a committee of entertainment professionals conceptualized an awards show that would celebrate the achievements of AfricanAmerican artists and professionals who were largely overlooked by mainstream Hollywood. The show would also honor those people who had worked to change African-American images in Hollywood.

Toni Vaz motioned to call the show the Image Awards and with Maggie Hathaway seconding the motion, the Beverly Hills/ Hollywood Branch of the NAACP officially named the award the NAACP Image Awards; and on February 4, 1967, 200 guests arrived at the Beverly Hilton Hotel to honor Sidney Poitier and nominees in two categories: Motion Picture and Television.

Now spanning 78 categories, the NAACP Image Awards celebrates outstanding achievements of people of color in the arts—television, music, literature, and film—and also honors individuals and groups who promote social justice through creative endeavors.

Special honorary awards such as the Spingarn Medal, Chairman’s Award, the President’s Award, the Vanguard Award, the Jackie Robinson Sports Award, the Key of Life Award and the NAACP Image Awards Hall of Fame extol exceptional individuals and organizations for distinguished public service.

Prior Hall of Fame inductees include groundbreaking filmmakerphotographer Gordon Parks (1984) and trailblazing talk show host, actress and OWN network founder Oprah Winfrey (2005). Former U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder received the Chairman’s Award in 2015, renowned filmmaker Steven Spielberg was honored with the Vanguard Award during the 31st ceremony in 2000, and esteemed actress and activist Kerry Washington was presented with the President’s Award during the 44th ceremony in 2013. At the 36th NAACP Image Awards in 2005, beloved civil rights icon and former NAACP Chairman Julian Bond presented then-Senator Barack Obama with the Chairman’s Award.

Media giants continue to beam powerful images throughout the world that shape our beliefs, opinions and decisions. Social media empowers individuals to amplify Hollywood’s images and messages and to create and distribute their own images and messages. Given these developments, the need has never been greater to spotlight works that foster greater collective empathy and heighten mutual awareness and understanding.

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THE NAACP’S ROOTS IN HOLLYWOOD Since 1915, when the NAACP launched a nationwide protest against D. W. Griffith’s brazenly racist film Birth of a Nation, the organization has been vocal in addressing issues of race and representation in entertainment and media. Based on the novel The Clansman, the film glorified the Ku Klux Klan and portrayed Blacks as menaces. “The freed man was represented either as an ignorant fool, a vicious rapist, a venal or unscrupulous politician, or a faithful idiot,” civil rights leader W.E.B. DuBois said of Birth of a Nation. Many attributed a resurgence of lynchings and deadly race riots to viewings of the film, which, at the behest of the NAACP, led some cities to ban it.

While Birth of a Nation remains one of the most controversial movies ever made (and other offensive works come and go), the voices of filmmakers from Oscar Micheaux to Spike Lee to Gina Prince-Bythewood to Ava DuVernay to Ryan Coogler and beyond continue to rise above with beautiful and varied depictions of people of color.

Though the digital convergence era now has made all kinds of television content available across multiple platforms, its earliest days were, of course, marked by very limited numbers of channels and programs—some of which drew great concern from the NAACP over derogatory characterizations of African Americans.

At its annual convention in July 1951, the NAACP passed a resolution critical of then-new television series Amos ‘N’ Andy and other shows that stressed negative stereotypes.

The resolution maintained that such programs “depicted black people in a stereotypical and derogatory manner, and the practice of manufacturers, distributors, retailers, persons, or firms sponsoring or promoting this show, or other shows of this type are condemned.”

Issues of minority representation in the film industry continued throughout the Civil Rights Movement with a lack of employment opportunities also being questioned.

Despite the monumental events that had taken place in the movements for equal education, voting rights, women’s rights and employment laws, the entertainment industry would remain curiously intransigent in many ways for decades to come.

HISTORY OF NAACP IMAGE AWARDS

THE NAACP HOLLYWOOD BUREAU When the television networks unveiled their 1999-2000 fall season lineup of 26 new shows with zero actors of color in starring or leading roles—a key moment in Hollywood history dubbed by some in the media as the great “whiteout” of 1999—the NAACP initiated an ongoing campaign not only to address the lack of minority representation on TV, but also the lack of employment opportunities for all people of color behind the scenes.

As a result, in 1999, the networks signed a landmark Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the NAACP and its Coalition partners. The purpose of the Coalition is to advance the cause of diversity in the entertainment industry and create milestones by which to measure future progress in Hollywood that is still used today. Additionally, this historic agreement focused on implementing initiatives across all areas of the networks’ operations. Members of the Coalition include the NAACP, Asian Pacific American Media Coalition, National Latino Media Coalition and American Indians in Film and Television.

Soon after the signing of the MOU, then-President Mfume became convinced it was the right time to create an official NAACP Hollywood entity to better support and pursue a standing diversity initiative. Thus, the NAACP Hollywood Bureau was launched.

Established in 2002, the Bureau is charged with holding the entertainment industry accountable for advancing diversity in front of and behind the lens. The office works to expand such opportunities not only for African Americans, but also Asian Americans, Hispanics, Native Americans and others.

The Bureau leads the way in the NAACP’s proud tradition of monitoring the media as a form of social advocacy. Aside from managing the NAACP Image Awards, the Bureau consistently meets with movie studios, networks, guilds, labor unions and others in pursuit of more diverse programming and greater employment opportunities for people of color across the entertainment industry.

And while much progress has been made, there is still much to do. NAACP Image Awards recipient Kerry Washington communicated this sentiment beautifully as she accepted her President’s Award honor onstage at the 45th gala in 2014.

“Just as we must ensure that ‘We, the people’ includes all Americans regardless of race, class, gender and sexual orientation,” Washington shared, “we must also work to ensure that the stories we tell, the movies we make, the television we produce, the theatre we stage, the novels we publish are inclusive in all those same ways.”

Considering the diverse roots of the NAACP’s founders – a group of White, Jewish and African-American men and women who were inspired to action by the 1908 race riot in President Abraham Lincoln’s hometown of Springfield, Illinois —it is fitting that the NAACP Image Awards continues its work towards greater inclusion for all members of the creative communities, and better quality news and entertainment programming for the audiences they serve each and every day.

THE NAACP IMAGE AWARDS BROADCAST The NAACP Image Awards initially broadcasted locally in Los Angeles on KHJ-TV (currently known as KCAL-TV).

In an effort for all of America to be educated on the diverse talents and contributions of African Americans in the industry and beyond, Willis Edwards, former president of the Beverly Hills/Hollywood Branch of the NAACP, persuaded then-NBC President Brandon Tartikoff to nationally broadcast the 19th NAACP Image Awards, which was held at The Wiltern in Los Angeles on December 14, 1986.

Originally, the Image Awards aired in a late night slot on NBC, but in subsequent years, audiences were able to view the show during primetime on FOX as well as on NBC. The NAACP collaborated with TV One to air the Image Awards from 2014 – 2019, marking a six-year partnership with the Black-owned cable network. This multi-layered relationship helped to expand the visibility of the NAACP and bring attention to its key message of promoting and protecting the political, educational, social and economic equality of all citizens in this country.

For the second consecutive year, the NAACP has partnered with BET Networks to broadcast the Image Awards, which will air live during a two-hour special on Saturday, March 27, 2021, at 8/7c. The virtual ceremony will recognize winners in selected categories and honor special award recipients for their activism.

73 | 5 2 n d N A A C P I m a ge Awa rd s

NAACP BOARD OF DIRECTORS

NATIONAL BOARD OF DIRECTORS

LEON W. RUSSELL

YVONNE WHITE

Chairman

Assistant Treasurer

KAREN BOYKIN-TOWNS

BENJAMIN L. HOOKS*

Vice Chairman

Executive Director/CEO Emeriti

DERRICK JOHNSON

MYRLIE EVERS WILLIAMS

President and CEO

Chairman Emeritus

JESSE H. TURNER JR.

ROSLYN M. BROCK

Treasurer

Chairman Emeritus

JANETTE MCCARTHY-WALLACE General Counsel/Secretary

HON. JULIAN BOND* Chairman Emeritus

ALPHONSO BRAGGS Assistant Secretary Akosua Ali Dr. Wendell Anthony Wandra Ashley-Williams Ophelia Averitt Honorable Fred Banks Jr. Dr. William Barber II Gary Bledsoe Barbara Bolling-Williams Dr. Amos Brown Debra Brown Ericka Cain Rick L. Callender Juan M. Cofield Carolyn Q. Coleman Raoul Cunningham Michael A. Curry Ray Curry Rev. Theresa A. Dear Dedric L. Doolin Elder Edward DuBose

Dr. Hazel N. Dukes Katherine T. Egland Scot X. Esdaile Charnell Ferguson James Gallman John Gaskin III George Gresham Wendell J. Harris Sr. Ron Hasson Morandon Henry Alice Huffman Leonard James III Howard Jefferson Thomas L. Kalahar Alan B. Lazowski William Lucy Tyler McBride DeJoiry McKenzie-Simmons Kyra Mitchell Helen Myers

Adora Obi Nweze Rev. Dr. James C. Perkins Rabbi Jonah Pesner Bishop Dennis V. Proctor Dwayne Proctor Ph.D. Steven Ricard Madie Robinson Traelon Rodgers Peter Rose Alfred Rucks Benard Simelton Richard T. Smith Rev. Dr. Gina Stewart Gloria Sweet-Love Bishop Marvin F. Thomas Sr. Michael T. Turner Rev. David Walker Ra’Vynn Waters Robin Williams

*Deceased

74 | 52 nd Annual NA A C P Im ag e Aw ard s

NAACP FOUNDATION

OFFICERS DR. DWAYNE PROCTOR

GEORGETTE DIXON

Chairman

Vice Chairman

JANETTE MCARTHY WALLACE

DERRICK JOHNSON

General Counsel/Secretary

President and CEO

THOMAS L. KALAHAR Treasurer

BOARD OF TRUSTEES Pamela Alexander Dr. John E. Arradondo Maya J. Bermingham Alaina C. Beverly Lori George Billingsley Larcine Bland Zafar J. Brooks Chaka Burgess Brittney Calloway Angela Dorn Ed Foster-Simeon Patrick R. Gaston Dr. Garth Graham James Harris Gerald Hudson

Shazzia Khan Tanya Leah Lombard Nate Miles Rev. Keith Norman Dr. Lonnie Randolph Barbara Sapp Davis Esther Silver-Parker Stephanie Silverman John Spinnato CeLois Steele Michael R. Twyman, Ph.D. LaChandra White Roy Levy Williams Kathleen Wilson-Thompson Carole Young

PRESIDENT’S CIRCLE Henry “Hank” Aaron* Hon. Laura D. Blackburne Myrlie Evers-Williams Earl Graves, Sr.* Dr. Marcella Maxwell, Ed.D *Deceased

75 | 52nd Annual NA A C P Im ag e Aw ard s

NAACP NATIONAL STAFF EXECUTIVE DERRICK JOHNSON

MANDY LEE Manager, Centering Equity in the Sustainable Buildings Sector

President & CEO

EUGENE BROWN

JACQUELINE PATTERSON Programs/Dir. Environmental & Climate Justice

Social Media Strategist/Special Assistant

FINANCE ROBERT BILLUPS Sr. Director, Controller

NAKITA BYRD Coordinator, Accounts Payable

EVENTS PLANNING

AQUEELAH DUNAWAY Executive Assistant, Scheduler

PAUL FERRELL Administrative Assistant

SADIE HARRIS Executive Assistant

GINA LAWRENCE Director for Events Planning

ERIS SIMS SHAWNESE MORRIS

Chief of Staff

Travel Coordinator

ACT-SO

TARICIA SAVAGE Senior Events Specialist

LARRY BROWN

ANGELA JOHNSON Coordinator, Accounts Receivable

YAEBRSRA “HAPPY” KASSAYE Manager, Accounts Payable

PARBATEE KHAN General Ledger Accountant

JUNKO KOBAYASHI Chief Financial Officer, Interim

NAZAR SCOTT Finance Manager

National Director, ACT-SO

FIELD AND MEMBERSHIP

JAMIE JONES-BRANCH NANCY BAILEY

Program Manager, ACT-SO

HENRY UBANNWA Manager, Accounts Receivable

Senior Member Service Relationship Manager

MONIQUE VANBUREN

BOARD BARBARA BROWN

QUINCY BATES

Executive Assistant

National Director, Governance & Engagement

Executive Assistant

DONALD WILDER DARNEL BROWN

Manager, Grants & Budgets

Constituents Services Assistant

CRISIS LOTTIE JOINER Senior Writer/Editor

DAWNELL CHAMBERS Call Center Representative, Data Entry

MARNESE JACKSON National Director, Advocacy

DEVELOPMENT ZOE LAFLEUR WILFREDO FLORENTINO

LEWIS CONAWAY Maintenance Grounds Tech

RONALD LAMYSSAIRE Administration/Incoming Mailroom Coordinator

Correspondence Coordinator

Senior Grants Manager

KEVIN MYLES ANTOINE HOLEMAN

GENERAL & ADMINISTRATIVE

National Director, Training

VP, Corporate Relations

HEALTH MARJORIE INNOCENT Director, Learning & Impact

KEVINNA SCOTT JOHN JACKSON

Call Center Specialist, Data Entry

Vice President, Major Gifts

FRANCESCA WEAKS Policy and Research Manager

BRITTANY SMITH EBONY RAY

National Democracy Fellowship

Manager, Individual Giving

CHRISTIAN TOLENTINO JESSIE SIGMON

Call Center Specialist, Technical Support

Director of Annual Fund

VICTORIA WALTZ Executive Assistant

PEPPUR TRIPPLET Civic Engagement Specialist

DENISE ABDUL-RAHMAN Region III and IV Field Organizer

JANE ENGLISH Program Manager

DAWNYELL HARRIS Administrative Manager

CYNTHIA HERRERA Systems and Evaluation Manager

76 | 52 nd Annual NA A C P Im ag e Aw ard s

ASHLEIGH ARMSTRONG Submissions Assistant

SHAWN WARD DUNLAP Call Center Specialist, Membership

KYLE BOWSER Senior Vice President, Hollywood Bureau

CARMEN WATKINS

ENVIRONMENTAL CLIMATE JUSTICE

CAROL ALEXANDER Television Coordinator, Submissions

Corporate Relations Manager

DREYA THOMPSON

HOLLYWOOD BUREAU

Senior VP. Membership Growth and Unit Sustainability

JAMAL WATKINS

BRITTANY COOPER Administrative Assistant

JUNIE HARRIS

VP, Civic Engagement

Submissions Manager

AUDREY WATSON

ROBIN HARRISON

Call Center Specialist, Constituent Services

DOMINIK WHITEHED Vice President, Campaigns

VP, Hollywood Bureau

SEPTEMBER HILL Program Manager, Advocacy and Outreach

NAACP NATIONAL STAFF JAI MCCORKLE Executive Assistant

MARKETING & COMMUNICATIONS MARC BANKS

MICHAEL PORTER

MILDRED ROXBOROUGH Special Assistant SCF

National Press Secretary

STRATEGY Senior Program Manager, Inclusive Economy

Literary Coordinator, Submissions

ROBIN ROBINSON

ABA BLANKSON

Motion Picture Coordinator, Submissions

Chief Marketing and Communications Officer

QUINTAN SIMS

JONAH BRYSON

Program Manager, Special Projects

Associate Press Secretary

TIARA WILSON

SHADAWN HAMMONS

Project Coordinator

Executive Assistant

CHARLES WILSON

SHUNKECIA LEWIS

Music Coordinator, Submissions

Manager, Web Content

DAWN CHASE LISA MALONE Manager, Policy-Advocacy

YUMEKA RUSING Chief Strategy Officer

TECHNOLOGY GAVIN HECK

INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY

VANESSA MBONU

JOHN ADAMS

AUSTYN ROSS

Digital Director

MONTAY HENSON

IT Specialist, Help Desk

Salesforce Representative

Public Relations Specialist

DERRICK JONES

HENRY McKELVEY

CHARDEE SCOTT

IT Director, Security

VP, Information Technology

Manager, Multimedia

DENZIL KELLY

DAMION McKENZIE IT Developer, Salesforce

IT Coordinator, Help Desk

TOVON WILLIAMS

IT Manager, Salesforce and Special Projects

Senior Vice President, Marketing & Communications

TIM LUM

LEGAL

OFFICE OF CHIEF OF STAFF

ANSON ASAKA

INDIA ARTIS

Assistant General Counsel

ANTHONY ASHTON

PAULA EDME

S’ENCE TURNER IT Manager, Help Desk

Director, Governance

ANNA-KATHRYN BARNES

OPERATIONS

Assistant General Counsel

VALERIE COOPER

KRISTI GARRETT

Administrative Coordinator

IT Manager, Enterprise Systems

LILLIAN DAVIS

AMBER THOMAS

Legal Support Specialist

Vice President, Operations, Effectiveness and Improvements

VICTOR GOODE

SAMANTHA THOMAS

Assistant General Counsel

Executive Assistant

TIA LAWSON KOBIE LAYNE

ARMANI MARTIN Salesforce Representative

Manager, Archives

Director of Affirmative Litigation

Paralegal

Salesforce Representative

WASHINGTON BUREAU CAROL KAPLAN Senior Analyst

ADAM LEE Office Operations Manager

HILARY SHELTON SVP, Policy-Advocacy & Director, Washington Bureau

JACQUELYN WARD-RICHARDSON Manager, Grant Services

OPERATIONS/TECHNOLOGY/ HUMAN RESOURCES

YOUTH & COLLEGE

DENESE CARROLL

RUSSELL BOYD

Law Fellow

MCCARTHY-WALLACE

Chief Operations Officer/Chief Technology Officer

Advocacy & Field

General Counsel, Interim

PEOPLE AND CULTURE

ALEXANDRA RALEIGH Law Fellow

LANITA ROSS

SHANTAY BROWN Senior HR Generalist, Advisory and Operations

Special Assistant to General Counsel

JOSEPH SCHOTTENFELD

CYNTHIA DUNYOH Senior HR Generalist, Advisory and Operations

Law Fellow

MARTINA TIKU

MICHELLE KESS Human Resources Business Partner Advisory & Operations

Fellow, Equal Justice Works

BRYAN WILIAMS Human Resources Manager

SCF FUNDRAISING 77 | 52 nd Annual NA AC P Im ag e Aw ard s

WISDOM COLE Interim, National Director

DERRICK LEWIS Advocacy & Field

THE QUARANTINE EFFECT: THE PANDEMIC AND SOCIAL ACTIVISM PUT BLACK FILMS IN THE SPOTLIGHT

BY D. AILEEN DODD

Spike Lee’s Da 5 Bloods on Netflix shared a Black narrative on the Vietnam War and Lee Daniels’ The United States vs. Billie Holiday on Hulu depicted the bittersweet life of Lady Day. (Andra Day won a Golden Globe for Best Actress for her riveting performance). Steve McQueen, director of the Oscar-winning 12 Years a Slave, examined immigrant life in the diaspora in his five-part series Small-Axe on Amazon.

Lesser-known Black filmmakers with promise also saw their stars rise. Audiences discovered refreshing films on Netflix like Radha Blank’s comedy 40-Year-Old-Version, which got rave reviews.

As the global pandemic began to sweep through the nation last spring, the luster of the Hollywood film industry started to fade.

Weekend dinner and movie dates were scrapped as families opted to shelter in place in front of their big screens, finding comfort and plenty to watch on streaming services.

Mike Morris, the Atlanta Black Film Festival’s “Filmmaker of the Year,” had two projects elevated by Amazon in 2020, including The Other Side, which first launched on YouTube. Morris said streaming services are welcoming Black films. “It is very deliberate in the marketing. You see more Black faces,” he said.

“They are giving us a platform to tell our stories. You no longer have to wait for Hollywood.”

The exodus of moviegoers left the nation’s cinemas cloaked in darkness like the final act of an apocalyptic flick complete with eerie silence, a wasteland of empty seats, stacks of popcorn and candy piled on shelves, and oddly immaculate theater floors.

With lockdowns impacting Hollywood studios and the economy in California suffering, Georgia soon emerged as an industry leader, creating new opportunities for COVID-19 testing watchdogs and movie crews to coexist.

Fast forward a year later and the winners and losers of the television and film industry’s race for an audience in 2020 are apparent: U.S. box office revenues have plummeted by nearly 80 percent, making China the world’s biggest market for movie ticket sales. And the global film industry is bracing for a $32 billion loss, Omdia research shows. But streaming services are upending industry norms with the shift of powerhouse movies from theaters first to HBO Max, Disney +, and Amazon first.

And Netflix is scoring big with Shonda Rhimes’ record-setting Bridgerton, watched by 82 million households worldwide, proving again that Black talent is profitable.

“Georgia was the first state to release a best practice guide in conjunction with the industry so that TV and movies could get back to work in the state,” said Marie Hodge Gordon, spokesperson for the Georgia Department of Economic Development. “With streaming services going strong, demand for content is higher than ever.”

“Hollywood blockbusters have been the biggest losers in the pandemic,” said Stephane Dunn, director of the film program at Morehouse College. “Schedules got thrown off when things shut down. It took months for COVID protocols to be developed, so very few big action productions have been able to come back in full.”

And even with the resurgence of drive-in movie nights, the communal experience of movie-going was also lost in 2020, Dunn adds. “There is a certain enjoyment in sitting in a darkened theater with other folks watching a new film that people are excited about, like Get Out with audiences yelling at the screen, and Black Panther when Chadwick Boseman finally made his appearance. That was special.”

The sudden closure of most of the nation’s 5,477 cinemas, the travel bans canceling movie premieres, and the quarantines halting productions quieted Hollywood studios in the first year of the pandemic, setting the stage for another frontrunner in the race for audiences. Independent filmmakers stepped into the spotlight. And they came prepared with pre-packaged projects in the pocket to fill the demand for content on streaming services.

The work of Black filmmakers was given prime real estate on streaming services in the wake of the Black Lives Matter Movement, which was happening simultaneously. The cultural value of Black films aligned with the collective call from protestors demanding justice, equity, and an end to systemic racism. The films also provided a way for non-Black audiences to discreetly study the Black experience.

In January, more than 50 scripted film and television projects were underway and stage space in metropolitan Atlanta’s biggest studios was getting snapped up quickly, Gordon said.

New York also reported modest improvements in November as television series filming returned.

The hiatus from filming gave artists time to study and create, making personal productivity an unsung winner in 2020’s industry highlights.

Javicia Leslie, who made history as the first African American actress to play Batwoman, said that she enrolled in online acting workshops and volunteered. “I didn’t have as many distractions as I would normally have, so I could build on myself as an artist.”

Inspired by the progress of Black female directors such as Regina King and her acclaimed film One Night in Miami, writer/ filmmaker Dunn of Morehouse, said she wrote two books and a screenplay. “A lot of people were making art in ways they wouldn’t have made it if they hadn’t been in quarantine,” she said. “Creativity was bigger.”

Director Korstiaan Vandiver kept working, too. His screenplay on the murder of Tamir Rice won seven awards in 2020, and he says he powered through a COVID-19 diagnosis, recovered, and wrote a feature script, a book, and filmed a pilot that is getting buzz.

But Vandiver is not convinced that filmmaking for Black artists got any better in the pandemic or that the visibility some enjoy will lead to substantial change for others when Hollywood is back to business as usual. “There is a surge of Black artists coming in waves, but the ceiling is still glass,” he said. “Until we tackle the distribution system and how we are viewed in terms of value as Black artists, we will never get over the hump.”

ARTISTS HEALING THROUGH MUSIC

BY CHARLES D. WILSON The pandemic has taken a toll on the average American and those who dare to create. Musicians are in the people business and feed off of the transactions between their art and fans. The COVID-19 pandemic has limited everyday activities for musicians, like studio time, jam sessions, video shoots, and live performances. Artists faced sudden and necessary changes to slow the coronavirus spread, and some really took an emotional and mental rollercoaster as they had to make quick livelihood adjustments. Many artists took up new hobbies, caught up on sleep, and spent time with family.

However, mental health was of the utmost importance for artists who had to maneuver through the pandemic.

Rapper Guapdad 4000 stated in a recent interview that during the shutdown, he kept everything in-house. He and his manager sat down and brainstormed different content ideas they could do while being shut down. Guapdad soon curated “RONARAPS,” where he picks an instrumental beat, freestyles 16 bars, and releases it every Friday. For him, this was a way to release consistent content and remain mentally stimulated.

One of the most immediate and popular ways musicians are overcoming the pandemic is through their virtual platforms.

Many of them are becoming more invested in using social media to interact with their followers. Artist Tory Lanez created “Quarantine Radio,” an Instagram live series of video chats with everyday fans coupled with music. In March 2020, after feeling alone in his house, DJ D-Nice curated “Couch Party,” later called “Club Quarantine” on the Instagram live stream as well. The New York-born DJ gained immediate exposure when he effortlessly played music for 12 hours straight on Instagram, gaining shoutouts from celebrities like former First Lady Michelle Obama and current President Joe R. Biden Jr. Some musicians are pushing themselves to adapt to previously unfamiliar ways to stay connected. Some artists have turned towards Twitch, a live streaming platform for gamers. Others have used Google Hangout and Zoom to engage with fans and connect on a more personal level.

Singer SZA has curated a phone chatline for people to call and literally scream or cry as a way to release from the stress of COVID-19.

Offline musicians have used their downtime for development.

Many artists have reached out to other artists in the industry to collaborate. R&B legends Charlie Wilson and Smokey Robinson recorded a duet during the pandemic titled “All of My Love.”

Artists have also embraced a foreign term to most of them, “me time.” Also, embracing a new understanding and compassion for people. Many artists dedicated tributes to the Black Lives Matter movement through song and visual— artist H.E.R. released “I Can’t Breathe,” an amazing ode to George Floyd who was tragically killed in Minneapolis at the hands of a cop. Other artists focused their musical efforts on protesting police brutality. Hip Hop artist D Smoke and R&B singer Sir recorded “Let Go,” and rappers DaBaby and Roddy Rich recorded a remix to their “Rockstar” catered towards their support for Black Lives Matter.

No matter the approach, these musicians and many other artists used their talent to create songs that helped them and their fans mentally power through the problems brought on by the pandemic, and as a result, it made life feel a lot more hopeful and full of possibilities for the future.

ZOOM/NETFLIX PARTY SHARING OF CONTENT AS A SOCIAL EVENT Quarantine and social distancing in response to the COVID-19 pandemic left many craving human connection as even the most ordinary gatherings were discouraged by public health experts. In the absence of in-person events, many turned to technology to find digital platforms to recreate social experiences. 2020 saw the emergence of Netflix Parties: web browser extensions allowed groups to virtually get together to watch Netflix titles on their computers simultaneously. The extension also included a chat feature to share thoughts and reactions, allowing friends and families to reimagine movie night! Soon, other streaming services started offering similar functions, and the phenomenon extended outside of intimate social circles. Theaters and organizations hosted their own virtual movie nights, often enhancing the virtual events with streamed Q&As, special appearances, and complementing lectures. It’s tough being separated from friends and family, but these social events permitting communal screening mirrored a modicum of daily life that many desperately needed. Though social distance became a necessity in 2020, movie night’s communal experience evolved thanks to technology.

HOW THE NOVEL CORONAVIRUS REFRAMED THE DOOR TO MENTAL HEALTH BY: REBEKKA L. HUGHES, MA. LPC Long before the pandemic, mental health providers and advocates were fighting to eliminate the stigma surrounding mental health care as countless people around the world were experiencing psychological distress at growing rates.

The year of 2020 did not come with a script to prepare for the lockdowns and subsequent isolation created by the novel coronavirus, COVID –19. The virus created a worldwide trauma that led to an increase in levels of depression, anxiety, financial stress, insecurities, loneliness, feelings of hopelessness and new stressors like unplanned homeschooling and professionals working from home. As the virus began to fracture the economy, individuals began to experience losses at rapid rates with COVID-19 deaths, loss of employment, and the loss of normalcy. The new year quickly blew in storms of continued uncertainty with an increase in symptoms of distress related to the vaccine, leaving people uncertain of what the spring and summer may bring.

We are now at a significant moment in the future of mental health as policies, legislation and insurance coverage related provisions have finally brought our mental health crisis out of the darkness and into the light, no longer to be taken for granted.

Virtual telehealth practices have expanded and access to mental health providers has grown as providers around the world have created new ways to connect and interact with their clients and begin to prepare for the unknown long term psychological and emotional effects the virus may have on mental health.

It is true that mental health professionals were never trained on how to respond to a global pandemic. The focus has always been on mental wellness and human connection with the world around us. However, we have learned that in times of crisis, new things can occur, traumatic changes may develop, and unprecedented levels of distress can affect everyone in a different way.

Mental health professionals have been trained to be empathetic, to listen, and to provide support for people through some of the most difficult and challenging life circumstances. The door to mental health has been reframed and these professionals will continue to step up to the invisible front line and meet their clients where they are to provide evidence-based perspectives of hope into the future.

ARTHOUSE THEATERS & INDEPENDENTS ADJUST TO THE PANDEMIC BY: LELA MEADOW-CONNER

While Hollywood was disrupted by the pandemic in ways that will forever change the industry, the independent film world – festivals and art house cinemas – inherently entrepreneurial, quickly figured out ways to engage their audiences, support filmmakers and exhibit new content – from virtual screenings to the drive-in.

In Wichita, Kansas, mama.film – a village at the crossroads of arts and advocacy where storytellers and changemakers come together to champion humanity through a maternal gaze – continued to exhibit and create content by mission-aligned artists. Creating conversation around shared experiences, especially during this global phenomenon, through the medium of on-screen storytelling is and will remain, more important than ever. Whether mama.film was hosting a zoom conversation with Prentice Penny and local winemaker Jenny Dawn Cellars about Uncorked, showcasing films like The Fight and Juneteenth in its virtual cinema, returning to their microcinema with socially-distanced screenings of MLK/ FBI, John Lewis: Good Trouble or Our Right To Gaze: Black Film Identities, or heading to the Drive-In with Sundance Film Festival selections and Minari, discovering new (and old) ways to utilize media as a convener and community building device is essential.

Many organizations had an opportunity to reevaluate their missions during 2020. While in-person experiences were paused, mama.film realized that they could support mission-aligned artists who are capturing these moments in time, in both the curation, but also the creation of the stories they are telling: a web series, Quarantine, I Love You, and podcast, Feminist Foremothers, were born from the pandemic. The independent film industry remains critical to uplifting diverse voices and finding them audiences, who are hungry for content with a human connection, that exists beyond an algorithm.

EDUCATORS AS ESSENTIAL WORKERS

FACEBOOK POST FROM A FRONTLINE WORKER

In March 2020 when school buildings closed, professional educators across the country stepped up to create a new infrastructure for the nation’s students. From K-12 to higher education, they designed new structures, systems, policies and procedures to recreate the sacred space of learning in a virtual world. These professionals found the resources to mimic classrooms in their own homes and endeavored to address huge inequalities in the system to pursue educational equity for their students. These professionals set about developing new skills to safeguard against major learning loss for their students, all while managing their own loss and their own families.

I have kept these thoughts and feelings inside but feel like I want to share. The nights at work have been really difficult for me and my coworkers in NYC. It’s physically, mentally, and emotionally draining working in the COVID ICU. For the first time in my career, I came home from work and sobbed. Coworkers have been sick; others are scared.

I pray I don’t get this virus and bring it home to anyone I love or care about. I’m literally in pain all over from working tirelessly, often without a break. Tensions have been high, everyone is frustrated, including the nurses who came in town to help us. I’m strong; I’m the optimist and the one who believes everything will be alright. But today, I feel weak, I feel pessimistic, I feel like everything isn’t going to be alright, and it is overwhelming. Please keep us all prayed up. I know this too shall pass. And to my fellow front-line workers, it’s ok to not be ok sometimes. I try to hold back sharing because I don’t want to burden anyone else with the life I chose. I’m passionate about healthcare and serving those who are at their sickest. We are called to this, and we are warriors. We will make it through even if we cry along the way.

BY: JOLON MCNEIL

Families began to understand why these educators were so essential. Classrooms are a safe space for many children.

This is where here they have meals, learn to socialize and have room to grow and develop under the watchful eye of their beloved teachers. The nation quickly realized that educators perform a range of duties that were necessary for the success of our nation’s goal to “get back to normal.”

Our reliance on educators has amplified now, demonstrating that their work is an essential building block in our nation’s foundation. Beyond the need for school buildings to reopen safely, sooner rather than later, in order to re-establish the routine of “going to school” for the positive socialization of our kids, schools reopening mean that caretakers can return to work. It gives children that much needed break for growth and development. The truth is, if school buildings don’t fully open, our communities won’t fully be restored. And if we want schools to reopen, we can only do that by focusing on the educators as essential workers.

BY: CHRISTIAN COLEMAN, BSN, RN

To those who have battled the virus or have family members who are battling, my heart and prayers go out to you. It’s so difficult going through this rough time separated from friends and family. Speaking to family members to try and update them on how their loved one is doing; having a family member ask you to whisper words of encouragement, prayer, and love to their loved one who is fighting for their life is so moving because you know they would rather be delivering the message themselves. The heartbreak of those who have lost someone but can’t physically be there to get peace or closure is more than I can imagine. I pray that I am doing my part to bring you all some form of peace, and I pray for your strength as well!

Let people know that you love and care for them (from at least 6ft away, please), stay home if you can, and protect yourself if you can’t. I love you all!

FACEBOOK POST FROM A FRONTLINE WORKER BY: ALLISON ROSS RN, BSN

When I graduated from BethuneCookman University with my nursing degree, I took to heart the words of our founder Mary McLeod Bethune who expected graduates to heed her staunch challenge: Enter to learn; depart to serve.

For almost thirty years, I have done just that by providing patients from all walks of life with the best care possible. But when COVID-19 arrived, everything shifted. In order for me to truly serve my patients, I had to become more, do more, be more.

With the pandemic limiting hospital visitations, I had to serve as a family member, personal counselor, caregiver, housekeeper, aide, etc. Of course, it wasn’t just me taking on these additional roles. Healthcare providers all over the world had to perform every duty necessary for their patients’ betterment. To say the least, caring for those in need during this unique time in history has been emotionally complex. It’s been unsettling, heartwrenching, frightening, and yet rewarding because I’m able to give more than my best, and in the words of my beloved Mary McLeod Bethune, “the progress of the world will call for the best that all of us have to give.”

INTRO TO TELEVISION + STREAMING

W EDN ES D AY | MAR C H 24 , 2021 Welcome to the third night of the 52nd NAACP Image Awards Presentations, the Virtual Experience. Tonight, we begin the Television + Streaming categories. Known to be one of the largest genres for the Image Awards, these categories are spread across multiple nights.

The very special Founder’s Award will be presented tonight to Toni Vaz who created the Image Awards name and is credited as one of its founders.

To participate virtually, please register for the 52nd NAACP Image Awards Presentations, the Virtual Experience sponsored by Wells Fargo at www.naacpimageawards.net.

Program highlights include: • The NAACP Young Creatives discussion hosted by Miles Brown with visual artist, Tyler Gordon.

• The Inside the Industry discussion will focus on the NAACP and the Television Academy: “The people who bring you the Emmys.”

• Tonight will begin our Virtual Red Carpet and a special backstage content with the winners.

Presenters for this evening are Retta and Reno Wilson (Good Girls), CeCe Winans “Never Lost,” and Nicole Beharie (Miss Juneteenth).

Introducing our categories is actor Damson Idris, star on FX’s Snowfall.

TELEVISION + STREAMING TELEVISION + STREAMING TELEVISION + STREAMING TELEVISION + STREAMING

OUTSTANDING NEWS/INFORMATION (SERIES OR SPECIAL)

“AM Joy: Remember John Lewis Special”

“Desus & Mero: The Obama Interview”

(MSNBC)

“The ReidOut” (MSNBC)

“The Color of Covid” (CNN)

(SHOWTIME)

“The New York Times Presents: The Killing of Breonna Taylor” (FX NETWORKS)

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TELEVISION + STREAMING TELEVISION + STREAMING TELEVISION + STREAMING TELEVISION + STREAMING

OUTSTANDING TALK SERIES

“Red Table Talk”

“The Daily Show with Trevor Noah”

(FACEBOOK WATCH)

“The Oprah Conversations” (APPLE TV+)

(COMEDY CENTRAL)

“The Shop: Uninterrupted”

“The Tamron Hall Show”

(HBO)

(SYNDICATED)

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TELEVISION + STREAMING TELEVISION + STREAMING TELEVISION + STREAMING TELEVISION + STREAMING

OUTSTANDING HOST IN A TALK OR NEWS/INFORMATION (SERIES OR SPECIAL) – INDIVIDUAL OR ENSEMBLE

Don Lemon

Jada Pinkett Smith

Joy Reid

“CNN WITH DON LEMON”

“RED TABLE TALK“

“THE REIDOUT”

(CNN)

(FACEBOOK WATCH)

(MSNBC)

LeBron James

Trevor Noah

“THE SHOP: UNINTERRUPTED“ (HBO)

“THE DAILY SHOW WITH TREVOR NOAH” (COMEDY CENTRAL)

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TELEVISION + STREAMING TELEVISION + STREAMING TELEVISION + STREAMING TELEVISION + STREAMING

OUTSTANDING HOST IN A REALITY, REALITY/ COMPETITION, GAME SHOW OR VARIETY (SERIES OR SPECIAL) – INDIVIDUAL OR ENSEMBLE

Alfonso Ribeiro

Iyanla Vanzant

RuPaul Charles

“AMERICA’S FUNNIEST HOME VIDEOS”

“IYANLA: FIX MY LIFE”

“RUPAUL’S DRAG RACE“

(ABC)

(OWN)

(VH1)

Steve Harvey

W. Kamau Bell

“CELEBRITY FAMILY FEUD“ (ABC)

“UNITED SHADES OF AMERICA WITH W. KAMAU BELL” (CNN)

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A M E R I C A’ S F U N N I E S T H O M E V I D E O S

P R O U D LY C O N G R A T U L A T E S ALFONSO RIBEIRO

A M E R I C A N B R O A D C A S T I N G C O M PA N I E S , I N C . A L L R I G H T S R E S E RV E D

O N H I S N O M I N AT I O N F O R O U T S TA N D I N G H O S T *

AT T H E 5 2 N D N A A C P I M A G E A W A R D S * O U T S T A N D I N G H O S T I N A R E A L I T Y/ R E A L I T Y COMPETITION GAME SHOW OR VARIET Y (SERIES OR SPECIAL) – INDIVIDUAL OR ENSEMBLE

R

TELEVISION + STREAMING TELEVISION + STREAMING TELEVISION + STREAMING TELEVISION + STREAMING

OUTSTANDING REALITY PROGRAM, REALITY COMPETITION OR GAME SHOW (SERIES)

“Celebrity Family Feud”

“Iyanla: Fix My Life”

(ABC)

(OWN)

“United Shades of America with W. Kamau Bell” (CNN)

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“Shark Tank” (ABC)

“Voices of Fire” (NETFLIX)

TELEVISION + STREAMING TELEVISION + STREAMING TELEVISION + STREAMING TELEVISION + STREAMING

OUTSTANDING VARIETY (SERIES OR SPECIAL)

“8:46”

“Black Is King”

(NETFLIX)

(DISNEY+)

“The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air Reunion” (HBO MAX)

“VERZUZ” (APPLE MUSIC)

“Yvonne Orji: Momma I Made It!” (HBO)

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FOUNDER’S AWARD FOUNDER’S AWARD FOUNDER’S AWARD SPECIAL AWARDS

PRESENTED BY

YVETTE NICOLE BROWN Actress, Writer, Producer

FOUNDER’S AWARD Yvette Nicole Brown is an actress, writer, producer and host best known for her series-regular roles on the television shows: Community, The Mayor and The Odd Couple. She has also appeared and often recurred on shows as varied as Drake & Josh, A Black Lady Sketch Show and Girlfriends among many others.

Brown starred in the critically acclaimed and NAACP Image Awards-winning six-hour BET miniseries The New Edition Story and made appearances in films such as Dreamgirls, Tropic Thunder, Repo Men and Avengers: Endgame. In 2019 she completed the indie film, Broken Diamonds, and starred as “Aunt Sarah” in the Disney+ live action remake of Lady and the Tramp.

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In addition to acting, Yvette is also in demand as a host. She has guest co-hosted shows such as The View, The Talk and Access Hollywood. She has also appeared on just about every game show known to man, winning thousands for many grateful contestants and her favorite charities. Her extensive voiceover career includes previous series regular roles on Elena of Avalor, Pound Puppies and DC Super Hero Girls to name a few.

Extraordinarily talented as a singer, Brown was signed to Motown Records in her teens and was featured on the Motown album “The East Coast Family Vol.1,” which included the Top 20 single, “1-4-All-4-1.” As a part of the East Coast Family, a group of

talents discovered by Michael Bivins of New Edition and B.B.D. fame, Brown appeared on MTV, Showtime at the Apollo, VH1 and BET. She is also a 2020 NAACP Image Awards nominated writer for Always a Bridesmaid, the romantic comedy she penned that is currently streaming on Netflix.

Yvette believes in philanthropy and civic engagement, and she proudly sits on the National Boards of Donors Choose, Emily’s List, MPTF NextGen and SAG-AFTRA.

FOUNDER’S AWARD FOUNDER’S AWARD FOUNDER’S AWARD SPECIAL AWARDS

FOUNDER’S AWARD

TONI VAZ Co-Creator of NAACP Image Awards

Toni Vaz is a visionary pioneer whose ability to forge a path not yet created, much less traveled, led her to challenge the stereotypical images of African Americans in Hollywood by becoming one of the founders and creators of the NAACP Image Awards.

As a child of a strict Caribbean upbringing, Vaz, whose mother and father immigrated from Barbados to the United States before she was born, was encouraged to have limited boundaries and stay close to home.

Yet through her parents’ own migration story, they unconsciously and instinctively gifted Vaz with a fearless, adventurous spirit that led this single, Black woman to move across the country from New York City to Los Angeles during the 1950s.

Not long after her arrival in Hollywood, Vaz began working as an extra on movie sets and with no formal training, she eventually found herself performing daring stunts. Throughout her career, she appeared in more than fifty TV and film projects, including the television series Tarzan and movies such as The Singing Nun, Porgy and Bess, and Mission: Impossible where she was the stunt double for Cecily Tyson.

These parts gained her membership into the Screen Actors Guild (SAG), the American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (AFTRA) Union, and she’s an honorary member of the Black Stuntmen’s Association. She was a member of the 93 | 52 nd NAACP I m ag e Aw ard s

Screen Extra Guild (SEG), which controlled the extras at the studios from 1950s to 1990, and she served on the Screen Extra Guild Minorities Committee.

Despite the strides Vaz made, she found herself portraying certain types of roles that pigeonholed her career. She has stated that “in those days, the jobs Black people got were playing maids, hookers and Aunt Jemimas.” These caricatured depictions troubled Vaz, but instead of succumbing to Hollywood’s limiting lens, she fought against it. She became empowered and sought to counteract and combat the racist images.

As a member of the NAACP’s newlyformed Hollywood branch, based in Beverly Hills, Vaz helped to crystalize the idea of creating an event that would elevate the image of Black artists working in Hollywood. Vaz said, “We can play attorneys and doctors too. So, I thought, why don’t we change that image?”

With this single question that focused on ‘change,’ the Image Awards was born.

Vaz has stated that “the Image Awards were initially created to honor and thank various high-powered members in the entertainment business, including white producers, for allowing Black people to be portrayed in more positive roles; as well as to honor Black people for their acting achievements.”

Since that time, this celebration of Black

talent has grown from a small dinner gathering to a nationally televised live special that uplifts and celebrates the outstanding achievements and performances of people of color in film, television, music and literature. The Image Awards also recognizes and honors individuals or groups who promote social justice through their creative endeavors.

Throughout her life, Vaz has visited over fifty countries as a solo traveler – often going places where the natives had never seen a Black person. She also spent countless hours working in various communities, helping to improve the lives of people from all walks of life. In February 2006, while living in Las Vegas, Nevada, she received an award presented by then-Mayor Oscar Goodman and other representatives of the City of Las Vegas in acknowledgment of her outstanding achievements.

From her time growing up in New York City to her travels across the world, Toni Vaz caught a glimpse of the fullness of the Black experience, and by far, her most significant accomplishment has been helping to create the Image Awards in recognition of the expansive, beautiful Black culture. This single, yet monumental endeavor helped to change the narrative of African Americans throughout the entertainment industry, and her vision will be both honored and celebrated for many generations to come.

TELEVISION + STREAMING TELEVISION + STREAMING TELEVISION + STREAMING TELEVISION + STREAMING

OUTSTANDING GUEST PERFORMANCE IN A COMEDY OR DRAMA SERIES

Chris Rock

Courtney B. Vance

Dave Chappelle

“SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE”

“LOVECRAFT COUNTRY”

“SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE”

(NBC)

(HBO)

(NBC)

Issa Rae

Loretta Devine

“SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE”

“P-VALLEY” (STARZ)

(NBC)

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TELEVISION + STREAMING TELEVISION + STREAMING TELEVISION + STREAMING TELEVISION + STREAMING

OUTSTANDING BREAKTHROUGH CREATIVE TELEVISION

Katori Hall

Keith Knight

Ramy Youssef

“P-VALLEY”

“WOKE”

“RAMY”

(STARZ)

(HULU)

(HULU)

Rynelle Swilling

Teri Schaffer

“CHERISH THE DAY”

“CHERISH THE DAY”

(OWN)

(OWN)

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TELEVISION + STREAMING TELEVISION + STREAMING TELEVISION + STREAMING TELEVISION + STREAMING

OUTSTANDING CHILDREN’S PROGRAM

“Bookmarks: Celebrating Black Voices”

“Craig of the Creek”

“Family Reunion”

(CARTOON NETWORK)

(NETFLIX)

(NETFLIX)

“Raven’s Home” (DISNEY CHANNEL)

“We Are the Dream: The Kids of Oakland MLK Oratorical” (HBO)

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PROUDLY SUPPORTS AND CELEBRATES THE 52ND NAACP IMAGE AWARD® NOMINEES AND RECIPIENTS.

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TELEVISION + STREAMING TELEVISION + STREAMING TELEVISION + STREAMING TELEVISION + STREAMING

OUTSTANDING PERFORMANCE BY A YOUTH (SERIES, SPECIAL, TELEVISION MOVIE OR LIMITED-SERIES)

Alex R. Hibbert

Lexi Underwood

Lyric Ross

“THE CHI”

“LITTLE FIRES EVERYWHERE”

“THIS IS US”

(SHOWTIME)

(HULU)

(NBC)

Marsai Martin

Miles Brown

“BLACK-ISH” (ABC)

“BLACK-ISH” (ABC)

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TELEVISION + STREAMING TELEVISION + STREAMING TELEVISION + STREAMING TELEVISION + STREAMING

OUTSTANDING ANIMATED SERIES

“Big Mouth”

“Central Park”

“Doc McStuffins”

(NETFLIX)

(APPLE TV+)

(DISNEY JUNIOR)

“She-Ra and the Princesses of Power”

“Star Trek: Lower Decks”

(NETFLIX)

(CBS ALL ACCESS)

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TELEVISION + STREAMING TELEVISION + STREAMING TELEVISION + STREAMING TELEVISION + STREAMING

OUTSTANDING CHARACTER VOICE-OVER PERFORMANCE (TELEVISION)

Aisha Tyler

Courtney B. Vance

Dawnn Lewis

“ARCHER”

“HOLLYWOOD’S ARCHITECT:

“STAR TREK: LOWER DECKS”

(FX NETWORKS)

THE PAUL R. WILLIAMS STORY” (PBS)

(CBS ALL ACCESS)

Deon Cole

Laya DeLeon Hayes

“KIPO AND THE AGE OF WONDERBEASTS” (NETFLIX)

“DOC MCSTUFFINS”

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(DISNEY JUNIOR)

WARNER BROS. PICTURES thanks the NAACP Image Awards and proudly congratulates our nominees ®

NAACP IMAGE AWARDS® NOMINEE

Outstanding Animated Motion Picture NAACP IMAGE AWARDS® NOMINEES

Outstanding Breakthrough Performance in a Motion Picture

Jahzir Bruno

Outstanding Character Voice-Over Performance in a Motion Picture

Chris Rock

1 01 | 52 nd NAACP Im ag e Aw ard s W W W. W B AWA R D S . C OM

MOTION PICTURE MOTION PICTURE MOTION PICTURE MOTION PICTURE

OUTSTANDING ANIMATED MOTION PICTURE

“Onward”

“Over The Moon”

“Scoob!”

(WALT DISNEY STUDIOS MOTION PICTURES)

(NETFLIX)

(WARNER BROS. PICTURES)

“Soul”

“Trolls World Tour”

(WALT DISNEY STUDIOS MOTION PICTURES)

(UNIVERSAL PICTURES)

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MOTION PICTURE MOTION PICTURE MOTION PICTURE MOTION PICTURE

OUTSTANDING CHARACTER VOICE-OVER PERFORMANCE (MOTION PICTURE)

Ahmir-Khalib Thompson

Angela Bassett

aka Questlove

“SOUL”

Chris Rock “THE WITCHES”

“SOUL”

(WALT DISNEY STUDIOS MOTION PICTURES)

(WARNER BROS. PICTURES)

(WALT DISNEY STUDIOS MOTION PICTURES)

Jamie Foxx

Phylicia Rashad

“SOUL”

“SOUL”

(WALT DISNEY STUDIOS MOTION PICTURES)

(WALT DISNEY STUDIOS MOTION PICTURES)

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HBCUs

DISNEY RECRUITS HBCU TALENT

MY SENIOR YEAR AMID COVID-19:

HBCUs – We love them, we love them, we love them!

When HBCUs (Historically Black Colleges and Universities) were thrust into the national spotlight in 2020, Disney took notice and announced the creation of an employee-led task force to increase recruiting and hiring from these prestigious institutions. Strategically crafted and designed to develop career paths for talented students at various institutions, including Florida A&M University, Howard University, North Carolina A&T State University, and Hampton University, the task force is committed to educating HBCU students about the various mentorships, interns, and career opportunities at the media and entertainment company.

As part of the initiative, Disney hosted a virtual career session for HBCU students that exposed them to the company’s vast departments, functions, and subsidiaries under The Walt Disney Company umbrella. With this new program, Disney will bridge a partnership with HBCUs that will lead to better stories and innovations by fostering ideas and decisions from an inclusive group of people.

My dad always tells me that life is a series of defining moments.

Those moments have the potential to change my life’s trajectory. My defining moment came on March 13, 2020, when COVID-19 halted my senior year and caused a moment of pain for me. As I take time to reflect on this moment, my thoughts and emotions are defined by two words: perseverance and hope.

When Image Awards nominated actress Simone Missick worked in this chant on her show All Rise, it became clear that HCBUs had arrived in Hollywood.

Established in the 1800s to formally educate freed slaves, Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) have mostly flown under the radar of many Americans. But with the election of HBCU Howard University graduate Vice President Kamala Harris to the second highest position in America, they have recently been spotlighted in the media and are fast becoming known for producing some of the most powerful and prolific graduates spanning a wide range of industries, including entertainment.

There’s Oscar award-winning costume designer Hamptonian Ruth Carter, multiple award winners Howard University graduates Toni Morrison, Chadwick Boseman, Phylicia Rashad and Taraji P. Henson.

Additionally, FAMU alums Will Packer and Rob Hardy continue to produce NAACP Image Awards nominated content. In an interview Nick Cannon was asked “Why Howard?” to which the graduate replied: “Honestly I’m not here for a degree. I’m here because I have a real thirst for knowledge. I feel like that’s why we’re all here in this room.”

Despite the fact that corporations, media conglomerates, and the entertainment industry have all benefited from the creative talents of HBCU graduates, these colleges and universities were often seen as being subpar to PWI (predominantly white institutions). Now, however, HBCUs are being recognized. And with new eyes upon them, they will hopefully continue to see its graduates creating and developing new content, being behind and in front of the camera, singing, producing, writing literature, and ushing in a new era.

HBCUs – We love them, we love 1 04 | 52 nd them!

NAACP I m ag e Aw ard s them, we love

I persevered despite COVID-19. I was determined to stay the course and achieve the ultimate honor that my mom and dad pushed me for 18 years to achieve…graduating with honors from Lithia Springs High School. No matter how hard it was to stay motivated while quarantined and isolated from friends, teachers, and ROTC activities, I was steadfast in finishing strong. The end result was my graduation day on July 22, 2020, and seeing my dad cry and my mom smile… I did it! Lithia Springs High School Honors, STEM, and Board Honor Graduate.

My hope – my feeling of something positive – was fueled by my acceptance into Tuskegee University and the Army ROTC Program. On August 17, 2020, I set foot on the campus and started the next journey in my life. COVID-19 forced me to return home for the spring semester, but this chapter will end in 2024 with me becoming a TU graduate and an Army ROTC officer.

Both perseverance and hope will get me there, along with my school’s infamous yet encouraging phrase, “Whether it’s sunny or grey, we gonna ball and parlay... that’s the Tuskegee Way...”

We are marching to success!

COVID-19 can’t stop, won’t stop my determination!

2020 - THE YEAR OF THE HBCUS AND DIVINE NINE

When the 2020 election saw relatively unknown contender Kamala Harris entering the race, news outlets grew increasingly interested in not only her political platform, but also her college years at Howard University, a Historically Black College or University (HBCU) where she had become a member of the Divine Nine organization Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc. This led to HBCUs and Divine Nine organizations being in the spotlight and at the forefront of America’s culture.

FIVE FINGERS, ONE FISTOur Journey to Unity in 2020 National Pan-Hellenic Council, Inc. Responds The National Pan-Hellenic Council, Inc (NPHC) is an umbrella organization composed of the nine historically African-American sororities and fraternities. Despite the varied backgrounds of these organizations, the NPHC is poised to respond from a position of unity. Its purpose and mission are focused on unanimity of thought and to foster cooperative actions of its members in dealing with matters of mutual concern. This vision continues to drive the collective work of the NPHC as well as the Council of Presidents (COP).

For the 2020 Census, the NPHC created a strategic plan that focused on communities of color. Two National NPHC Committees were formed to support our work that was led by the Council of Presidents (COP). Understanding that collecting accurate numbers was about power and money, the NPHC’s engagement moved to a virtual and technology space when social distancing was implemented because of COVID-19. Our collective actions impacted the outcomes of 2020.

NPHC also has a national partnership with the NAACP and in collaboration with the political and social action committee, several events were organized and supported by our membership.

This collective team reached communities at the ground level. The COP used their national voices to appear in media and on radio to push the “Get Out to Vote” message. Our collegiate members were very active on their campuses, in a virtual space, educating and encouraging their peers to be involved with a plan to vote. They held summits and podcasts on the importance of the vote as well as the issues that were important to their generation. NPHC and the COP were an active partner with the Poor Peoples Campaign: A National Call for Moral Revival, led by Rev. William Barber II, as a thrust to expand the voting base. 2020 also provided an opportunity for NPHC and the COP to respond collectively to 1 05 | 52 nd NAACP Imag e Aw ard s

the Voting Rights Act by participating in the 55th Anniversary of Bloody Sunday in Selma.

COVID-19 required urgent education to our communities. NPHC was tasked with providing information about the coronavirus, safety measures to reduce the spread as well as resources to assist. This pandemic also shed light on how our lack of access to good quality healthcare over time made people of color more vulnerable to the virus. As the development of a vaccine became a reality, the concern moved to a focus on hesitancy and access. Our community has good reason from a historical perspective to have pause with new and rapidly developed vaccines. The lack of availability of vaccines in African-American communities is reoccurring today and is a part of the story. Another issue that the NPHC COVID-19 committee understands is that it must communicate the effect of these vaccines on the variants. Protecting our people and having them feel safe is our focus.

The social injustice and unrest were manifested in the tragic deaths of people of color in real time before our eyes. The NPHC unified to address society’s inequalities, and our young people led the fight for justice. Even during a pandemic, the advocacy and representation of the NPHC’s collegiate generation reflected the active engagement of the Generation X, Millennial and Generation Z young adults.

Collectively, 2020 was a time to educate, inform, and provide resources on topics to elevate our communities.

I am humbled to serve as the National President of the National Pan-Hellenic Council, Inc., and its commitment to collective action.

Vanetta Cheeks Reeder President, National Pan-Hellenic Council, Inc.

CHLOE X HALLE

ZOOM

JINGLE JANGLE:

Since 2012, we have heard the melodic voices and witnessed the growth and glow-up of R&B princesses Chloe x Halle. Learning to write songs at a young age from their dad, the ladies have morphed into R&B powerhouses, under the music tutelage of Beyoncé, often producing their own music. In June of 2020, these sisters let the world know they were grown women with their third studio album, Ungodly Hour. The album showcased their dive into deeper topics with songs that carried a more mature tone, sound, and lyrical content. However, with the album dropping during a global pandemic, Chloe x Halle were forced to find creative ways to market and share the album with the world.

In an effort to engage and mobilize voters in 2020, Black women artists partnered with Zoom to host a live table read series from early September through Election Day. “Zoom Where it Happens” provided free live entertainment to viewers while amplifying voting rights activism, increasing voting literacy, encouraging Census participation, and spotlighting Black talent. Streaming episodes featured a rotating all-Black cast that reimagined classic sitcoms with a Golden Girls episode starring Regina King, Tracee Ellis Ross, Alfre Woodard, and Sanaa Lathan serving as the inaugural reading that Gina Prince-Bythewood directed, Stephanie Allain produced, and Lena Waithe hosted. Subsequent episodes presented new interpretations of fan-favorite episodes from sitcom staples such as Friends, 227, Sanford and Son, and A Different World.

When Jingle Jangle: A Christmas Journey was released in November of 2020, it brought with it a refreshing twist on the traditional holiday story and set social media ablaze as Netflix’s first original live-action musical. Written and directed by playwright David E. Talbert, the film instantly became a hit and holiday classic by addressing a void in the family holiday movie cannon as it celebrated the African diaspora. Talbert’s “AfroVictorian” vision brought elements of the African culture to every aspect of the production, from the music, dancing, characters, to wardrobe.

INNOVATIVE ARTISTS

This dynamic duo turned their home tennis court into a magically versatile stage on which they produced amazing performances.

Chloe x Halle redefined the backyard concert and delivered quality and unique productions for numerous awards shows, The US Open, NPR Tiny Desk, BET Awards and Billboard Women in Music, while maintaining a solid run of exposure for the album. With their well-crafted sets, fashion forward outfits, spectacular light shows, and curated visuals, they have set the bar for virtual performances that was unmatched. Like their album cover, these angles came ready to “Do It” in 2020 and their mark was made.

WHERE IT HAPPENS TABLE READS

After providing an evening of laughs, audience members were introduced to civil rights organizations, cast members offered personal reflections on voting’s significance, and there were discussions on the importance of voting. At a time when many were still quarantined in their homes, these civic minded table reads celebrating Black culture provided community and entertainment while fostering civic engagement.

A CHRISTMAS JOURNEY

The film’s elaborately staged musical numbers featured Afrocentric beats and choreography reminiscent of Black fraternity and sorority stepping and tribal dance. Characters wore natural hairstyles inspired by true Black Victorian fashion, and period costume designs were mixed with authentic African patterns from Ghana and Nigeria. This unapologetic display of Black joy and culture was the perfect end to a challenging year.

Celebrating Black excellence.

American Airlines is proud to sponsor the 52nd NAACP Image Awards®.

American Airlines and the Flight Symbol logo are marks of American Airlines, Inc. © 2021 American Airlines, Inc. All rights reserved.

INTRO TO RECORDING

T H U RSDAY | MARC H 25, 2021 Welcome to night four of the 52nd NAACP Image Awards Presentations, the Virtual Experience. Tonight, we allow the melodies to permeate the air as we celebrate the music and style of the Recording category.

Then, we will dribble to a new beat and recognize one of the Jackie Robinson Sports Award recipients, the Women’s National Basketball Players Association.

To participate virtually, please register for the 52nd NAACP Image Awards Presentations, the Virtual Experience sponsored by Wells Fargo at www.naacpimageawards.net.

Program highlights include: • The NAACP Young Creatives discussion hosted by Miles Brown with singer, Kelvin Dukes.

• The Inside the Industry discussion will focus on the NAACP and the Recording Academy, home of The Grammys.

• Tonight we will have the Virtual Red Carpet and special backstage content with the winners.

Presenters for this evening are Marcus Scribner, MAJOR., Method Man, and Tamar Braxton.

Introducing our category is award-winning artist CeCe Winans who is nominated for Outstanding Gospel/Christian Song “Never Lost” (Pure Springs Gospel).

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RECORDING RECORDING RECORDING RECORDING

OUTSTANDING NEW ARTIST

Chika

D Smoke

Doja Cat

(WARNER RECORDS)

(WOODWORKS RECORDS/EMPIRE)

(RCA RECORDS/KEMOSABE)

Giveon (EPIC RECORDS)

Skip Marley (ISLAND RECORDS/ TUFF GONG RECORDS)

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RECORDING RECORDING RECORDING RECORDING

OUTSTANDING MALE ARTIST

Big Sean

Black Thought

Charlie Wilson

(DEF JAM RECORDINGS/G.O.O.D

(REPUBLIC RECORDS)

(P MUSIC GROUP/BMG)

MUSIC)

Drake

John Legend

(REPUBLIC RECORDS)

(COLUMBIA RECORDS)

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MARVIN GAYE

MARVIN GAYE’S BATTLE TO RELEASE “WHAT’S GOING ON” AND ITS RESULTING ENDURING LEGACY “What’s Going On” is easily one of the most iconic songs of the 70s and an example of an artist using his platform to provide commentary on current events.

In 2004 and 2010, the song ranked #4 on Rolling Stone’s list of “The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time.”

However, if it were up to Berry Gordy, “What’s Going On” would have never been released. Marvin Gaye’s somber reflection on America’s civil unrest and the Vietnam War was a radical shift from the Motown Sound driving the studio’s success. The political lyrics risked alienating the mainstream audience Motown had meticulously cultivated over the years. Still, Gaye was undeterred by the studio executives’ unenthused reception. Through determination, wit, and a little stealth, he ensured the single’s release, which became the fastest-selling record in the studio’s history.

In 1971, Motown Records was the most influential Black-owned music company, with over 100 hits and a lineup of talent destined to be music icons. Critical to its financial success was the studio’s ability to make universal music with broad appeal.

The label balked at the idea that music could be confined to race. Instead, they were “the sound of young America,” and it became their mission for Motown songs to flood the American airwaves. They deployed strategies designed to cleverly bypass gatekeepers’ racial bias, like hiring white salesmen to work in the Southern regions and creating album covers without their artists. It worked. Motown accomplished what no other Black label had been able to do—they integrated radio. Despite a racially divided country, Motown artists enjoyed a crossover audience, but that fandom wasn’t guaranteed. Worried studio executives counseled Gaye that a drastic change in style and message was risky.

Their fears weren’t unfounded. At that time, other prominent Black artists were facing backlash for their protest songs. Nina Simone’s “Mississippi Goddam,” a powerful condemnation of the 16th Street Baptist Church bombing and Medgar Evers assassination, was banned by radio stations throughout the US. Angry radio executives destroyed promotional singles and returned them to the studio. James Brown’s rousing call to “Say it Loud – I’m Black and I’m Proud” was answered with a significant decline in his crossover audience. Berry Gordy and the Motown executives had a point. Releasing the single in a racially charged America, exhausted by war and poverty, could be detrimental to Gaye’s career and the studio’s reputation.

Motown refused to release the track.

Gaye wouldn’t accept the decision. Personal turmoil and a renewed social consciousness sparked a musical revival.

Gaye had too much to say not to press forward. He notified studio executives he wouldn’t record another song until his single was released. Eventually, it hit the airways, securing

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its place in history. The single sold-out the day of its release, moving more than 100,000 copies. Gaye would later record an entire album with the same name that explored similar social themes. It, too, would have commercial and critical success. The album remained on the Billboard charts for a year, and Rolling Stone dubbed it “Album of the Year.”

This year Motown celebrates the 50th anniversary of the still relevant, “What’s Going On.” It’s hard to imagine that this song about the turmoil of a nation would be part of the soundtrack of social injustice and selfexpression in 2020. As Black creatives make strides for better representation and mainstream recognition, they work to keep their identity and create music to move a new generation. To achieve this, many artists have turned to owning their own labels, being independent publishers and having more control over their projects.

Currently, there are artists who are independent, those who have used their experiences to create a better opportunity or those who have ultimate control. Chance the Rapper challenged the status quo, turned down offers and had award shows changing their rules to have him eligible. He remains an independent artist. Lizzo and Ledisi both started out as independent artists and proved their worth through their talent and willingness not to bend and change who they were to make it to the charts. They now enjoy success and have spread their wings into other areas of entertainment. Drake created a lane for himself with a deal to release his music through Apple and not mainstream outlets. Tech 9nine has a fan base that will rival the Beyhive but has carved out an area to be one of the top independent hip hop artists around.

While Gaye paved the way for creatives to use their platform to voice concerns and spotlight genuine artistry, obstacles still remain, but inspiration can be found in his journey to publish “What’s Going On.” It’s a musical triumph that eloquently captured the turbulence of the times and the harrowing cries of a weary generation. But it’s also the triumph of young Black artists cultivating their voice, protecting their art, and standing in their power. Gaye knew the risks when he demanded the song be released. He knew he could lose fans, suffer backlash, or even trigger the end of his career, but he did it anyway. The legacy of “What’s Going On” is a striking illustration of what can be achieved when creatives unapologetically proclaim their identities and experiences.

RECORDING RECORDING RECORDING RECORDING

OUTSTANDING FEMALE ARTIST

Alicia Keys

Beyoncé

H.E.R.

(RCA RECORDS)

(PARKWOOD ENTERTAINMENT/

(RCA RECORDS/

COLUMBIA RECORDS)

MBK ENTERTAINMENT)

Jazmine Sullivan

Ledisi

(RCA RECORDS)

(LISTEN BACK ENTERTAINMENT/ BMG)

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RECORDING RECORDING RECORDING RECORDING

OUTSTANDING DUO, GROUP OR COLLABORATION (TRADITIONAL)

Alicia Keys ft. Jill Scott

Chloe x Halle

“JILL SCOTT”

“WONDER WHAT SHE THINKS OF ME” (PARKWOOD ENTERTAINMENT/ COLUMBIA RECORDS)

(RCA RECORDS)

Jimmy Jam & Terry Lewis ft. Babyface “HE DON’T KNOW NOTHIN’ BOUT IT” (BMG)

Kem ft. Toni Braxton

Ledisi ft. PJ Morton

“LIVE OUT YOUR LOVE” (MOTOWN RECORDS)

(LISTEN BACK ENTERTAINMENT/BMG)

“ANYTHING FOR YOU”

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RECORDING RECORDING RECORDING RECORDING

OUTSTANDING DUO, GROUP OR COLLABORATION (CONTEMPORARY)

Alicia Keys ft. Khalid

Big Sean ft. Nipsey Hussle

“SO DONE”

“DEEP REVERENCE”

“DO IT”

(RCA RECORDS)

(DEF JAM RECORDINGS/ G.O.O.D MUSIC)

(PARKWOOD ENTERTAINMENT/COLUMBIA

Jhené Aiko ft. H.E.R.

Chloe x Halle RECORDS/)

Megan Thee Stallion ft. Beyoncé

“B.S.”

“SAVAGE REMIX”

(DEF JAM RECORDINGS)

(300 ENTERTAINMENT/1501 CERTIFIED ENT. LLC)

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RECORDING RECORDING RECORDING RECORDING

OUTSTANDING HIP-HOP/RAP SONG

“Cool Off”

“Deep Reverence”

MISSY ELLIOTT

BIG SEAN FT. NIPSEY HUSSLE

“Laugh Now, Cry Later” DRAKE

(ATLANTIC RECORDS)

(DEF JAM RECORDINGS/ G.O.O.D MUSIC)

(REPUBLIC RECORDS)

“Life Is Good”

“Savage Remix”

FUTURE FT. DRAKE (EPIC RECORDS)

MEGAN THEE STALLION FT. BEYONCÉ (300 ENTERTAINMENT/ 1501 CERTIFIED ENT. LLC)

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RECORDING RECORDING RECORDING RECORDING

OUTSTANDING SOUL/R&B SONG

“Anything For You”

“B.S.”

LEDISI

JHENÉ AIKO FT. H.E.R.

BEYONCÉ

(LISTEN BACK ENTERTAINMENT/ BMG)

(DEF JAM RECORDINGS)

(PARKWOOD ENTERTAINMENT/ COLUMBIA RECORDS)

“Do It”

“Black Parade”

“I Can’t Breathe”

CHLOE X HALLE

H.E.R.

(PARKWOOD ENTERTAINMENT/ COLUMBIA RECORDS)

(RCA RECORDS/MBK ENTERTAINMENT)

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For as much as VERZUZ would be considered the preeminent form of “Quarantainment” by millions of viewers and countless tastemakers, it didn’t need the global pandemic to be as big of a culture-defining hit as it is.

What it did need was two visionaries with a healthy competitive streak who were innovative enough to grace a different kind of stage and go song-forsong until the audience crowned a victor.

Those visionaries—Swizz Beatz and Timbaland—broke ground and presented a whole new venue for icons to celebrate one another and compete with VERZUZ. “I always knew VERZUZ would get people’s attention, because we all have a competitive spirit,” affirms Swizz.

“Tim and I gave them that energy by going at it and talking smack. The spirit only kept growing. Crowds want to see competition. That’s why sports are alive.

That’s why drama is alive. It’s an escape from reality. Instead of doing this in a malicious way, we did it musically and creatively.”

It came to life when the unofficial inaugural VERZUZ happened during Swizz’s 2018 set at Hot 97 Summer Jam. He invited Tim to join him for a “Producer Clash” battle as the audience roared. Two years later, on March 24, 2020, Tim set it off with an infamous Instagram post, “It’s official. We doing this for the culture. Me and Swizzy gon’ go at it 10 o’clock, baby.

IG Live. It’s gonna be a good one.”

They knew it would be a good one, but nobody expected it would go over five

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hours and reach an apex of 22,000 live viewers.

“One day, I was taunting him on Instagram, and he was like, ‘I see what you’re doing’,” recalls Timbaland. “So I called him and said, ‘Remember what we were talking about? We should just do it right now!’ He jumped in his car, and I was in my studio. We didn’t expect anything.

We didn’t have a game plan. We just knew we had everybody’s attention, so we gave them some entertainment and a bit of love during a horrible time.”

They did not quit giving them entertainment for the next 12 months and counting. Within a month, they were generating unheard-of and unprecedented viewership— over 600,000 for Teddy Riley vs.

Babyface, 1 million for Erykah Badu vs. Jill Scott, 3.2 million for Beenie Man vs. Bounty Killer, and so on and so forth. After a bidding war, they attracted the attention of Apple Music and entered into a high-profile streaming partnership in June 2020.

appearance during Brandy Vs. Monica, which attracted a staggering 4.2 million viewers at its peak. Neither Swizz nor Tim can believe a near two-decade feud between Gucci Mane and Jeezy cooled on VERZUZ in front of 5.5 million. Oh, and Stacey Abrams even called in just before the celebration.

“Everything is in God’s timing,” observes Tim. “We never looked back. We moved with everything. That’s how I knew we were destined to do this.”

With the NAACP nomination, NFL version, and more on the horizon, the little competition between Swizz Beatz and Timbaland has upended virtually every preconceived notion.

“VERZUZ is music, and music is VERZUZ,” Swizz leaves off. “We’ve showed there are no restrictions, age or otherwise, on greatness. As long as you’re creative, your music is great, and your talent is what you were born to do, we don’t put any limits on our culture. We had to give everybody love, life, and their due.”

Now, there’s only one thing left to do…

“Apple allowed us to give people different outlets to watch VERZUZ on,” adds Swizz. “Instead of just viewing it on your phone, you could watch it on TV in HD. Artists were able to release music on our show too. That was something new for us. Shout out to Apple and Larry Jackson for that support; it’s all love.”

“Tim and I haven’t seen each other in person since we started VERZUZ,” Swizz confesses.

It wasn’t just music fans who gravitated to VERZUZ, either. History-making Vice President Kamala Harris—at the time a candidate—made a much-talked-about

VERZUZ

“We haven’t seen each other, but the love is being felt,” Tim smiles. “And I’m going to see you soon, though!”

BY: RICK FLORINO

RECORDING RECORDING RECORDING RECORDING

OUTSTANDING GOSPEL/CHRISTIAN SONG

“All in His Plan”

“Never Lost”

“Something Has To Break”

PJ MORTON (MORTON INSPIRATION/ TYSCOT RECORDS)

CECE WINANS (PURE SPRINGS GOSPEL)

KIERRA SHEARD FT. TASHA COBBS-LEONARD (KAREW/RCA INSPIRATION)

“Strong God”

“Touch From You”

KIRK FRANKLIN (FO YO SOUL RECORDS/ RCA RECORDS)

(TILLYMANN INC)

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TAMELA MANN

RECORDING RECORDING RECORDING RECORDING

OUTSTANDING INTERNATIONAL SONG

“Blessed”

“Lockdown”

“Pressure (Remix)”

BUJU BANTON

ORIGINAL KOFFEE

(ROC NATION RECORDS)

(PROMISE LAND RECORDINGS)

ORIGINAL KOFFEE FT. BUJU BANTON (PROMISE LAND RECORDINGS)

“Tanana”

“Temptation”

DAVIDO FT. TIWA SAVAGE

TIWA SAVAGE

(RCA RECORDS/SONY MUSIC U.K./ DAVIDO WORLDWIDE ENTERTAINMENT)

(MOTOWN RECORDS)

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RECORDING RECORDING RECORDING RECORDING

OUTSTANDING GOSPEL/CHRISTIAN ALBUM

“Chosen Vessel”

“Gospel According to PJ”

“I Am”

MARVIN SAPP

PJ MORTON

KORYN HAWTHORNE

(RCA INSPIRATION)

(MORTON INSPIRATION/ TYSCOT RECORDS)

(RCA INSPIRATION)

“Kierra”

“The Return”

KIERRA SHEARD (KAREW/RCA INSPIRATION)

THE CLARK SISTERS (KAREW/MOTOWN)

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RECORDING RECORDING RECORDING RECORDING

OUTSTANDING MUSIC VIDEO/VISUAL ALBUM

“Anything For You”

“Black is King”

“Brown Skin Girl”

LEDISI

BEYONCÉ

BEYONCÉ FT. WIZKID, SAINT JHN,

(LISTEN BACK ENTERTAINMENT/ BMG)

(PARKWOOD ENTERTAINMENT/ COLUMBIA RECORDS)

BLU IVY CARTER (PARKWOOD ENTERTAINMENT/ COLUMBIA RECORDS)

“Do It”

“I Can’t Breathe”

CHLOE X HALLE (PARKWOOD ENTERTAINMENT/ COLUMBIA RECORDS)

(RCA RECORDS/MBK ENTERTAINMENT)

H.E.R.

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OUTSTANDING OUTSTANDING OUTSTANDING

RECORDING SOUNDTRACK/COMPILATION RECORDING SOUNDTRACK/COMPILATION RECORDING SOUNDTRACK/COMPILATION

RECORDING

OUTSTANDING SOUNDTRACK/COMPILATION OUTSTANDING SOUNDTRACK/COMPILATION ALBUM

“Insecure: Music from the HBO Original Series”

“Jingle Jangle: A Christmas Journey”

VARIOUS ARTISTS

VARIOUS ARTISTS

(ATLANTIC RECORDS)

(ATLANTIC RECORDS)

“Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom (Music from the Netflix Film)”

“Soul Original Motion Picture Soundtrack”

BRANFORD MARSALIS

TRENT REZNOR, ATTICUS ROSS, JON BATISTE AND TOM MACDOUGALL (WALT DISNEY RECORDS)

(MILAN)

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RECORDING RECORDING RECORDING RECORDING

OUTSTANDING JAZZ ALBUM INSTRUMENTAL

“Be Water”

“Music From and Inspired By Soul”

CHRISTIAN SANDS (MACK AVENUE MUSIC GROUP)

“Omega” IMMANUEL WILKINS (BLUE NOTE RECORDS)

JON BATISTE (WALT DISNEY RECORDS)

“Reciprocity”

“The Iconoclast”

GEORGE BURTON

BARRY STEPHENSON

(INNER CIRCLE MUSIC)

(INDEPENDENT)

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RECORDING RECORDING RECORDING RECORDING

OUTSTANDING JAZZ ALBUM (VOCAL)

“Donny Duke and Wonder”

“Holy Room Live at Alte Oper”

NATHAN MITCHELL (ENM MUSIC GROUP)

“Pulling Off The Covers” MIKE PHILLIPS (SONO RECORDING GROUP)

SOMI (SALON AFRICANA)

“Stronger” EFF BRADSHAW (BONE DEEP ENTERPRISES)

“The Eddy (From The Netflix Original Series)” VARIOUS (ARISTA RECORDS)

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IMPACT OF SPORTS

ATHLETES & ACTIVISM: THE TOLL OF 2020

BY CARLTON HENRY Social activism and sports have always been intertwined. Our minds are filled with the imagery of historic figures from Jackie Robinson breaking the color barrier to John Carlos and Tommie Smith raising their fists for equality during their Olympic win.

Muhammad Ali was convicted of draft evasion and stripped of his heavyweight title. Sports are often a microcosm of the world and often reflect the current conflicts of society. The year 2020 would set the stage for a return to activism that would invoke thoughts of years past.

The coronavirus pandemic was bearing down on the country.

It was wreaking havoc on our medical system and nearly crippling our economic system. Sports, much like the rest of the country, were reeling. The NBA, NHL, MLB and NASCAR seasons were delayed. Major events such as NCAA’s March Madness, the Master’s Golf tournament and the Olympics were postponed. What we normally use to escape our everyday trouble, sports, was now in peril. Little would we know that upon their return, we would see the catalyst for a movement.

The political climate was toxic. Donald Trump’s presidency had produced four years of divisive policies and racially charged rhetoric. The country was divided, and racial tensions were high.

The killings of Ahmaud Arbery and Breonna Taylor in early 2020 were the latest examples of unarmed innocent Black people being murdered. Their deaths sparked outrage throughout the country. The lack of empathy and accountability brought the conversations of social injustice and police brutality back to the forefront. This election cycle seemed more important than ever with the soul of a nation at stake. George Floyd’s murder pushed many over the edge.

Footage of Floyd’s arrest went viral and instantly sparked worldwide outrage and protests. Multiple athletes came out publicly and condemned the deaths. Thousands protested in the streets of major Black cities such as New York and Detroit, as well as places such as Minneapolis and Portland that are less known for their Black populations.

Initially, some players were torn on coming back for competition or continuing to work on the movement. Kyrie Irving argued that resuming the NBA season could possibly mute the momentum of the Black Lives Matter (BLM) movement. Others argued that by using their platform they could amplify the movement with its reach, especially during a pandemic with all eyes on them. Some fans who use sports as an “escape” wanted the players to “stick to sports” or “shut up and dribble.”

with social justice messages. LeBron James partnered with the “More Than a Vote,” which focused on improving voter turnout and reducing voter suppression.

The Atlanta Dream owner Kelly Loeffler, a Republican Senator, spoke out against Black Lives Matter, calling the movement divisive. She felt the messaging deterred from the games.

Her players took her comments as dismissive and supported her opponent, Raphael Warnock who was competing for her senate seat. After polling initially at 9%, the additional visibility and attention galvanized Warnock’s campaign and helped to unseat Loeffler. The Atlanta Dream was recently sold to a group that includes Renee Montgomery, a former player who initially opted-out to focus more on social injustice initiatives.

The NBA was not the only sport/figure who spoke out against social injustices. Rising tennis star, Naomi Osaka was very vocal about athletes’ rights to protest. She even pulled out of the semi-finals of a tournament. When Bubba Wallace, one of the only African-American NASCAR drivers had a reported noose hanging in his garage, many other drivers came to support Wallace.

For years, the NFL was silent on the BLM movement. They unofficially blacklisted former NFL quarterback, Colin Kaepernick for kneeling, which he used as a sign of being against police brutality and racism. After the video of George Floyd was released and the subsequent protests, commissioner Roger Goodell admitted that they should have listened to Kaepernick’s peaceful protest.

On July 23rd, Major League Baseball hosted its opening day and featured the BLM logo prominently on the pitcher’s mound. They, even with a checkered past of racism, supported the right of their players to kneel.

Now that most national sports outlets and many of their players across cultures have acknowledged the movement, what does that truly mean? Does it mean that racism will change in America? Probably not. However, it is a step in the right direction, if it’s not considered a fad. If players and the leagues use their platforms as a tool to educate, maybe some will think twice or consider a better world that does not include racism, police brutality and overall social injustices.

Upon its return to the courts, the WNBA and NBA both embraced the BLM movement. Players showed solidarity by kneeling during the national anthem. They also donned jerseys

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NIKE VIDEO

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1 2 9 | 5 2 nd NAACP I m ag e Aw ard s

JACKIE ROBINSON SPORTS AWA JACKIE ROBINSON SPORTS AWA JACKIE ROBINSON SPORTS AWA SPECIAL AWARDS

PRESENTED BY

JEMELE HILL Journalist

The NAACP Jackie Robinson Sports Award is presented to individuals in sports for their high achievement in athletics in addition to their contributions in the pursuit of social justice, civil rights and community involvement.

JACKIE ROBINSON SPORTS AWARD Emmy Award-winning journalist, Jemele Hill is the co-founder of Lodge Freeway Media and a contributing writer for The Atlantic.

In April of 2019, Hill debuted a new podcast on Spotify called Jemele Hill is Unbothered.

Unbothered explores the news of the day and the intersectionality between the worlds of sports, politics, music, identity and culture. Unbothered is an honest, thought-provoking, always-entertaining analysis of American life, discussed in real-time as it unfolds. Previous guests include Senator Kamala Harris, Ava DuVernay, Common, Ice Cube, Spike Lee and Soledad O’Brien.

On April 15, 2020, Hill along with Van Lathan, launched the podcast, The Wire: Way Down in the Hole. The podcast will break down every episode on the HBO classic series. The podcast recaps the show, points to critical foreshadowing, highlights signature moments and hands out “signature” awards.

1 30 | 52 nd NAACP Im ag e Aw ard s

Hill currently co-hosts a weekly nightly talk show with her longtime friend, former ESPN anchor, Cari Champion on the Vice Network called Cari & Jemele: Stick to Sports. The show will cover politics, sports, news, current events and pop culture.

Prior to joining The Undefeated, Hill co-anchored the 6 p.m. SportsCenter with Michael Smith, which debuted in February 2017 as a more personalitydriven approach to the traditional SportsCenter.

Hill originally joined ESPN in 2006 as a national columnist for ESPN.com. Her profile gradually rose as she began to make appearances on television, including SportsCenter, First Take, Around the Horn, The Sports Reporters and Outside the Lines. She also spent a season as a sideline reporter for ESPN college football games. Her foray into daily television began in 2013, when she and Smith began co-hosting the daily sports discussion show, His & Hers, which sprang from their popular podcast of the same name.

Before joining ESPN, Hill was a sports columnist for the Orlando Sentinel from 2005-2006 – the lone African American female sports columnist in the country. From 1999-2005, she served as a sports writer with the Detroit Free Press, covering Michigan State football and basketball. Hill began her career in 1997 as a general assignment sports writer for the Raleigh News & Observer.

In August 2018, the National Association of Black Journalist awarded Hill with Journalist of the Year Award. In July 2016, Hill participated in Emmy Awardwinning The President and the People: A National Conversation – a one-hour town hall with President Barack Obama on race relations, justice, policing and equality.

A native of Detroit, Hill graduated from Michigan State University in 1997 with a degree in journalism and a minor in Spanish. In November of 2019, Hill married Ian Wallace.

JACKIE ROBINSON SPORTS AWA JACKIE ROBINSON SPORTS AWA JACKIE ROBINSON SPORTS AWA SPECIAL AWARDS

JACKIE ROBINSON SPORTS AWARD

WOMEN’S NATIONAL BASKETBALL PLAYERS ASSOCIATION

Over twenty years ago, in November 1998, a group of WNBA players joined forces and made a historic move by organizing and voting to form the first sports union for professional women athletes. Named the Women’s National Basketball Players Association (WNBPA), this labor organization not only serves as a resource that helps players achieve their professional and personal goals, but it has also unified to address social issues.

Five months after its creation, the WNBPA elected Coquese Washington as its first and founding president. It also marked the first time a collective bargaining agreement (“CBA”) was negotiated and approved in women’s professional sports. Since then, through the ratification of other agreements, the WNBPA has gone on to reach unprecedented milestones that have benefited the lives of its members.

The most recent CBA, negotiated under the leadership of WNBPA President Nneka Ogwumike, commenced last season and runs through 2027. The CBA features investments by the league and its teams, enhancements to the overall player experience, resources specifically designed to support women, as well as a commitment to implement an integrated marketing plan leaguewide. Foremost among the deal terms is a 53 percent increase in total cash compensation, consisting of base salary, 1 31 | 52 nd NAACP Im ag e A w ard s

additional performance bonuses, prize pools for new competitions, and league and team marketing deals. Under the new CBA, the league’s top players will be able to earn cash compensation in excess of $500,000, representing a more than tripling of the maximum compensation under the prior deal.

Additional highlights include improved travel accommodations and child care benefits, as well as expanded offseason career development opportunities.

The landmark agreement also features a more robust and equitable revenuesharing model based on league revenue growth.

From the CBA negotiations that govern all aspects of the players’ employment to agent certification that regulates and educates those representing the players and from legal representation that advocates for players to serving as a liaison that addresses concerns and achieve resolutions, the WNBPA plays an all-encompassing role in the lives of its members. It fully invests in their development as a player and as a person by continuously encouraging them to participate in activities that will enhance their leadership skills, global community outreach and advocacy initiatives.

Their collaborative efforts reached a pinnacle when the social unrest of 2020 led the WNBA and WNBPA to launch a new platform, The Justice Movement,

and create the WNBA/WNBPA Social Justice Council. The mission: to be a driving force of necessary and continuing conversations about race, voting rights, LGBTQ+ advocacy, and gun control amongst other important societal issues.

Determined to advance social justice, players have supported the “Black Lives Matter” movement by wearing special uniforms that displayed Breonna Tayor’s name. “Black Lives Matter” was proudly printed on the front of NIKE-branded warm-up shirts, and it also has been prominently displayed on courts during games. Additionally, they gave support to the “Say Her Name” campaign, which was launched by AAPF (the African American Policy Forum) to bring awareness to the women and girls who have been victimized by police brutality and racial violence.

These groundbreaking agreements and collaborative efforts, both on and off the court, between the Women’s National Basketball Players Association and the WNBA have charted a new course for women’s basketball – and women’s sports overall. The transformational leadership of the WNBPA Board of Player Representatives and the WNBPA Executive Committee, demonstrates a new decade in all of professional sports, and it is the women of basketball who are leading the way.

RECORDING RECORDING RECORDING RECORDING

OUTSTANDING ALBUM

“ALICIA”

“b7”

ALICIA KEYS

BRANDY

JOHN LEGEND

(RCA RECORDS)

(BRAND NU/EONE)

(COLUMBIA RECORDS)

“Chilombo”

“Bigger Love”

“The Wild Card”

JHENÉ AIKO

LEDISI

(DEF JAM RECORDINGS)

(LISTEN BACK ENTERTAINMENT/BMG)

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RECORDING RECORDING RECORDING RECORDING

OUTSTANDING PRODUCER OF THE YEAR

Donald Lawrence

Hit-Boy

Sean Keys

Jathan Wilson

TM88

1 3 3 | S pon s or ed By

HUMAN/CIVIL RIGHTS ACTIVISTS

SPORTS LEGENDS

Al Edwards

Bob Ryland

Alfred M. Rankin

Bobby Mitchell

Airickca Gordon-Taylor

Cliff Robinson

Bruce Boynton

Dianne Durham

Charles Evers

Elgin Baylor

David N. Dinkins

Fred “Curly” Neal

Drew Days III

Gale Sayers

Fred L. Davis

Henry “Hank” Aaron

Hon. John Lewis

K.C. Jones

Marcus Garvey Jr.

John Chaney

Meredith C. Anding Jr.

John Thompson

Rev. Darius L. Swann

Kamala “The Ugandan Giant”

Rev. James L. Netters Sr.

Leon Spinks

Rev. Dr. Joseph E. Lowery

Lou Brock

Reverend C.T. Vivian

Marvelous Marvin Hagler

Hon. Ruth Bader Ginsburg

Rafer Johnson

Vernon Jordan

Rocky Johnson Roger Mayweather Shad Gaspard

NOTABLE

Tarvaris Jackson

B. Smith

Wes Unseld

Barbara C. Harris Barbara Neely Bishop Harry Jackson Jr.

WRITERS/JOURNALISTS

Danny Tidwell

Cheryl A. Wall

Don “Campbellock” Campbell

Eric Jerome Dickey

Douglas Turner Ward

Gil Bailey

Earl G. Graves Sr.

Paul H. Brock

Herman Cain

Grace F. Edwards

Joe Clark

Horace Edward “Steve” Carter Jr.

Katherine Johnson

Irv Cross

Rev. Dr. Frederick K.C. Price

Lawrence Otis Graham

Robert Ashby

Roscoe Nance

Theodore Gaffney Wilson Roosevelt Jerman

1 34 | 52 nd NAACP Im ag e Aw ard s

FILM/TV PERSONALITIES

Jimmy Heath

Adolfo ‘Shabba-Doo’ Quiñones

John “Ecstasy” Fletcher

Ashley ‘Ms. Minnie’ Ross

Johnny Nash

Bert Belasco

Little Richard

Carol Sutton

Mary Wilson

Chadwick Boseman

Malik “Malik B” Abdul-Basit

Chi Chi DeVayne

McCoy Tyner

Cicely Tyson

Pamela Hutchinson

Earl Cameron

Pop Smoke

Esther Scott

Prince Markie Dee

Ja’Net DuBois

Sam “The Man” Burns

Jas Waters

Steve “Stezo” Williams

Marion Ramsey

Troy Sneed

Marc Wilmore

Wallace Roney

Natalie Desselle Reid Naya Rivera Nikita Pearl Waligwa Reginald Brown Thomas Jefferson Byrd Timothy Brown Tommy “Tiny” Lister Yaphet Kotto

MUSIC Andre Harrell Antoine Hodge Bishop Rance Allen Betty Wright Bill Withers Bonnie Pointer Bunny Wailer Duranice Pace Charley Pride Ellis Marsalis Jr. Frederick “Toots” Hibbert

1 35 | 5 2 nd NAACP I mag e Aw ard s

VICTIMS Ahmaud Aubry Breona Taylor Daniel Prude George Floyd Rayshard Brooks

THE SOARING SPIRIT OF

BREONNA TAYLOR

By Juliana Jai Bolden

March 13th of 2021 marked one year since Louisville Metro police in plainclothes entered the home of Breonna Taylor unannounced by force—executing an erroneous “no-knock” search warrant for a suspect who was already in custody—and fatally shot the 26-year-old Emergency Room Technician eight times inside her own home.

Her boyfriend, Kenneth Walker, who was with her at the time, reasonably feared a home invasion, and fired one shot, wounding one of the officers. Two of the three returned fire, plus a third started shooting blindly through Breonna’s door and window.

One year later, the very image of this lovely young woman has rocked the world to its cultural core: a proudly, uniformed healthcare professional, in which all of us may see ourselves, especially those of us who are Black women, like Breonna.

So where are we now? This year during the NAACP Image Awards, we reflect on this twisted, rollercoaster of a year, since members of Louisville Metro took this beloved essential worker from her loved ones.

A Tale of Two Pandemics The painfully familiar aftermath of Taylor’s untimely demise—yet another unarmed Black citizen dead at the hands of excessive, unwarranted police force—brought the expected: lawful demonstrations hijacked by criminal elements aiming to derail and deflect legitimate cries for justice; and days dragging on with no arrests, no charges, no accountability.

Killing after killing of unarmed Black citizens by police continued to pepper news cycles with hardly a charge or any accountability in sight, prompting many Black folks to recognize two pandemics besieging us at once: COVID-19 and racially-charged violence.

Meanwhile, navigating naysaying COVID and racism deniers compounds the stress of the everyday microand-macro aggressions of #livingwhileblack.

Then two months after officers in Louisville, Kentucky, killed Breonna Taylor, distressing and grisly video footage of George Floyd dying under the cruel-andunusually callous knee of former Minneapolis Police officer Derek Chauvin surfaced.

1 36 | 52 nd NAACP I mag e Aw ard s

Let’s be clear: This knee on this dying man’s neck was far from the first killing of this nature seen on camera.

COVID-19 shut-downs, however, had focused many of our Breonna-raw nerves and attentions on screens at the same time—breathing collective, multicultural gasps at the 8 minutes and 46 seconds of casual, knowing heinousness laid bare for all the world to see.

And pretty much all the world stood up, hit the street with mostly-masked faces, and a resounding “Black Lives Matter” demand to stop killing Black people.

Black Lives Matter demonstrators poured into streets at historic, global proportions—moments which have since garnered BLM founders a Nobel Peace Prize nomination—with countless images of Floyd, Taylor and more victims killed by excessive police force.

Murals continue to appear across cities, memorializing two of the highest profile victims of police killings to date.

Perhaps most notable, however, is how images of Breonna would come to play a game-shifting role in the ongoing journey toward justice for her killing.

Heated Calls Across Social Platforms to Arrest Breonna’s Killers Put Louisville on Blast The public’s engagement of Breonna Taylor’s visual image and creative invocations of her very name

across social media (as well as on the ground), put Louisville in a hotter seat than such authorities ever expected to find themselves. The unprecedented groundswell documented a collective consciousness, connection, and outrage at the crass umbrage of authorities. Authorities, that is, showed zero urgency in holding anyone accountable for her death as if Taylor’s life had zero value.

THE SOARING SPIRIT OF BREONNA TAYLOR cont.

By Juliana Jai Bolden

While subsequent developments yielded such travesties of justices as insufficient charges and lack of convictions, finally—finally—some felt, more of the world was standing up with Black people for one of too many Black women killed by police wielding excessive force.

Images of Black women standing up for Black Lives, Civil Rights, Human Rights, and more deck the halls of long past and recent history. But the very substantial number of Black girls and women victims of excessive force by police garners a mere fraction of the media

to make sure stories of Black women and girls lost to such violence do not go untold.

While one may expect some disparity, given certain circumstances and/or availability of footage, the disparity between the highest profile cases involving Black male victims and those involving Black female victims—Sandra Bland (893 stories) and Breonna Taylor (1,173 stories)—is alarming.

How to Honor Breonna, According to Her Mother The spirit of Breonna Taylor continues to soar like a patron saint of social justice for Black women. We must speak up for increased awareness of and accountability for violence against every Black woman and Black girl. Refuse to allow these victims to be afterthoughts anywhere along the broad quest for justice.

Ms. Taylor is a sorely missed medical professional.

Gunned down during a global pandemic, essential workers like her and her colleagues are serving like soldiers on the frontlines of the war against COVID-19, which to date has claimed more than a half-million American lives and more than two million worldwide.

coverage received by the Black boys and men for whom we fight, love and support.

Say Her Name—Again and Keep Saying It Black women are killed by police at disproportionately high numbers, says a recent Datalogue study (https:// www.newsy.com/stories/the-data-that-shows-westill-don-t-say-her-name/), yet even the best-known cases are not readily known by the public and continue to be overlooked by the largest media outlets. Problematic, considering media coverage is how most learn about current events and/ or verify information they see posted on social media.

Analyzing coverage across five major news media companies (CNN, New York Times, Los Angeles Times, The Washington Post, Newsy/Scripps), the September 2020 study found that the combined group of the 21 most widely recognizable Black female victims of police killings in recent years has more than two times fewer media impressions (2,516 stories) than Michael Brown alone (7,191 stories), and more than three times fewer than George Floyd (9,185 stories). Such conditions led to the launch of the African American Policy Forum’s #SayHerName campaign, which aims 1 37 | 52 nd NAACP Im ag e A w ard s

Those of us still here are blessed with another day to keep doing the work, as Breonna’s Tamika Palmer reminded us during a February 2021 speaking engagement, the Hudson County Review reports: “In each city, you can find so much work to do: continue to fight, the good fight.”

“To honor Breonna is to keep going,” her mother continued, “to keep people remembering her name.”

SOCIAL MEDIA PERSONALITY AWARD SOCIAL MEDIA PERSONALITY AWARD SOCIAL MEDIA PERSONALITY AWARD SOCIAL MEDIA

SOCIAL MEDIA PERSONALITY AWARD

Tiffany Aliche

Desi Banks

Kevin Fredericks

1 38 | 52 nd NAACP I m ag e Aw ard s

Tabitha Brown

Karlton Humes

1 39 | 5 2 nd NAACP I mag e Aw ard s

to our 52nd

NAACP IMAGE A

ATLANTA’S MISSING AND MURDERED: THE LOST CHILDREN LOVECRAFT COUNTRY

BETWEEN THE WORLD AND ME

INSECURE

I MAY DESTROY YOU

OUTSTANDING DIRECTING IN A DOCUMENTARY (TELEVISION OR MOTION PICTURE) SAM POLLARD, MARO CHERMAYEFF – PART 1 & PART 2

OUTSTANDING DIRECTING IN A TELEVISION MOVIE OR SPECIAL KAMILAH FORBES

OUTSTANDING ACTRESS IN A TELEVISION MOVIE, LIMITED-SERIES OR DRAMATIC SPECIAL MICHAELA COEL

OUTSTANDING COMEDY SERIES

OUTSTANDING WRITING IN A COMEDY SERIES MICHAELA COEL “Ego Death”

OUTSTANDING SUPPORTING ACTOR IN A COMEDY SERIES JAY ELLIS

OUTSTANDING DIRECTING IN A COMEDY SERIES SAM MILLER, MICHAELA COEL “Ego Death”

OUTSTANDING ACTRESS IN A COMEDY SERIES ISSA RAE

OUTSTANDING SUPPORTING ACTRESS IN A COMEDY SERIES NATASHA ROTHWELL YVONNE ORJI OUTSTANDING WRITING IN A COMEDY SERIES ISSA RAE “Lowkey Feelin’ Myself” OUTSTANDING SOUNDTRACK/ COMPILATION ALBUM INSECURE: MUSIC FROM THE HBO ORIGINAL SERIES VARIOUS ARTISTS (ATLANTIC RECORDS)

AWARDS NOMINEES ®

YVONNE ORJI: MOMMA, I MADE IT! WE ARE THE DREAM: THE KIDS OF THE OAKLAND MLK ORATORICAL FEST

WESTWORLD

YUSUF HAWKINS: STORM OVER BROOKLYN

THE SHOP: UNINTERRUPTED

OUTSTANDING DRAMA SERIES

OUTSTANDING TALK SERIES

OUTSTANDING ACTOR IN A DRAMA SERIES JONATHAN MAJORS

OUTSTANDING HOST IN A TALK OR NEWS/INFORMATION (SERIES OR SPECIAL) INDIVIDUAL OR ENSEMBLE LEBRON JAMES

OUTSTANDING ACTRESS IN A DRAMA SERIES JURNEE SMOLLETT OUTSTANDING SUPPORTING ACTOR IN A DRAMA SERIES MICHAEL KENNETH WILLIAMS OUTSTANDING SUPPORTING ACTRESS IN A DRAMA SERIES AUNJANUE ELLIS OUTSTANDING GUEST PERFORMANCE COMEDY OR DRAMA SERIES COURTNEY B. VANCE OUTSTANDING DIRECTING IN A DRAMA SERIES CHERYL DUNYE “Strange Case” MISHA GREEN “Jig-a-Bobo”

OUTSTANDING CHILDREN’S PROGRAM

OUTSTANDING SUPPORTING ACTOR IN A DRAMA SERIES JEFFREY WRIGHT

OUTSTANDING DIRECTING IN A DOCUMENTARY (TELEVISION OR MOTION PICTURE) MUTA’ALI

OUTSTANDING VARIETY SHOW (SERIES OR SPECIAL)

Thank you, NAACP members, for our 26 nominations and for your recognition.

INTRO TO TELVISION + STREAMING & MOTION PICTURE

F R IDA Y | MARCH 26 , 2021 Welcome to the final night of the 52nd NAACP Image Awards Presentations, the Virtual Experience Sponsored by Wells Fargo. Our last night will close out the Television + Streaming and Motion Picture categories.

All content that airs in the virtual experience will be made available on demand the next day in the theatre.

Program highlights include: • The NAACP Young Creatives discussion hosted by Miles Brown with ballet dancer, Charlotte Nebres.

• Our final Inside the Industry discussion will focus on the NAACP and the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) who present the Oscars.

• Tonight will be our last Virtual Red Carpet and special backstage content with the winners.

Presenters for this evening are Leslie Jones (Coming to America 2), Retta and Reno Wilson (Good Girls), Susan Kelechi Watson (This is Us), and Damson Idris (Snowfall).

Introducing our Television + Streaming category is actress Javicia Leslie, star of the CW’s Batwoman.

Our special award is the Key of Life Award sponsored by Wells Fargo to Dr. Kizzmekia Corbett.

TELEVISION + STREAMING TELEVISION + STREAMING TELEVISION + STREAMING TELEVISION + STREAMING

OUTSTANDING COMEDY SERIES

“#blackAF”

“black-ish”

“grown-ish”

(NETFLIX)

(ABC)

(FREEFORM)

“Insecure”

“The Last O.G.”

(HBO)

(TBS)

1 4 3 | S pon s or ed By

TELEVISION + STREAMING TELEVISION + STREAMING TELEVISION + STREAMING TELEVISION + STREAMING

OUTSTANDING ACTOR IN A COMEDY SERIES

Anthony Anderson

Cedric The Entertainer

Don Cheadle

“BLACK-ISH”

“THE NEIGHBORHOOD”

“BLACK MONDAY”

(ABC)

(CBS)

(SHOWTIME)

Idris Elba

Tracy Morgan

“IN THE LONG RUN”

“THE LAST O.G.”

(STARZ)

(TBS)

1 44 | 52 nd NAACP Imag e Aw ard s

CONGRATULATIONS 52ND NAACP IMAGE AWARDS® NOMINEE OUTSTANDING ACTOR IN A COMEDY SERIES TRACY MORGAN OUTSTANDING COMEDY SERIES

TELEVISION + STREAMING TELEVISION + STREAMING TELEVISION + STREAMING TELEVISION + STREAMING

OUTSTANDING SUPPORTING ACTOR IN A COMEDY SERIES

Andre Braugher

Deon Cole

Jay Ellis

“BROOKLYN NINE-NINE”

“BLACK-ISH”

“INSECURE”

(NBC)

(ABC)

(HBO)

Kenan Thompson

Laurence Fishburne

“SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE”

“BLACK-ISH”

(NBC)

(ABC)

1 46 | 52 nd NAACP Im ag e Aw ard s

TELEVISION + STREAMING TELEVISION + STREAMING TELEVISION + STREAMING TELEVISION + STREAMING

OUTSTANDING SUPPORTING ACTRESS IN A COMEDY SERIES

Jenifer Lewis

Marsai Martin

Natasha Rothwell

“BLACK-ISH”

“BLACK-ISH”

“INSECURE”

(ABC)

(ABC)

(HBO)

Tichina Arnold

Yvonne Orji

“THE NEIGHBORHOOD”

“INSECURE”

(CBS)

(HBO)

1 47 | S pon s or ed By

STARZ CONGRATULATES ®

O U R 5 2 ND N A A C P I M A G E AWA R D S N O M I N E E S ®

OUTSTANDING DRAMA SERIES

MARY J. BLIGE

CLIFF “METHOD MAN” SMITH

OUTSTANDING SUPPORTING ACTRESS IN A DRAMA SERIES

OUTSTANDING SUPPORTING ACTOR IN A DRAMA SERIES

NICCO ANNAN

LORETTA DEVINE

BRANDEE EVANS

OUTSTANDING ACTOR IN A DRAMA SERIES

OUTSTANDING GUEST PERFORMANCE COMEDY OR DRAMA SERIES

OUTSTANDING ACTRESS IN A DRAMA SERIES

KATORI HALL

KATORI HALL

J. ALPHONSE NICHOLSON

OUTSTANDING WRITING IN A DRAMA SERIES “PERPETRATIN’”

OUTSTANDING BREAKTHROUGH CREATIVE (TELEVISION)

OUTSTANDING SUPPORTING ACTOR IN A DRAMA SERIES

IDRIS ELBA OUTSTANDING ACTOR IN A COMEDY SERIES

Starz and related channels and service marks are the property of Starz Entertainment, LLC. Power Book II: Ghost © MMXX Lions Gate Television, Inc. All rights reserved.P-Valley © 2020 Starz Entertainment LLC. All rights reserved. In The Long Run. All other titles and related trademarks are the property of their respective owners. NAACP Image Award(s) is the registered trademark of The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People. PBR-28060-21

TELEVISION + STREAMING TELEVISION + STREAMING TELEVISION + STREAMING TELEVISION + STREAMING

OUTSTANDING DRAMA SERIES

“All Rise”

“Bridgerton”

“Lovecraft Country”

(CBS)

(NETFLIX)

(HBO)

“Power Book II: Ghost” (STARZ)

1 50 | 52 nd NAACP Imag e Aw ard s

“This is Us” (NBC)

TELEVISION + STREAMING TELEVISION + STREAMING TELEVISION + STREAMING TELEVISION + STREAMING

OUTSTANDING SUPPORTING ACTOR IN A DRAMA SERIES

Cliff “Method Man” Smith

Delroy Lindo

J. Alphonse Nicholson

“POWER BOOK II: GHOST”

“THE GOOD FIGHT”

“P-VALLEY”

(STARZ)

(CBS ALL ACCESS)

(STARZ)

Jeffrey Wright

Michael Kenneth Williams

“WESTWORLD”

“LOVECRAFT COUNTRY”

(HBO)

(HBO)

1 5 1 | S pon s or ed By

TELEVISION + STREAMING TELEVISION + STREAMING TELEVISION + STREAMING TELEVISION + STREAMING

OUTSTANDING SUPPORTING ACTRESS IN A DRAMA SERIES

Adjoa Andoh

Aunjanue Ellis

Lynn Whitfield

“BRIDGERTON”

“LOVECRAFT COUNTRY”

“GREENLEAF”

(NETFLIX)

(HBO)

(OWN)

Mary J. Blige

Susan Kelechi Watson

“POWER BOOK II: GHOST”

“THIS IS US”

(STARZ)

(NBC)

1 52 | 52 nd NAACP I mag e Aw ard s

Put people first and the entire community prospers 1 53 | 5 2 nd NAACP I mag e Aw ard s

No matter who you are, who you love or who you worship, we all deserve to belong.

That is why we support travel that’s authentic, sustainable and inclusive of everyone. We are proud to partner with the NAACP to expand economic opportunities for communities of color across the country. Through home sharing or hosting local experiences, hosts can earn extra income by welcoming travelers from around the world.

KEY OF LIFE AWARD KEY OF LIFE AWARD KEY OF LIFE AWARD SPECIAL AWARDS

PRESENTED BY

BARNEY S. GRAHAM, MD, PHD Deputy Director, Vaccine Research Center, NIAID, NIH Chief, Viral Pathogenesis Laboratory

The Key of Life Award recognizes artists whose work speaks to the ongoing crusade for human rights and social justice.

KEY OF LIFE AWARD Dr. Graham is Deputy Director of the NIAID Vaccine Research Center. He has a BA from Rice University, an MD from the University of Kansas School of Medicine, and a PhD in Microbiology & Immunology from Vanderbilt University School of Medicine where he also completed Internal Medicine residency, chief residencies, and a fellowship in Infectious Diseases. His primary interests are vaccine

1 54 | 52 nd NAACP I mag e Aw ard s

SPONSORED BY

development for viral diseases, viral pathogenesis, mechanisms of immunity, and pandemic preparedness.

He directs basic laboratory research, contributes to the pipeline of new VRC vaccines, and provides oversight of candidate VRC vaccines and antibodies in advanced development including those for HIV, Ebola, and Chikungunya. His laboratory

explores the structural basis for antibody-mediated viral neutralization, investigates basic mechanisms by which T cells affect viral clearance and immunopathology, and has developed novel vaccines for RSV, influenza, Zika, and coronaviruses including the first COVID-19 vaccine and monoclonal antibody to enter clinical testing and that have now achieved Emergency Use Authorization.

KEY OF LIFE AWARD KEY OF LIFE AWARD KEY OF LIFE AWARD SPECIAL AWARDS

KEY OF LIFE AWARD SPONSORED BY

KIZZMEKIA S. CORBETT, PH.D. Research Fellow and Team Lead for Coronavirus Research within the Viral Pathogenesis Laboratory (VPL); Vaccine Research Center, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), National Institutes of Health (NIH)

When it was announced that an effective vaccine for the coronavirus would be available for the masses within a year of its arrival, there was a young African-American scientist who knew it was possible because she had already been doing the work behind the scenes to make it possible.

Born in Hurdle Mills, North Carolina, and raised in Hillsborough, North Carolina, Corbett’s unbridled intelligence was on full display in elementary school where a Black teacher noticed her academic aptitude and encouraged her parents to push her towards a demanding curriculum. This eventually led to Corbett’s interest in science and to her participation in ProjectSEED where she spent two of her high school summers working in research labs.

One of her initial experiences was at an organic chemistry laboratory where she studied the different chemical sides of a drug. At the time she was in the 10th grade and her work was fascinating because she was learning things that nobody else in the world knew. The time she spent examining, experimenting, and concluding only deepened her love for science.

As a result, after graduating from Orange High School, Corbett found 1 55 | 52 nd NAACP Im ag e A w ard s

herself in the halls of University of Maryland, Baltimore County (UMBC) as a student in the Meyerhoff Scholars Program. She received her B.S. in biological sciences and sociology and thereafter attended the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill where she earned a PhD in microbiology and immunology. Part of her doctoral work took her to Sri Lanka where she studied the role of human antibodies in dengue virus pathogenesis.

Dr. Corbett went on to take a position at the National Institutes of Health (NIH), and as a viral immunologist by training, her research investigates the mechanisms of viral pathogenesis and host immunity as they pertain to vaccine development. She serves as the team lead for coronavirus research within the Vaccine Research Center’s (VRC) Viral Pathogenesis Laboratory, under the supervision and scientific leadership of Dr. Barney S. Graham. In this role, she conducts basic and preclinical research and worked on pre-clinical development of the mRNA-1273 vaccine against COVID-19.

Before COVID-19 had even arrived in America and entered the world’s

lexicon, Corbett had spent six years researching vaccine immune responses. So when the virus actually hit, she and her colleagues at NIH stood on the front lines for the race for a vaccine. They worked with pharmaceutical company Moderna and developed a vaccine that has shown to be effective. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has given it emergency use authorization, and the Moderna vaccine is currently being used in an effort to end the pandemic.

Dr. Kizzmekia S. Corbett’s work contributed greatly to this effort.

Having not seen many Black scientists while growing up, Corbett understood the importance of images and made sure she was seen in her white medical coat when pre-vaccine pictures were taken of government officials touring the work facilities.

In addition, Dr. Corbett invests much of her time bringing STEM awareness to youth in local communities through mentorship and volunteering.

Combining her scientific interests with her knack for mentoring, she aspires to become an independent principal investigator.

TELEVISION + STREAMING TELEVISION + STREAMING TELEVISION + STREAMING TELEVISION + STREAMING

OUTSTANDING TELEVISION MOVIE, LIMITED-SERIES, OR DRAMATIC SPECIAL

“Hamilton”

“Little Fires Everywhere”

(DISNEY+)

(HULU)

“Self Made: Inspired by the Life of Madam C.J. Walker” (NETFLIX)

“Sylvie’s Love” (AMAZON STUDIOS)

“The Clark Sisters: First Lady of Gospel” (LIFETIME)

1 56 | 5 2 nd NAACP I m ag e Aw ard s

TELEVISION + STREAMING TELEVISION + STREAMING TELEVISION + STREAMING TELEVISION + STREAMING

OUTSTANDING ACTOR IN A TELEVISION MOVIE, LIMITED-SERIES, OR DRAMATIC SPECIAL

Blair Underwood

Chris Rock

Daveed Diggs

“SELF MADE: INSPIRED BY THE LIFE OF MADAM C.J. WALKER” (NETFLIX)

“FARGO” (FX NETWORKS)

“HAMILTON”

Leslie Odom, Jr.

(DISNEY+)

Nnamdi Asomugha

“HAMILTON”

“SYLVIE’S LOVE”

(DISNEY+)

(AMAZON STUDIOS)

1 57 | S pon s or ed By

TELEVISION + STREAMING TELEVISION + STREAMING TELEVISION + STREAMING TELEVISION + STREAMING

OUTSTANDING ACTRESS IN A TELEVISION MOVIE, LIMITED-SERIES, OR DRAMATIC SPECIAL

Aunjanue Ellis

Kerry Washington

“THE CLARK SISTERS: FIRST LADY OF GOSPEL” (LIFETIME)

“LITTLE FIRES EVERYWHERE”

Michaela Coel “I MAY DESTROY YOU”

(HULU)

Octavia Spencer “SELF MADE: INSPIRED BY THE LIFE OF MADAM C.J. WALKER” (NETFLIX)

1 58 | 52 nd NAACP Im ag e Aw ard s

(HBO)

Tessa Thompson “SYLVIE’S LOVE” (AMAZON STUDIOS)

There’s no better time to escape into your great big beautiful tomorrow.

Share the magic of Disney with your princess and give the queen she’ll become memories to last a lifetime.

Visit DisneyWorld.com/today

©Disney

INTRO TO MOTION PICTURE

MO T ION P I CTURE The final category of the 52nd NAACP Image Awards Presentations is the Motion Picture category.

All content that airs in the virtual experience will be made available on demand the next day in the theatre. Introducing our Motion Picture category is actress Nicole Beharie, star of the nominated Independent Film, Miss Juneteenth.

Our special award is the Jackie Robinson Sports Award, presented to Stephen Curry.

MOTION PICTURE MOTION PICTURE MOTION PICTURE MOTION PICTURE

OUTSTANDING SUPPORTING ACTOR IN A MOTION PICTURE

Aldis Hodge

Chadwick Boseman

Clarke Peters

“ONE NIGHT IN MIAMI”

“DA 5 BLOODS”

“DA 5 BLOODS”

(AMAZON STUDIOS)

(NETFLIX)

(NETFLIX)

Colman Domingo

Glynn Turman

“MA RAINEY’S BLACK BOTTOM”

“MA RAINEY’S BLACK BOTTOM”

(NETFLIX)

(NETFLIX)

1 61 | S pon s or ed By

MOTION PICTURE MOTION PICTURE MOTION PICTURE MOTION PICTURE

OUTSTANDING SUPPORTING ACTRESS IN A MOTION PICTURE

Anika Noni Rose

Gabourey Sidibe

Nia Long

“JINGLE JANGLE: A CHRISTMAS JOURNEY”

“ANTEBELLUM”

“THE BANKER”

(NETFLIX)

(LIONSGATE)

(APPLE TV+)

Phylicia Rashad

Taylour Paige

“JINGLE JANGLE: A CHRISTMAS JOURNEY”

“MA RAINEY’S BLACK BOTTOM”

(NETFLIX)

(NETFLIX)

1 6 2 | 5 2 nd NAACP I m ag e Aw ard s

OUR POWER The word power has been defined as having the ability to create change or effect outcomes. Today we can acknowledge that changes are happening while also understanding that we must continue to demand equality by using our power. So whether community organizers encourage masses of people to vote or one person actually votes, everyone has a voice, everyone has the ability to create change, we all have power.

IMPORTANCE OF SUPPORTING BLACK BUSINESSES BY: PHILLIP CHERFRERE

After the killing of George Floyd, America came to the realization that its long festering history of white supremacy was not dormant, but alive and flourishing. Mr. Floyd’s murder left little room for white Americans to rationalize another murder at the hands of police the way they had with Michael Brown, Eric Garner, Philando Castile, Atatiana Jefferson, and many others.

There was a cry for justice, a pledge of solidarity, and promises to support Black businesses and communities. However, if America had learned from another bloody day a century earlier, a cry for solidarity and call for support may never have been needed.

superior culture. A diametrically opposed world coexisted alongside a white one when the founders of Black Wall Street built an independent, self-sustained community that provided for all their needs. Black people thrived in the segregated world in which they lived and left behind the idea that they were second class citizens.

We learned from the residents of Greenwood, that successful Black businesses are cornerstones of thriving Black communities. The success of this self-contained community paints an extraordinary picture of what is possible when Black businesses flourish. We should embrace the lessons of Black Wall Street that teach us to support Black businesses.

In the decades since, Black businesses have been marginalized

by Jim Crow, Redlining, and a war on crime that targeted Black communities. Yet, throughout American history strong Black communities continually take root before the darkness of racism blots out the glow of the sun they need to grow. Today, there is a renaissance of Black businesses in entertainment, entrepreneurship, and philanthropy.

Prior to May 25, 2020, millions of Americans believed Black people killed in police confrontations deserved lethal punishment for the smallest indiscretions. Afterall, George Floyd was killed after being accused of passing a counterfeit $20 bill. The pervasive thought being that Blacks are more violent than their white counterparts. Thereby justifying law enforcements continued use of deadly force among Blacks.

A new Black wall street is brewing. Since the civil unrest of summer 2020, many Hollywood studios are offering production deals to Black creatives that provide infrastructure to build their businesses and opportunities to hire other creatives.

Additionally, established Black writers and producers have made it a priority to produce and curate Black creator owned content.

After Minneapolis police officer, Derek Chauvin, pressed his knee into the neck of George Floyd for eight minutes and 46 seconds, that all changed. Chauvin’s knee galvanized a nation already immersed in the COVID-19 pandemic. Anti-police protests lasted for months, wealthy corporations pleaded with Black citizens to forgive their racist sins, and worldwide people pledged to support Black businesses.

Ava Duvernay, Oprah Winfrey, Shonda Rhimes, and Will Packer are producers that employ Black creatives and drive a legacy of success. Studio head, Tyler Perry opened his studios to sequels Coming to America 2 and Bad Boys 3, and created camp quarantine during the pandemic to allow production to resume months before other studios. While Beyoncé and Daymond John of FUBU and Shark Tank have partnered with the NAACP to provide Black business grants and financial support. This kind of support is critical to the sustained success of Black businesses.

A century earlier, from May 31 to June 1, 1921, a white mob led a murderous campaign to wipe out America’s most successful Black community, commonly called “Black Wall Street,” a thriving selfsustained affluent community in the Greenwood area of Tulsa, Oklahoma. The citizens of Greenwood were slaughtered. They were lynched, burned alive, gunned down and even blown-up by officially sanctioned air strikes. Their homes and businesses were looted and burned to the ground. Yet, instead of learning from it, America buried it.

The Tulsa Massacre is a bellwether moment that served as an indicator of the generations of racial violence to come. We could easily accept that white supremacy and racism will always be part of life in America, but what if we learned a different lesson?

Black Wall Street no longer exists, but it remains an example of why even white supremacists should support Black businesses.

This seemingly absurd idea becomes logical if we take white supremacy to its full conclusion and juxtapose it to the vision behind Black Wall Street. White supremacists believe whites should have dominance over people of other backgrounds, or that whites should live in a white-only society with their own

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We should not need the blood of Breonna Taylor or George Floyd to find value in Black life. The Tulsa Massacre already taught us that, but it is the lesson we failed to learn that means the most. So, to all the voices that cried out in solidarity, keep your promises, and support Black businesses instead of systematically destroying them. Strong Black businesses lead to strong Black communities, and that is better for us all.

MOTION PICTURE MOTION PICTURE MOTION PICTURE MOTION PICTURE

OUTSTANDING ENSEMBLE CAST IN A MOTION PICTURE

“Da 5 Bloods” (NETFLIX)

“Jingle Jangle: A Christmas Journey”

“Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom”

(NETFLIX)

(NETFLIX)

“Soul”

“The Banker”

(WALT DISNEY STUDIOS MOTION

(APPLE TV+)

PICTURES)

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MOTION PICTURE MOTION PICTURE MOTION PICTURE MOTION PICTURE

OUTSTANDING BREAKTHROUGH PERFORMANCE IN A MOTION PICTURE

Dayo Okeniyi

Dominique Fishback

Jahi Di’Allo Winston

“EMPEROR”

“PROJECT POWER”

“CHARM CITY KINGS”

(UNIVERSAL PICTURES)

(NETFLIX)

(HBO MAX)

Jahzir Bruno

Madalen Mills

“THE WITCHES”

“JINGLE JANGLE: A CHRISTMAS JOURNEY”

(WARNER BROS. PICTURES)

(NETFLIX)

1 6 5 | S pon s or ed By

JACKIE ROBINSON SPORTS AWA JACKIE ROBINSON SPORTS AWA JACKIE ROBINSON SPORTS AWA SPECIAL AWARDS

PRESENTED BY

STACEY ABRAMS Activist and Author

The NAACP Jackie Robinson Sports Award is presented to individuals in sports for their high achievement in athletics in addition to their contributions in the pursuit of social justice, civil rights and community involvement.

JACKIE ROBINSON SPORTS AWARD Stacey Abrams is a political leader, voting rights activist and New York Times bestselling author. After serving for eleven years in the Georgia House of Representatives and seven as Democratic Leader, in 2018, Abrams became the Democratic nominee for Governor of Georgia, winning at the time more votes than any other Democrat in the state’s history. Abrams was the first Black woman to become the gubernatorial nominee for a major party in the United States, and she was the first Black woman and first Georgian to deliver a Response to the State of the Union.

Witnessing the gross mismanagement of the 2018 election by the Secretary of State’s office led Abrams to launch Fair Fight which ensures every American has a voice in our election system through programs such as Fair Fight 2020, an initiative to fund and train voter protection teams in 20 battleground states. Over the course of her career, Abrams has founded multiple organizations devoted to voting rights, training and hiring young people of color, and tackling social issues at both the state and national levels. In 2019, 1 6 6 | 5 2 nd NAACP I m ag e Aw ard s

she launched Fair Count to ensure accuracy in the 2020 Census and greater participation in civic engagement, and the Southern Economic Advancement Project, a public policy initiative to broaden economic power and build equity in the South.

Abrams is a lifetime member of the Council on Foreign Relations, where she serves on the Subcommittee on Diversity. As a Next Generation Fellow of the American Assembly on U.S. Global Policy and the Future of International Institutions, she also served as a discussion leader, editor, and essay contributor. In addition, she was selected as a Salzburg Seminar Fellow on East Asian Studies, an American Marshall Memorial Fellow, an American Council of Young Political Leaders Fellow, a Council on Italy Fellow, a British-American Project Fellow and a U.S.-Russia Young Leaders Fellow.

As the top-ranking Democrat in Georgia, she traveled to and met with leaders in South Korea, Israel and Taiwan, and she worked closely with several members of the consular corps. Her international policy travel includes Australia, Austria,

Belgium, Bulgaria, Canada, France, Israel, Italy, the Netherlands, South Korea, Switzerland, Taiwan and the United Kingdom. Abrams is a member of former Secretary of State John Kerry’s World War Zero bipartisan coalition on climate change. She has been a featured speaker at the Aspen Ministers Forum, the Kerry Initiative-Yale Jackson Institute of Global Affairs, the National Security Action Forum and the Council on Foreign Relations, as well as a contributor to Foreign Affairs Magazine.

She is a recipient of the John F. Kennedy New Frontier Award and a current member of the Board of Directors for the Center for American Progress.

Abrams has also written eight romantic suspense novels under the pen name Selena Montgomery, in addition to the New York Times best-selling Lead from the Outside and Our Time is Now. Abrams received degrees from Spelman College, the LBJ School of Public Affairs at the University of Texas and Yale Law School. Born in Madison, Wisconsin, she and her five siblings grew up in Gulfport, Mississippi, and were raised in Georgia.

JACKIE ROBINSON SPORTS AWA JACKIE ROBINSON SPORTS AWA JACKIE ROBINSON SPORTS AWA SPECIAL AWARDS

JACKIE ROBINSON SPORTS AWARD

STEPHEN CURRY Athlete and Philanthropist

Stephen Curry’s on and off court legacy is marked by transformation and innovation. With a following of over 14M on Twitter and nearly 32M on Instagram, Curry is one of the most influential stars both on and off the basketball court.

His 11-year career in the NBA with the Golden State Warriors is marked by many firsts; he was the first person to be named Most Valuable Player by unanimous vote in NBA History, the first player to hit 100 3-pointers in the NBA Finals, and one of a select few to win MVP awards two years in a row. He holds six NBA All-Star selections and

1 67 | 52 nd NAACP Im ag e Aw ard s

three NBA Championships.

Off the court, he is an emerging figure in Silicon Valley, investing in innovative consumer and enterprise tech companies. Last year, Stephen and Ayesha Curry launched the Eat. Learn. Play.

Foundation, whose mission is to unlock the potential of every child by ending childhood hunger, ensuring universal access to education, and enabling active lifestyles.

The family foundation is dedicated to providing underprivileged children with the fundamental resources they need to thrive in life, with an emphasis on the Bay Area and Oakland communities.

He most recently launched Curry Brand, a purpose driven legacy brand powered by Under Armour, whose mission follows a similar undertaking of creating opportunities and increasing access for youth sports across the country.

Stephen is also the founder of the Film & Television company Unanimous Media specializing in Faith, Family and Sports content in tandem with Sony Studios, and he is the Executive Producer for ABC’s No. 1 primetime show, Holey Moley.

MOTION PICTURE MOTION PICTURE MOTION PICTURE MOTION PICTURE

OUTSTANDING BREAKTHROUGH CREATIVE MOTION PICTURE

Loira Limbal

Melissa Haizlip

“THROUGH THE NIGHT”

“MR. SOUL!“

Nadia Hallgren “BECOMING”

(THIRD SHIFT MEDIA, INC.)

(SHOES IN THE BED PRODUCTIONS)

(A HIGHER GROUND PRODUCTIONS AND BIG MOUTH PRODUCTIONS FILM FOR NETFLIX)

Radha Blank

Remi Weekes

“THE FORTY-YEAR-OLD VERSION”

“HIS HOUSE”

(NETFLIX)

(NETFLIX)

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MOTION PICTURE MOTION PICTURE MOTION PICTURE MOTION PICTURE

OUTSTANDING INDEPENDENT MOTION PICTURE

“Emperor”

“Farewell Amor”

“Miss Juneteenth”

(BRIARCLIFF ENTERTAINMENT)

(IFC FILMS)

(VERTICAL ENTERTAINMENT)

“The 24th”

“The Banker”

(VERTICAL ENTERTAINMENT)

(APPLE TV+)

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MOTION PICTURE MOTION PICTURE MOTION PICTURE MOTION PICTURE

OUTSTANDING INTERNATIONAL MOTION PICTURE

“Ainu Mosir”

“His House”

“Night of The Kings”

(ARRAY)

(NETFLIX)

(NEON)

“The Last Tree” (ARTMATTAN PRODUCTIONS)

“The Life Ahead” (La Vita Davanti a Se) (NETFLIX)

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TOPIC

THE IMPACT OF INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVALS IN 2020 BY: YOLONDA BRINKLEY International film festivals are to Black filmmakers what Paris was to Black entertainers in the 20th century, an opportunity to explore career possibilities outside of traditional boundaries and to find greater appreciation for their creative genius and storytelling prowess. While diversity, equity and inclusion are not the first priority for many of these global festivals, the occasion to meet filmmakers from around the world, expand their international network and dispel the myth that Black films don’t resonate with audiences outside of the United States, makes the trip worth it.

To further understand the potential impact of international film festivals on the culture, it’s important to note that media, motion pictures in particular, play an integral role in perpetuating stereotypes, both positive and negative.

Unfortunately, when specific to Black people, negativity permeates. While progress has been made to reverse these mostly fictional perceptions, there’s more work to be done.

With their versions of the Black experience, Hollywood and the news media have controlled the Black diasporic narrative for years, depicting images in the worst possible light. But time’s up as cell phones and social media have helped democratize the film industry, making the art more accessible. The time is now for Black filmmakers to reclaim their power by telling their own stories, as only positive authentic portrayals of Black life, in film and television, will result in a shift in the global narrative. Producing quality Black content by any means necessary and presenting it at international film festivals have become a moral imperative for those in a position to travel. In essence, taking one for the team and doing it for the culture becomes the priority.

Black lives depend on it!

The financial bottom line is also a consideration when discussing the impact of international film festivals; especially those with accompanying film markets including The Cannes Film Festival’s Marche du Film, The Berlinale European Film Market and South Africa’s Durban Filmmart, on the careers of Black filmmakers. They are training grounds for those looking to learn the global film business as they create opportunities for filmmakers to get acquainted with the key players in global markets, to learn what’s hot and to get a pulse on the appetite for each market.

According to Darrien Michele Gipson, executive director of SAGindie and international film festival veteran, Black filmmakers can achieve success producing and selling films

to global markets, if they learn the business in which they work.

While 2020 had its challenges with COVID-19 wreaking havoc worldwide, the silver lining for Black filmmakers committed to the business of film, was the online presence of international film festivals and their partnering film markets. The global film industry was cracked wide open and accessible to filmmakers wise enough to enter and explore. In the midst of the storm, virtual international film festivals united worlds that wouldn’t normally collide.

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T H E

WA LT

D I S N E Y

CO M PA

52 ND NAACP IMAGE A 9-1-1

Outstanding Actress IN A DRAMA SERIES Angela Bassett

AMERICA’S FUNNIEST HOME VIDEOS Outstanding Host

in a Reality/ Reality Competition, Game Show or Variety (Series or Special) INDIVIDUAL OR ENSEMBLE

Alfonso Ribeiro

ARCHER

Outstanding Character Voice-Over Performance Television

Aisha Tyler

BLACK IS KING

Outstanding Variety Show Series or Special

CELEBRITY FAMILY FEUD Outstanding Reality Program

Reality Competition or Game Show (Series)

Outstanding Host

in a Reality/Reality Competition, Game Show or Variety (Series or Special) INDIVIDUAL OR ENSEMBLE

Steve Harvey Ha

CENTRAL PARK Outstanding Animated Series

THE CHI

Outstanding Performance by a Youth (Series, Special, Television Movie or Limited-Series)

Alex R. Hibbert

DOC McSTUFFINS

Outstanding Directing

Outstanding Animated Series

Beyoncé Knowles Carter, Emmanuel Adeji, Baz Blitz Bazawule, Kwasi Fordjour

Outstanding Character Voice-Over Performance

Outstanding Music Video/Visual Album Beyoncé

Laya DeLeon Hayes

BLACK-ISH

OUTSTANDING ACTOR

in a Television Movie or Special

Outstanding Comedy Series Outstanding Actor IN A COMEDY SERIES Anthony Anderson

Television

FARGO

IN A TELEVISION MOVIE, LIMITED-SERIES OR DRAMATIC SPECIAL

CHRIS ROCK

GROWN-ISH

Outstanding Actress IN A COMEDY SERIES Tracee Ellis Ross

Outstanding Comedy Series

Outstanding Supporting Actor IN A COMEDY SERIES Deon Cole

Outstanding Actress IN A COMEDY SERIES Yara Shahidi

Outstanding Supporting Actor IN A COMEDY SERIES Laurence Fishburne Outstanding Supporting Actress IN A COMEDY SERIES Jenifer Lewis Outstanding Supporting Actress IN A COMEDY SERIES Marsai Martin Outstanding Performance by a Youth Outs Series, Special, Television Movie or Limited-Series

Miles Brown

Outstanding Performance by a Youth Series, Special, Television Movie or Limited-Series

Marsai Martin

Outstanding Directing IN A COMEDY SERIES Anya Adams, “Hair Day” Outstanding Directing IN A COMEDY SERIES Seaton, “Our Wedding Dre” Eric Dean Se

HAMILTON

Outstanding Television Movie Limited-Series or Dramatic Special

Outstanding Actor

in a Television Movie, Limited-Series or Dramatic Special

Daveed Diggs

Outs Outstanding Actor

in a Television Movie, Limited-Series or Dramatic SpeciaL

Leslie Odom, Jr.

Outstanding Writing

in a Television Movie or Special

Lin-Manuel Miranda

N Y

CO N G R AT U L AT E S

O U R

AWARDS NOMINEES ®

HOW TO GET AWAY WITH MURDER

RAVEN’S HOME

Outstanding Actress IN A DRAMA SERIES Viola Davis

Outstanding Children’s Program

THE LAST DANCE

Outstanding Reality Program

SHARK TANK

Outstanding Documentary Television

LITTLE FIRES EVERYWHERE Outstanding Television Movie Limited-Series or Dramatic Special

Outstanding Actress

Reality Competition or Game Show (Series)

SOUL

Outstanding Ensemble Cast in a Motion Picture Outstanding Animated Motion Picture Outstanding Character Voice-Over Performance Motion Picture

in a Television Movie Limited-Series or Dramatic Special

Angela Bassett

Outstanding Performance by a Youth Outs

Outstanding Character Voice-Over Performance

Lexi Underwood

JAMIE FOXX

Outstanding Directing IN A DRAMA SERIES Nzingha Stewart, “The Uncanny”

Outstanding Character Voice-Over Performance

Outstanding Writing IN A DRAMA SERIES Attica Locke, “The Spider Web”

Outs Outstanding Character Voice-Over Performance

Kerry Washington

Series, Special, Television Movie or Limited-Series

Motion Picture

Motion Picture

Phylicia Rashad Motion Picture

Ahmir-Khalib Thompson aka Questlove

LOOP

Outstanding Short Form Animated

MRS. AMERICA

Outstanding Writing IN A DRAMA SERIES Tanya Barfield, “Shirley”

THE NEW YORK TIMES PRESENTS “THE KILLING OF BREONNA TAYLOR” Outstanding News/Information Series or Special

ONWARD

Outstanding Writing IN A MOTION PICTURE Pete Docter, Kemp Powers, Mike Jones Outstanding Soundtrack/Compilation Album Trent Reznor, Atticus Ross, Jon Batiste, Tom MacDougall Outstanding Jazz Album Instrumental

Jon Batiste, “Music From and Inspired By Soul”

TAMRON HALL

Outstanding Talk Series

THIS IS US

Outstanding Drama Series

Outstanding Animated Motion Picture

Outstanding Actor IN A DRAMA SERIES Sterling K. Brown

RAMY

Outstanding Supporting Actress IN A DRAMA SERIES Susan Kelechi Watson

Outstanding Breakthrough Creative Television

Ramy Youssef

Outstanding Performance by a Youth Outs Series, Special, Television Movie or Limited-Series

Lyric Ross

WOKE

Outstanding Breakthrough Creative Television

Keith Knight

SHOW HOST HOST

ANTHONY ANDERSON p e r formin g th e op e nin g son g with Pat ti L a B elle . An d e r son is curre ntly d evelopin g th e f ilm Fo otb all or M e, a roma ntic com e dy by AG C Stu dios , in spire d by th e A rg e ntinia n com e dy Futb ol y Yo.

Emmy and Golden Globe nominated actor, Anthony Anderson is the star and executive producer of ABC’s multiaward nominated sitcom black-ish. He portrays Andre “Dre” Johnson, a family man who struggles to gain a sense of cultural identity while raising his kids in a predominantly white, upper-middle class neighborhood. The show began its seventh season this fall.

Anderson is currently hosting his sixth season of the ABC game show To Tell the Truth, a popular primetime re-imagination of the beloved classic game show of the same name. He is also producing grownish for Freeform and mixed-ish for ABC, both black-ish spin offs. Anderson is also executive producing Road Trippin’ with Rickey Thompson and Denzel Dion which airs on SnapChat.

A n d e rson a p p ea re d in th e Em my awa rd win nin g pair of A B C live television sp e cials , Live in Front of a Stu dio Au die n ce . H e f irst a p p ea re d a s H e n r y J ef fe rson in Live in Front of a Studio Audie nce : N orman Le ar ’s A l l i n t h e Family a n d The J ef f e r sons, a n d th e n a s himself in th e se con d sp e cial , Live in Front of a Studio Audie nce: A ll in the Family and Good Times,

Anderson has become familiar to audiences through roles in such prominent films as the Michael Bay blockbuster Transformers, Martin Scorsese’s Oscarwinning feature The Departed alongside a stellar cast including Leonardo DiCaprio, Matt Damon and Jack Nicholson, and the all-star comedy The Big Year. Anderson first gained attention as one of Jim Carrey’s sons in Me, Myself, and Irene and has since appeared in such films as the Barbershop franchise, Scary Movie 3, Kangaroo Jack, Exit Wounds, Cradle 2 the Grave, Two Can Play that Game, Malibu’s Most Wanted, My Baby’s Daddy, Agent Cody Banks 2, Harold and Kumar Go to White Castle, Small Town Crime, The Star and the Academy Award nominated Ferdinand. Most recently, Anderson starred in and was the executive producer of Netflix’s film Beats, alongside Uzo Aduba and newcomer Khalil Everage.

On the small screen, Anderson brought his talent and humor to his own WB sitcom All About the Andersons which was loosely based on his life. Anderson also starred in Fox’s K-Ville opposite Cole Hauser and had a recurring role in the police-drama television series, The Shield, opposite Michael Chiklis and Glenn Close and in NBC’s Guys with Kids. He went on to star as Kevin Bernard in Law & Order.

Anderson has hosted several culinary focused shows on the Food Network including Eating America with Anthony Anderson and Carnival Cravings with Anthony Anderson, as well as served as a regular judge on Iron Chef America. For the past two years, Anderson has hosted Dear Mama: An Event to Honor Moms, which is VH1’s annual Mother’s Day celebration to salute moms everywhere.

In addition, he’s been a frequent guest host of Jimmy Kimmel Live.

Anderson has received six consecutive Emmy nominations for “Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series,” two Golden Globe nominations and three Critics Choice nominations for his popular role in black-ish.

Additionally, in 2021, he won his seventh individual Image Awards in the category of “Outstanding Actor in a Comedy Series,”

1 74 | 5 2 nd Annual N A A C P Im ag e Aw ard s

adding to his 16 total Image Awards nominations in his career. He has been nominated for four Screen Actors Guild Awards, BET Awards, and Teen Choice Awards as well as one People’s Choice Awards and one Kids’ Choice Awards. Anderson has also hosted the NAACP Image Awards for seven consecutive years from 2014-2020. In 2020 he was awarded a Star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

Active in his community as an advocate and philanthropist, Anderson will host his fourth annual Anthony Anderson Celebrity Golf Classic next year, benefiting the American Diabetes Association, Los Angeles Mission and Boys & Girls Club of America. He also proudly serves on the GOOD+ Foundation’s Fatherhood Leadership Council and was inducted into the Class of 2017 Boys & Girls Club of America National Alumni Hall of Fame.

Anderson has Type 2 diabetes and is an advocate for diabetes awareness and a spokesperson for the “Getting Real About Diabetes” campaign. Anderson has always been a supporter of his hometown, Compton, California. He has partnered with the City of Compton in holiday food giveaways in the city where they provided food to over 1,000 residents.

Last year, he emceed the Los Angeles Dodgers’ Ground-Breaking Event to support local youths. In the battle against COVID-19, Anderson joined Mayor Garcetti at a South L.A. clinic to urge communities of color to seek COVID-19 testing. He also co-hosted the Saving Our Selves: A BET COVID-19 Relief Effort special, to support African Americans impacted by coronavirus. And in lieu of participating in the Veteran’s Day Parade due to COVID-19, he co-hosted The 2020 National Memorial Day Parade: America Stands Tall television special.

Born in 1970, Anderson pursued his acting career as he continued his education by attending Hollywood High School for the Performing Arts, where he earned first place in the NAACP’s ACTSO Awards with his performance of the classic monologue from The Great White Hope. That performance, along with his dedication to his craft, earned him an arts scholarship to Howard University.

Anderson currently lives in Los Angeles.

®

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SHOW INTRO VIDEO

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TELEVISION + STREAMING TELEVISION + STREAMING TELEVISION + STREAMING TELEVISION + STREAMING

OUTSTANDING ACTRESS IN A COMEDY SERIES

Folake Olowofoyeku

Issa Rae

Regina Hall

“BOB HEARTS ABISHOLA”

“INSECURE”

“BLACK MONDAY”

(CBS)

(HBO)

(SHOWTIME)

Tracee Ellis Ross

Yara Shahidi

“BLACK-ISH”

“GROWN-ISH”

(ABC)

(FREEFORM)

1 7 7 | S pon s or ed By

THANK YOU, JIM 52nd NAACP IMAGE AWARDS® MARCH 27, 2021

When sanitation workers in Memphis, TN, needed Reverend James Lawson, he was there – as a stalwart ally of AFSCME and the trade union movement.

In 1968, he was in the trenches with us when 1,300 Black sanitation workers in Memphis had the courage to rise up against plantation-like working conditions, defy the city’s power structure and walk off the job.

As pastor of Centenary United Methodist Church in Memphis, Reverend Lawson mobilized the community to rally around the workers. He was a key liaison to local clergy, whose support was critical to the success of the strike. And it was thanks to Reverend Lawson that his friend Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. came to Memphis to lend his moral authority to the struggle.

Reverend Lawson demonstrated then – as he had previously and has for decades since – that he is a leader of great passion, intellect and strategic vision. He has always understood the unbreakable link between civil rights, labor rights and human rights. He is one of the great social justice activists of his time.

AFSCME is grateful for our longstanding and ongoing friendship with Reverend James Lawson, and we are proud to offer our congratulations as he receives the NAACP Chairman’s Award.

ASFME VIDEO

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CHAIRMAN’S AWARD CHAIRMAN’S AWARD CHAIRMAN’S AWARD SPECIAL AWARDS

CHAIRMAN’S AWARD SPONSORED BY

REV. DR. JAMES A. LAWSON CHAIRMAN’S AWARD The Chairman’s Award is selected by the NAACP Chairman of the Board of Directors and is bestowed in recognition of individuals who demonstrate exemplary public service and use their distinct platforms to create agents of change.

CHAIRMAN’S AWARD As a minister who trained many activists in nonviolent resistance, James Lawson made a critical contribution to the civil rights movement. In his 1968 speech, “I’ve Been to the Mountaintop,” Martin Luther King spoke of Lawson as one of the “noble men” who had influenced the black freedom struggle: “He’s been going to jail for struggling; he’s been kicked out of Vanderbilt University for this struggling; but he’s still going on, fighting for the rights of his people” (King, “I’ve Been,” 214).

The son of Philane May Cover and James Morris Lawson, Sr., Lawson was born in Uniontown, Pennsylvania, in 1928. He earned his AB from BaldwinWallace College in 1951 and his STB from Boston University in 1960. A draft resister, Lawson was imprisoned in 1951 for refusing to register with the armed forces. Following his parole from prison in 1952, he traveled to India and performed missionary work with the Methodist Church. While in India, he deepened his study of Gandhi’s use of nonviolence to achieve social and political change.

In 1956, Lawson returned to the United States and resumed his studies at Oberlin College’s School of Theology from 1956 to 1957, and Vanderbilt University from 1958 to 1960.

1 8 0 | 52 nd NAACP Imag e Aw ard s

When Lawson and King met in 1957, King urged Lawson to move to the South and begin teaching nonviolence on a large scale. Later that year, Lawson transferred to Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tennessee, and organized workshops on nonviolence for community members and students at Vanderbilt and the city’s four black colleges. These activists, who included Diane Nash, Marion Barry, John Lewis, Bernard Lafayette, and James Bevel, planned nonviolent demonstrations in Nashville, conducting test sit-ins in late 1959. In February 1960, following lunch counter sit-ins initiated by students at a Woolworth’s store in Greensboro, North Carolina, Lawson and several local activists launched a similar protest in Nashville’s downtown stores. More than 150 students were arrested before city leaders agreed to desegregate some lunch counters.

The discipline of the Nashville students became a model for sit-ins in other southern cities. In March 1960, Lawson was expelled from Vanderbilt because of his involvement with Nashville’s desegregation movement.

Lawson and the Nashville student leaders were influential in the founding conference of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC), held April 1960. Their commitment to

nonviolence and the Christian ideal of what Lawson called “the redemptive community” helped to shape SNCC’s early direction (Lawson, 17 April 1960).

Lawson co-authored the statement of purpose adopted by the conference, which emphasized the religious and philosophical foundations of nonviolent direct action.

Lawson was involved with the Fellowship of Reconciliation from 1957 to 1969, SNCC from 1960 to 1964, and the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC) from 1960 to 1967. For each organization, he led workshops on nonviolent methods of protest, often in preparation for major campaigns. He also participated in the third wave of the 1961 Freedom Rides. In 1968, at Lawson’s request, King traveled to Memphis, Tennessee, to draw attention to the plight of striking sanitation workers in the city. It was during this campaign that King was assassinated on April 4, 1968.

Lawson continued to work with various civil rights groups following King’s assassination. In 1973, he became a board member of SCLC and served as president of the Los Angeles chapter from 1979 to 1993. He was also the pastor of Holman United Methodist Church in Los Angeles from 1974 to 1999.

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TELEVISION + STREAMING TELEVISION + STREAMING TELEVISION + STREAMING TELEVISION + STREAMING

OUTSTANDING ACTRESS IN A DRAMA SERIES

Angela Bassett

Brandee Evans

Jurnee Smollett

“9-1-1”

“P-VALLEY”

“LOVECRAFT COUNTRY”

(FOX)

(STARZ)

(HBO)

Simone Missick

Viola Davis

“ALL RISE”

“HOW TO GET AWAY WITH MURDER”

(CBS)

(ABC)

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PRESIDENT’S AWARD PRESIDENT’S AWARD PRESIDENT’S AWARD SPECIAL AWARDS

PRESIDENT’S AWARD

LEBRON JAMES

PRESIDENT’S AWARD The NAACP President’s Award, chosen by the NAACP President and CEO, is presented to recipients in recognition of special achievement and distinguished public service.

PRESIDENT’S AWARD LeBron James is widely considered one of the greatest athletes of his generation and has transcended sport to become a cultural icon. James’ achievements on the court include four NBA Most Valuable Player Awards, four NBA Championships and four NBA Finals MVP Awards, two Olympic gold medals and an NBA scoring title.

He is the all-time NBA playoffs scoring leader and has amassed seventeen NBA All-Star appearances, a record thirteen All-NBA First Team selections, and five All-Defensive First Team honors.

Throughout his career, James has used his platform to inspire and uplift others, namely through the LeBron James Family Foundation that is redefining community and building stronger families in his hometown of Akron, Ohio. Founded by James in 2004, LJFF invests its time, resources and passion into creating generational change for kids and families through a focus on education and co-curricular educational initiatives. With its foundational I PROMISE Program, LJFF serves more than 1,500 students and their entire families by providing them with the fundamental resources, wraparound supports and family programming they need for success in school and beyond.

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In 2018, the Foundation partnered with Akron Public Schools to build all of its family-first programming and academic interventions into the groundbreaking I PROMISE School that has created a new model for urban, public education. The Foundation has layered in additional supports including higher education and family programming at the I PROMISE Institute, transitional housing at the I PROMISE Village, long-term housing at the upcoming I PROMISE Housing, job training, financial health and community space at the innovative House Three Thirty, and other immediately impactful activations that are transforming the Akron community, creating a movement that can positively impact the entire country.

James is also using his platform to uplift his community through More Than A Vote, a coalition of Black athletes and artists he founded in 2020 to combat voter suppression. More Than A Vote is dedicated to educating, energizing and protecting Black voters.

James has infused his commitment to empowerment into the business and entertainment sectors through The SpringHill Company, a global consumer and entertainment brand created to

empower greatness in every individual.

The SpringHill Company unites three companies founded by James and Maverick Carter: UNINTERRUPTED, the athlete empowerment media and consumer product company, SpringHill Entertainment, the premium scripted and unscripted film and television production company and The Robot Company, the brand and culture consultancy. TSHC has a growing slate of award-winning and original content properties including The Shop: Uninterrupted, Kneading Dough and More Than An Athlete that are impacting culture and inspiring important conversations.

Coupled with his achievements in sports, business, philanthropy and activism, James’ diverse business portfolio of innovative partnerships and investments has established him as one of the most influential figures in the world. James has appeared on Forbes’ list of the world most powerful celebrities, TIME’s annual list of the 100 most influential people in the world, and Bloomberg BusinessWeek’s 100 Most Influential People in Sports.

TELEVISION + STREAMING TELEVISION + STREAMING TELEVISION + STREAMING TELEVISION + STREAMING

OUTSTANDING ACTOR IN A DRAMA SERIES

Jonathan Majors

Keith David

Nicco Annan

“LOVECRAFT COUNTRY”

“GREENLEAF”

“P-VALLEY”

(HBO)

(OWN)

(STARZ)

Regé-Jean Page

Sterling K. Brown

“BRIDGERTON”

“THIS IS US”

(NETFLIX)

(NBC)

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1 8 5 | 52 nd NAACP Im ag e Aw ard s

MOTION PICTURE MOTION PICTURE MOTION PICTURE MOTION PICTURE

OUTSTANDING ACTOR IN A MOTION PICTURE

Anthony Mackie

Chadwick Boseman

Delroy Lindo

“THE BANKER”

“MA RAINEY’S BLACK BOTTOM”

“DA 5 BLOODS”

(APPLE +)

(NETFLIX)

(NETFLIX)

Forest Whitaker

Will Smith

“JINGLE JANGLE: A CHRISTMAS JOURNEY”

“BAD BOYS FOR LIFE”

(NETFLIX)

(COLUMBIA PICTURES/SONY PICTURES ENTERTAINMENT)

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HALL OF FAME AWARD HALL OF FAME AWARD HALL OF FAME AWARD SPECIAL AWARDS

HALL OF FAME AWARD

EDDIE MURPHY

HALL OF FAME AWARD The Hall of Fame Award is bestowed on an individual who is a pioneer in his or her respective field and whose influence will shape the profession for generations to come. This individual is recognized for his or her impact nationally and internationally and for a career which exemplifies high artistic achievement, professionalism and public service.

HALL OF FAME AWARD With his unique comedic voice and unmatched ability to capture the nuances of others as a skilled impersonator, the multitalented Eddie Murphy has blazed a trail that has led him to become the most commercially successful African-American actor in the history of the motion picture business, and he stands firm as one of the industry’s top-five box-office performers overall.

Murphy’s rise to fame started in his hometown of Brooklyn, New York, where he spent countless hours honing his verbal adroitness by performing bits for his neighborhood peers during grade school, he also mimicked the voices he heard on television, and later as a teen, he worked his stand-up routines at bars, clubs, and other venues around town. By the time he turned nineteen and an opportunity to audition for late-night comedy show Saturday Night Live presented itself, Murphy was ready.

He snagged the gig and went on to create several memorable characters on the show which made him a household name.

Soon afterwards, Hollywood studios came knocking and Murphy’s career on the big screen catapulted to success. He now sits on the very short list of actors who have starred in multiple $100 million pictures over the past three decades.

Trading Places, 48 Hrs., Dr. Dolittle, Coming to America and the Beverly Hills Cop franchise are some of Murphy’s films that have been among the highest-grossing comedies in the industry. His talented, seamless screen presence garnered him Golden Globe Award

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nominations for Best Actor in a Comedy for his performances in Beverly Hills Cop, Trading Places and 48 Hrs. Murphy has famously portrayed seven different characters in the worldwide box office smash The Nutty Professor, for which he received another Golden Globe Award nomination. He added a character to play a total of eight roles in the sequel, Nutty Professor II: The Klumps, co-starring Janet Jackson. He also starred in Dr. Dolittle 2, Daddy Day Care, The Haunted Mansion, the romantic comedy Norbit, in which he played three characters as well as served as the film’s producer and screenwriter. He was in the caper comedy Tower Heist opposite Ben Stiller, starred opposite Steve Martin in the comedy Bowfinger, and played the title character in the drama Mr. Church.

For the role of James “Thunder” Early in the Dreamworks film Dreamgirls, Murphy received rave reviews and critical acclaim.

His performance was honored with a Golden Globe, Screen Actors Guild and Broadcast Film Critics Association Awards for Best Supporting Actor in a Motion Picture. Murphy earned his first Academy Award nomination in the same category.

He brought to life the legendary underground comic personality Rudy Ray Moore in the film Dolemite Is My Name from Netflix, which earned him widespread critical acclaim as well as a Golden Globe nomination for Best Actor In A Comedy or Musical and a Critics Choice Association nomination for Best

Actor. He has also received an Emmy Award for Outstanding Guest Actor in a Comedy Series for his return to his comedy alma mater, Saturday Night Live.

Murphy has provided the voice of several animated characters, including Mushu the Dragon in the popular animated epic Mulan, Donkey in the Oscar®-winning animated film Shrek, and its sequel, Shrek 2, which is the top-grossing animated film of all time.

Murphy won an Annie Award and earned BAFTA and MTV Movie Award nominations for his performance in the first Shrek, and he also reprised the role of Donkey in the final installment of the hugely successful franchise, Shrek Goes Fourth.

Taking his talent behind the camera, Murphy made his directorial debut with Harlem Nights, a period comedy he also wrote and starred in, opposite Richard Pryor and Redd Foxx. In addition, Murphy starred in and produced the hit comedy Life, co-starring Martin Lawrence.

Currently, Murphy is bringing laughter to audiences in his reprised role of Akeem in Netfilx’s Coming to America 2, the longanticipated sequel to the 1988 box-office hit.

For over four decades, Eddie Murphy has played everything from a prince to a street beggar and con artist, yet his principal role is that of father and grandfather. His family is his center. They serve as the foundation from which new roles will spring forth, and he will continue keeping audiences anticipating the brilliance of his comedic genius and versatility for many more years to come.

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FOCUS FEATURES SALUTES THE NAACP AND PROUDLY CONGRATULATES OUR

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THE FUTURE FOR JOURNEY TO UNITY THEATERS AND THE ARTS BY: CLARENCE FLUKER At the height of a summer sweltering with discontent, Karamu House, the oldest, producing African-American theater in the nation, provided a history lesson by educating and entertaining with a brilliant production acknowledging Juneteenth. The Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater provided hope through its re-imagined Revelations. And artists, photographers, writers, composers, musicians, and creatives of every kind poured themselves into new works that they shared with others to help make sense of the world and to heal.

During times of crisis, people often come together to seek solutions. The pain and heartache felt by a nation mourning the loss of lives by police officers led to marches across the country where justice and equality were demanded. These marches will not end until people are no longer mistreated because of the color of their skin. This is possible because change demanded by the masses can sway a country. We are stronger together.

Visual and performing arts occupy a critical role in our personal and collective history and healing. Many of the NAACP Image Awards-nominated TV and film actors received their initial training and began their stellar careers in theaters. These sacred spaces have served as a place of refuge and given performers an opportunity to hone and refresh their skills. We must acknowledge their great value and intentionally invest more in Black artists and Black-led arts institutions. In the wake of our nation’s newest reckoning with systemic racism, a number of theaters and arts institutions made public statements and announced new initiatives to examine their personnel, policies, programming, and business practices. And while these institutions must be held accountable and encouraged to offer Black people a seat at the table, it remains imperative that we make our own tables and bring our own seats.

From curator to critic, dramaturge to designer, house manager to managing director, and every role in between, Black talent should always have culturally conscious strong artistic homes to be provided opportunities to grow, thrive and shine. We must continue to invest in our artists and our arts institutions, because those are investments in our history and our shared healing with a rich and meaningful return.

KEEPING THE VILLAGE TOGETHER: MAINTAINING LET’S GO VIRAL! COMMUNITY AND BY: CHARLES WILSON CELEBRATING UNITY IN THE PANDEMIC BY: JOLON MCNEIL When COVID-19 slowly and quietly crept into this country, people had to brush off the cloak of isolation and find new ways of connecting with their loved ones. Recreating intimacy is essential for the soul’s survival, and technology has provided the most modern way of keeping beloved communities connected. The lack of social contact left people feeling cold, yet deliberate acts and powerful conversations kept in the warmth.

The need for people to prioritize and focus on each other became a prime concern. Villages leaned into joyful acts of community rituals and celebrations. Unity and community were not only buzzwords but became a way of life. Celebration of life and funeral ceremonies went online in order for family and friends to grieve together. “Girls Night Out” became Zoom Happy Hours, birthday parties and graduations evolved into car horn-honking parades. Helping those in need became everyday occurrences.

People picked up the phone again to talk. Pens hit paper, and stamps were rediscovered. Of course, proximity is better than distance, but there was space found in the distance to spend time on what really matters – love.

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At the top of 2020, talented artists created virtual performances and used the power of social media as a way to stay connected to their fans during a pandemic that wanted to keep them apart.

Gospel singer Kierra “Keke” Sheard virtually recorded an entire video “Something Has to Break” with her band and background singers. The video was edited into an amazing visual that truly encompassed the essence of togetherness. Tina KnowlesLawson, the mother of R&B superstars Beyoncé and Solange, and her husband (Richard Lawson) remotely curated their annual Wearable Art Gala. People from all over the world tuned in via Facebook Live to participate in the festivities.

Uniting fans and providing an outlet for creativity has provided more intimate shows and opportunities for fans and the artists.

Throughout the year, Erykah Badu charged just $1 admission to her series of live-streamed shows. She and her band stayed 6 feet apart and creatively executed live themed shows for her fans. One artist who took more of an acoustic approach and performed intimate live concerts from her home is jazz artist Norah Jones. Her bare-bones live streams with her upright piano or guitar were performed a few times a week. Jhene Aiko gave beautiful stripped performances of her repertoire in her living room, and she often used chakra singing meditation bowls as a part of her performance. Despite the coronavirus social distancing rules, fans worldwide felt more connected to some of their favorite musicians after being immersed in their virtual world.

ENTERTAINER OF THE YEAR ENTERTAINER OF THE YEAR ENTERTAINER OF THE YEAR SPECIAL AWARD

ENTERTAINER OF THE YEAR

D-Nice

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Regina King

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SOCIAL JUSTICE IMPACT AWARD SOCIAL JUSTICE IMPACT AWARD SOCIAL JUSTICE IMPACT AWARD SPECIAL AWARD

SOCIAL JUSTICE IMPACT AWARD

Stacey Abrams

Debbie Allen

Tamika Mallory

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LeBron James

April Ryan

SHOW PRODUCTION CREDITS PRODUCTION STAFF & CREW EXECUTIVE PRODUCER REGINALD HUDLIN

LEGAL ERIC WEISSLER JACKOWAY AUSTEN TYERMAN WERTHEIMER MANDELBAUM MORRIS BERNSTEIN TRATTNER & KLEIN

EXECUTIVE PRODUCER PHIL GURIN

DIRECTOR OF SECURITY CLARENCE LABOR, JR

EXECUTIVE PRODUCER BYRON PHILLIPS

COVID COMPLIANCE / EIR GREGG LEDERMAN CYNTHIA UKAS-BRADLEY BILL LEHMKUL JUSTIN BURRIS BUTCH ALLEN JON HAWKINS ASH HUBNIK

PRODUCER ROBIN REINHARDT EXECUTIVE IN CHARGE OF PRODUCTION RACHEL FRIMER DIRECTOR TONY MCCUIN

POST SUPERVISOR PHILIP D’AMOUR

WRITER JON MACKS

POST COORDINATOR ANDY NOVAK

LINE PRODUCER WARREN PICK

EDITOR ANTARES VARGAS

COORDINATING PRODUCER SABRINA RUFO MISHLER

MUSIC CLEARANCE SUPERVISOR ROBIN KAYE

PACKAGE PRODUCER NARUMI INATSUGU

MUSIC CLEARANCE ASHLEY VIERGEVER

TALENT EXECUTIVE KATIE CARLIN

STAGING SUPERVISOR SKIP MOORE PRODUCTION SAFETY NEIL LARSON

KEY TECH MANAGER MIKE ANDERSON TECH MANAGER JOHN PRITCHETT TECHNICAL DIRECTOR TOM HENSON SCREENS TECHNICAL DIRECTOR BRETT LUEBEKE

REMOTE / ZOOM TECHNICAL DIRECTOR IQBAL HANS SCREENS PRODUCER DIRK SANDERS SCREENS ANIMATOR / CONTENT MANAGER KERSTIN HOVLAND XPRESSION OPERATOR DEBORAH KAVIS BACKTIMER ALLISON IRETE

TALENT MANAGER MEACHUN CLARK

CLIP CLEARANCE SUPERVISORS MARGARITA SULLIVAN MAISUN JABBAN

VIDEO CONTROL TERRANCE HO

VOICEOVER ANNOUNCER MC LYTE

LIBRARY MUSIC ROCHAD HOLIDAY / URBAN TWIST

ZOOM VIDEO CONTROL STUART WESOLIK

PRODUCTION SUPERVISOR M.E. PALACIO

SAG-AFTRA CONTRACTS MANAGER NATASSJA KOMINS

EVS OPERATORS SCOTT FRANTZ ERIC QUILLIN

SCRIPT SUPERVISOR SHANNON P. SMITH

ASSISTANTS TO EXECUTIVE PRODUCERS TOYIA BROWN EMILY SCHRAMM

PRODUCTION MANAGER MARK BAKER REMOTES PRODUCTION MANAGER (NY) ADAM MANISON COVID UPM RYAN BARCKLEY LOCATION MANAGER (NY) JENNIFER QUESENBERY PRODUCTION & CLEARANCE MANAGER GABRIELLE JONES NOMINEE REMOTE PRODUCER ARIEL KUBIT NOMINEE REMOTE AP’s BROOKE MCLEAN NEHA PATEL PRODUCTION COORDINATOR KARLYNN HEADLEY ACCOUNTING GOLDMAN & KNELL

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PRODUCTION ASSISTANT (NY) RENATA CAVALIERI

VIDEOTAPE OPERATOR MITCH BRYAN

PRODUCTION DESIGNER JOE STEWART

ZOOM COMPUTERS JASON DENAGY JOSUE ALVAREZ JOBART DARADAL JAIMIE XIE

LIGHTING DESIGNER MATT FIRESTONE

RF PLS (LEAD ENGINEER) JOHN ARENAS

ART DIRECTOR J. PATRICK ADAIR

TELEPROMPTER OP BRON GALLERAN

ASSOCIATE DIRECTOR DEBBIE PALACIO

REMOTES DP (NY) WHIT CONWAY

TAPE AD MICHELLE ROBINSON

GAFFER PAUL REIFENBERG

ZOOM / SCREENS AD’s JULIE GELFAND MARTY PASETTA JR

PROGRAMMER TIFFANY SPICER KEYS

LEAD STAGE MANAGER TSHAKA STEWART STAGE MANAGER (NY REMOTE) APRIL SMITH

CAMERA OPS TRAVIS HAYS HELENA JACKSON DAVE PLAKOS HEAD UTILITY SEAN WOODSIDE

SHOW PRODUCTION CREDITS UTILITIES JOHN ADELLA ADAM BARKER ZACK HOLLEY BRIAN JACQUEMIN

PRODUCTION MANAGER JAMES DRAKE

PROGRAMMING

PRODUCTION COORDINATOR RAWLE STERLING

HEAD OF PROGRAMMING CONNIE ORLANDO

AUDIO MIXER J. MARK KING AUDIO MIXER – ZOOM / SCREENS MIKE ABBOTT

BET

ASST. PRODUCTION COORDINATOR SHEVONNE GOREE

VP, SPECIALS & MUSIC PROGRAMMING JAMAL NOISETTE

BOOTH A2 JP VELASCO

EXEC. ASST. TO CONNIE ORLANDO & JAMAL NOISETTE MARIANA RAMIREZ

FLOOR A2 MICHAEL CRUZ

EVP, PROGRAMMING OPERATION & BALA NADJA WEBB

PRODUCTION FACILITY THE SWITCH

MANAGER, SPECIALS, MUSIC & NEWS LINDSEY TURNER

POST EDITING & AUDIO FACILITY GEIGER POST RUMIVILLE

COORDINATOR, SPECIALS, MUSIC & NEWS PERRI CAMPER

TECHNICAL OPERATIONS VP, STUDIO & REMOTE OPS MONA YIP SR. OPERATIONS, SPECIAL TRANSMISSIONS RYAN MOY DIRECTOR, TECH MANAGEMENT STUART BREWTON DIRECTOR, TECH OPS PAUL COX

TALENT CONSULTANT DEBORAH BYRD

POST GRAPHICS SYNDROME

POST PRODUCTION OPERATIONS SR. DIRECTOR, MUSIC PROGRAMMING & TALENT MICHELLE “BREEZE” JOHNSON

VP, POST PRODUCTION JAMES COHAN

SR. DIRECTOR, TALENT MERCEDES FUNDERBURK

DIRECTOR, POST PRODUCTION GABRIEL GORDILLO

NAACP

TALENT RELATIONS MANAGER ASHLE MITCHELL

MANAGER, EDITORIAL POST PRODUCTION NANDY SANTOS

CHAIR OF THE BOARD LEON W. RUSSELL

SVP, CONTENT STRATEGY MAUREEN GUTHMAN

COORDINATOR, EDITORIAL POST PRODUCTION MELONI VILLAGOMEZ

VICE CHAIR OF THE BOARD KAREN BOYKIN-TOWNS

VP, PROGRAM PLANNING, SCHEDULING & LINEAR MULTIPLATFORM LORISA BATES

COVID COMPLIANCE / EMT EIR (ENTERTAINMENT INDUSTRY RESPONSE)

PRESIDENT & CEO DERRICK JOHNSON CHIEF OF STAFF ERIS SIMS SENIOR VICE PRESIDENT, HOLLYWOOD BUREAU KYLE BOWSER VICE PRESIDENT, HOLLYWOOD BUREAU ROBIN HARRISON

VP, SCHEDULING CHRYSTIN NEVAREZ DIRECTOR, PROGRAM PLANNING & SCHEDULING BRIELLE URSSERY

NETWORK POST PRODUCTION OPERATIONS & NOC SR. DIRECTOR, POST PRODUCTION OPERATIONS KIM ALLEN SUPERVISOR, LIVE EVENTS LANETTE HINES

SR. MANAGER, PROGRAM PLANNING & SCHEDULING SADE POWELL CORPORATE MARKETING

PROGRAM MANAGER, SPECIAL PROJECTS QUINTAN SIMS

PRODUCTION

PROGRAM MANAGER, ADVOCACY & OUTREACH SEPTEMBER HILL

SVP, HEAD OF PRODUCTION, TENTPOLES, EVENTS, MUSIC & SPORTS JACKIE BARBA

PROJECT COORDINATOR, HOLLYWOOD BUREAU TIARA WILSON

EXEC. ASST. TO JACKIE BARBA JAMES PIPITONE

PROJECT COORINATOR, HOLLYWOOD BUREAU LAJUAN MORRIS ADMINISTRATIVE ASSISTANT, HOLLYWOOD BUREAU BRITTANY COOPER

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VP, PHYSICAL PRODUCTION FONDA ANITA EXEC. ASST. TO FONDA ANITA MELINDA DAWKINS SR. DIRECTOR, PRODUCTION RENEE SMITH

SVP BRAND STRATEGY & EXECUTIVE CREATIVE DIRECTOR KENDRICK REID VP, CREATIVE DIRECTOR ADRIAN HILTON VP, 360 CONSUMER MARKETING & BRAND STRATEGY JANINA LUNDY DIRECTOR, 360 CONSUMER BRAND STRATEGY ERICA HOLLEY SR MANAGER, 360 CONSUMER BRAND STRATEGY TASHA HILTON

SHOW PRODUCTION CREDITS

DIRECTOR, SOCIAL MEDIA T.J. BARBER

BROADCAST MEDIA SALES VP, AD SALES CREATIVE INTEGRATION KEITH LAWSON SR. DIRECTOR, BRAND SOLUTIONS STACEY SIMMONS DIRECTOR, BRAND SOLUTIONS JOANNE MULE SR. MANAGER, BRAND SOLUTIONS EMANUEL NUNN

CORPORATE PUBLIC AFFAIRS / COMMUNICATIONS / EVENTS PRODUCTION & COPORATE RELATIONS CHIEF SOCIAL IMPACT & COMMUNICATIONS OFFICER JEANINE LINBURD EXEC. ASST. TO JEANINE LINBURD MARGARET MEIMARIS DIRECTOR, CORPORATE COMMUNICATIONS CHLOE DUVERGE SR. DIRECTOR, EVENTS PRODUCTION & CORPORATE RELATIONS NATASHA BRYSON

SR MANAGER, CREATIVE MUSIC RAQUELLE PROCTOR

CORPORATE ADMINISTRATION & TRAVEL SR. DIRECTOR, TENT POLE SECURITY CLARENCE LABOR JR. MANAGER, CORPORATE ADMINISTRATION BONITA BISHOP

PRODUCTION CONTENT REVIEW VP, PRODUCTION CONTENT REVIEW JEMAR DANIEL COUNSEL EMILY GRIMM

BUSINESS & LEGAL AFFAIRS SVP, BUSINESS & LEGAL AFFAIRS KHADIJAH SHARIF-DRINKARD VP, BUSINESS & LEGAL AFFAIRS CHEREECE LAWSON

PRODUCTION CLEARANCES / LICENSING STRATEGY SVP, PROD CLEARANCES SHARI ROTHSEID DIRECTOR, PROD CLEARANCES RAYMOND PROSOKI

SR. MANAGER, BALA OMRAE SMITH MANAGER, BALA JANELLE SMITH-FOSTER DIRECTOR, STANDARDS & PRACTICES KRISTORIA BYRD MANAGER, STANDARDS & PRACTICES KYLE WASHINGTON

BET INTERNATIONAL

PRODUCTION FINANCE DIRECTOR, PRODUCTION FINANCE KAT LEYVA

SR DIRECTOR, BET INTERNATIONAL PROGRAMMING CONTENT CRYSTAL JAMES-GOODWIN

PRODUCTION ACCOUNTANT ANTHONY DANIELS

SR PRODUCER, BET INTERNATIONAL COLLINS HARRIS

1ST ASSISTANT ACCOUNT XAVI GADPAILLE

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SVP & GM, BET DIGITAL AMY BARNETT SR. DIRECTOR, DIGITAL ORIGINALS JASON OFFOR PRODUCER, SPECIALS DE’JUAN GALLOWAY LINE PRODUCER ASHLEY LE DUC PRODUCTION MANAGER BRIAN STODDARD MULTI-PLATFORM VOD

MANAGER, EVENT PRODUCTIONS & CORPORATE RELATIONS RACHEL BRADLEY

CREATIVE MUSIC LICENSING STRATEGY VP, MUSIC MEDIA LICENSING CONNIE HOWELL

BET DIGITAL

DIRECTOR, MULTIPLATFORM PROGRAMMING LYNN BURGESS

IMAGE AWARDS CREDITS NAACP HOLLYWOOD BUREAU

DIGITAL SOUVENIR PROGRAM BOOK

KYLE BOWSER SENIOR VICE PRESIDENT

JUNIE HARRIS – EDITOR IN CHIEF

ROBIN HARRISON VICE PRESIDENT

JOLENE MCNEIL – PROJECT DIRECTOR

RENE RAWLS – MANAGING EDITOR

QUINTAN SIMS PROGRAM MANAGER, SPECIAL PROJECTS

ASHLEIGH ARMSTRONG – RESEARCH AND PHOTOS

SEPTEMBER HILL PROGRAM MANAGER, ADVOCACY & OUTREACH

0514 DESIGN - ARTISTIC DESIGN

ARIANA DRUMMOND – ADVERTISING SALES

JON DAVIS – ARTISTIC DESIGN J’AI MCCORKLE EXECUTIVE ASSISTANT TIARA WILSON PROJECT COORDINATOR BRITTANY COOPER ADMINISTRATIVE ASSISTANT

SUBMISSIONS JUNIE J. HARRIS DIRECTOR ROBIN ROBINSON MOTION PICTURE COORDINATOR CAROL ALEXANDER TELEVISION COORDINATOR CHARLES WILSON RECORDING COORDINATOR MICHAEL PORTER LITERATURE COORDINATOR ASHLEIGH ARMSTRONG SUBMISSIONS ASSISTANT

CONSULTANTS LAJUAN MORRIS PRODUCTION COORDINATOR

CONTRIBUTING EDITORS AND WRITERS JULIANA BOLDEN YOLANDA BRINKLEY PHILLIP CHERFERE CHRISTIAN COLEMAN AILEEN D. DODD CLARENCE FLUKER DIRON FORD FERN GILLESPIE MELISSA HAIZLIP CARLTON HENRY REBEKKA L. HUGHES, MA, LPC LOTTIE L. JOINER LISA MATTHEWS LELA MEADOWN-CONNER JOLON MCNEIL LATANYA PATTILLO MICHAEL PORTER VANETTA CHEEKS REEDER ROBIN ROBINSON ALLISON ROSS CHARLES WILSON PHOTO CREDIT CHRISTIAN COLEMAN, SYDNI CRAIG, DIRON FORD, GETTY IMAGES, EARL GIPSON, III, ALEX HARSLEY, MAYO2MEDIA, @NATHANABAUMAN, @REIS.RAW, ALLISON ROSS, @RVAMAG, SHUTTERSTOCK, VERZUZ, NATIONAL PRESS CLUB

BERT SMITH & CO. ACCOUNTANT TALENTEDSOL PRODUCTIONS PRE-AWARDS SHOW CO-PRODUCER ARIANNA DRUMMOND SUBMISSIONS CONSULTANT 0514 DESIGN ART DIRECTOR AND DESIGN KAREEMA BEE PRE-AWARDS WRITER PUBLIC RELATIONS SUNSHINE SACHS

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360 TOTAL SOLUTIONS - DIGITAL CONTENT DAVID S. HARGRETT NIKKI FOSTER TAHITI SPEARS SHAKIRIA HOWIE MARQUITA BRADLEY HORECEE ST. CYR CORI ISAIAH JOHNSON RAY ‘QUASI’ NELSON DONNIE MCMILLAN JONATHAN DAVID TRE’MON FRINK D’ZYRE JONES OBIE OBUMSELI JUSTIN POWELL

EXECUTIVE PRODUCER HEAD OF EXECUTION ART DIRECTOR PRODUCER PRODUCER PROJECT MANAGER ASSOCIATE PRODUCER SOCIAL MEDIA MESSENGER EDITOR EDITOR SOCIAL MEDIA INTERN SOCIAL MEDIA INTERN SOCIAL MEDIA INTERN SOCIAL MEDIA INTERN

Soaring to new heights.

FedEx celebrates those who always strive to rise higher, push through every boundary, and overcome every obstacle. We’re proud to show our support for the 52nd NAACP Image Awards® and all those whose achievements put them in rarefied air. Congratulations. ©2021 FedEx. All rights reserved.

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