The 2018 NAACP Image Awards: The Official Enstars Recap
The 49th National Association for the Advancement of Colored People Image Awards kicked off with the attendees paying homage to Martin Luther King Jr. and reflecting on his legacy by using the #RepresentTheDream hashtag. This was the first time that the award show was held on Martin Luther King Day.
Three-time Image Award winner Anthony Anderson hosted the awards show for the fifth year in a row. The Black-ish star called the awards show the "Oprah for President" Headquarters. The actor followed by calling Winfrey a stable genius and joked about her running for president. Anderson stated why she would want to run for president and move into a smaller house.
Anderson also reflected on 2017 by shedding some light on Tyrese's most memorable moments in 2017, Meghan Markle making her way into the royal palace, and Omarosa Manigault's "$10 million" book deal.
Time's Up
Tracee Ellis Ross, Keri Washington, Laverne Cox, Lena Withe, Jurnee Smollet-Bell, and Angela Robinson presented the first award of the night and expressed their support of the Time's Up campaign. The women empathized on the importance of voting and urged people to go out and vote during the mid-term elections.
And The Winners Are...
Insecure star Issa Rae and Grown-ish star Yara Shahidi presented the award for Outstanding Actor in a Comedy Series.
This is Anthony Anderson's fourth time receiving the award for his role in the hit ABC show, Black-ish.
Black Panther actor Chadwick Boseman presented the award for Outstanding Actress in Drama Series. Taraji P. Henson took home the award for her role as Cookie Lyon in Empire.
Terry Crews and Jay Pharaoh presented Tracee Ellis Ross with the award for Outstanding Actress in a Comedy Series for her role as the matriarch in Black-ish. Ross and Anderson and Ross are four-time winners and led the comedy acting category.
The Walking Dead's Sonequa Martin-Green and Danai Gurira presented Omari Hardwick with the award for Outstanding Actor in a Drama Series for his role as Ghost in Power. This is Hardwick's first time winning an NAACP Image Award. During his acceptance speech, Hardwick thanked Power's cast, crew, and creators. He also thanked rapper Common by calling him his "damn look alike."
The cast of Power received their first NAACP award for Outstanding Drama Series. The show's creator, Courtney Kemp, looked to Black-ish creator Kenya Barris for acceptance speech tips.
Get Out's, Daniel Kaluuya takes home the award for Outstanding Actor in a Motion Picture. Kaluuya is a first-time nominee. The actor was surprised to win the award as he was also up against Denzel Washington for his role in Roman J. Israel Esq.
"I don't think you're allowed to beat Denzel Washington in an acting competition," Kaluuya said.
The hit summer comedy of 2017, Girls Trip, received the award for Outstanding Motion Picture. The film's producer, Will Packer, accepted the award on behalf of Haiti and Africa.
The final award of the night went to film director and screenwriter Ava DuVernay. DuVernay's impassioned speech closed out the night.
"We can say we were here when all this gorgeous art was happening, and that we supported it -- that we lifted each other up, that we did as Dr. King said we would do: Live the dream, We're the dream," DuVernay said.
Honorees
Halle Berry honored music legend Charlie Wilson with the Music Makes a Difference award.
While Wilson received the Music Makes a Difference award, Danny Glover was presented with the President's Award by NAACP President and CEO Derrick Johnson. Glover's career spans over 30 years with notable roles in films such as The Color Purple, Angels in the Outfield, Lethal Weapon and Dreamgirls.
Although Glover is a prominent actor and film director, he is also known for his philanthropic efforts for economic justice, access to health care and education programs in the United States and Africa.
During his acceptance speech, Glover quoted novelist James Baldwin.
"We cannot tell ourselves the truth about our past, we become trapped in it -- this is especially true about race in America," Glover said.
Memories Segment
The show also took some time to highlight major names in comedy and music that we have lost in 2017. Charlie Murphy, Della Reese, Fats Domino, Chuck Berry, Dick Gregory, Al Jarreau, Robert Guillame and many others all passed away in 2017, but their legacy will continue to live on.
