2022 NAACP Image Awards Recap!

What better way to end Black History Month than celebrating the iconic NAACP Image Awards? This year, on Saturday, February 26, the award show took place with host Affion Crockett and presenters included Issa Rae, Kerry Washington, LL Cool J, Morgan Freeman, Tiffany Haddish, Zendaya, and many more.

What are the NAACP Image Awards? Well, it’s a yearly award ceremony that takes place at the end of Black History Month, held by the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, to acknowledge music, television, theatre, film, and literature performances. 40 categories are voted on by the members of the NAACP, as well as honorary awards like President’s Award, Chairman’s Award, Entertainer of The Year Award, and Hall of Fame Award.

Starting with the honorary awards, the President’s Award was received by Meghan Markle, along with her husband Prince Harry.

The Chairman’s Award was given to Samuel L. Jackson, a longtime activist and advocate of the civil rights movement and Alzheimers and cancer research. He has a foundation that raises awareness and money for various charitable causes.

The Entertainer of the Year was awarded to Jennifer Hudson, who also received Outstanding Actress in a Motion Picture.

The Humanitarian of the Year was awarded to Darnella Frazier; this award presented to someone whose life work exemplifies the type of dedication to all the important issues the NAACP represents in their mission. Darnella was the young girl who recorded the murder of George Floyd which was so key in the trial and later conviction of the police officers responsible for his death.

Social Justice Impact was given to Nikole Hannah-Jones, whose contribution to social justice reaches far more than her work covering civil rights and racial injustices for The New York Times -- it also includes writing The 1619 Project. 

The Roy Wilkins Civil Rights Award was awarded to The Mexican American Legislative Caucus, Texas House Democratic Caucus, and Texas Legislative Black Caucus. This award recognizes service members who promote and represent civil rights advocation and the core values of their branch of service.

Other artists who left as winners Saturday night include:

Oustanding Comedy Series went to "Insecure", a drama-comedy series created by Issa Rae and Larry Wilmore, about the awkward life moments of an African-American woman. It premiered on HBO in 2016 and has received much critical acclaim since then.

Outstanding Actor and Actress in a Comedy Series went to Anthony Anderson for "Black-ish" and Issa Rae for "Insecure", respectively.

Outstanding Drama Series was awarded to "Queen Sugar", an American drama series produced and created by Ava DuVernay along with Oprah Winfrey. It follows 3 siblings in Louisiana who have to deal with the aftershock of their dad’s death and have to take care of his 800-acre sugarcane farm. It follows important issues like racial profiling, chattel slavery, and the inequalities of the criminal justice systems in the U.S.

Outstanding Actor and Actress in a Drama Series went to Sterling K. Brown for his role as Randall Pearson on "This Is Us" and Angela Bassett as Athena Grant on FX’s "9-1-1", respectively.

Outstanding Motion Picture went to The Harder They Fall, an American Western film directed by Jeymes Samuel staring actors Jonathan Majors, Idris Elba, Zazie Beetz, Regina King, and many more icons. The film follows cowboys, lawmen, and outlaws of the 19th-century American West.

Outstanding Actress and Actor in a Motion Picture were awarded to Jennifer Hudson for Respect and Will Smith for King Richard, respectively.

Two unexpected and yet totally expected winners were Encanto for Outstanding Animated Motion Picture and CODA for and Independent Motion Picture.

More winner include:

Outstanding New Artist: “Best Friend” by Saweetie feat. Doja Cat

Outstanding International Song: “Essence” by Wizkid feat. Tems & Justin Bieber

Outstanding Music Video/Visual Album: Essence by Wizkid feat. Tems

Outstanding Male Artist: Anthony Hamilton, Love Is The New Black

Outstanding Female Artist: Jazmine Sullivan, Heaux Tales

Outstanding Soul/R&B Song: "Pick Up Your Feelings" by Jazmine Sullivan

Outstanding Hip-Hop/Rap Song: "Fye Fye" by Tobe Nwigwe feat. Fat Nwigwe

Outstanding Album: Heaux Tales by Jazmine Sullivan

Outstanding Literary Work – Fiction: Long Division by Kiese Laymon

Outstanding Literary Work – Non-Fiction: The 1619 Project: A New Origin Story by Nikole Hannah-Jones

Outstanding Literary Work – Debut Author: Just As I Am by Cicely Tyson

Outstanding Literary Work – Biography/ Autobiography: Will by Will Smith

Outstanding Literary Work – Instructional: Feeding the Soul (Because It's My Business) by Tabitha Brown

Outstanding Literary Work – Poetry: Perfect Black by Crystal Wilkinson

Outstanding Literary Work – Children: Stacey's Extraordinary Words by Stacey Abrams & Kitt Thomas

Congratulations to this year’s winners and activists of the NAACP Image Awards! Their impact will never be forgotten, and their work forever makes a difference in our communities.