The host of the 54th NAACP Image Awards was revealed live on “CBS Mornings” on Tuesday. Queen Latifah, a Grammy, Emmy and Golden Globe Award-winning actress and musician, will host the ceremony on Saturday, Feb. 25.
The awards celebrate Black performers in movies, TV, theater, music and literature.
“It’s an honor to host the 54th NAACP Image Awards, especially in the year we are celebrating 50 years of Hip Hop,” Queen Latifah said in a news release. “This is a night to celebrate Black excellence and Black contribution to our industry and beyond. Celebrating one another, lifting each other up and you know we’ll have fun doing it!”
Connie Orlando, the executive vice president of specials, music programming and music strategy at BET, called Queen Latifah “one of our generation’s most influential and iconic voices” and a “groundbreaking megastar.”
Queen Latifah won’t be the only big name of the night. Presenters will include Janelle Monae, Taye Diggs, Kerry Washington, Jonathan Majors and Zendaya.
The awards also highlight the accomplishments of political leaders and activists. According to the news release, the Activist of the Year Award will be presented to Dr. Derrick Lee Foward, president of the Dayton Unit of the NAACP and a vice president of the Ohio NAACP. Foward has worked with the NAACP for nearly two decades.
The Youth Activist of the Year Award will be presented to Bradley Ross Jackson, the president of the youth council of the Bloomington-Normal NAACP in Bloomington, Indiana. Jackson will be honored for organizing a peaceful protest of over 1,000 people in response to the murder of George Floyd.
Notable names including Democratic Congressman Bennie G. Thompson from Mississippi, civil rights attorney Ben Crump, former basketball star Dwayne Wade and actress Gabrielle Union-Wade will also receive honors.
“This year’s NAACP Image Awards will be an amazing celebration, highlighting the major accomplishments of political leaders, entertainers, activists, and other changemakers,” Derrick Johnson, NAACP president and CEO, said in the news release. “It will also be a night that shows how our community can come together and impact each other and the world in a positive way.”
The awards show will premiere live on BET and simulcast across Paramount Global networks including BET HER, CBS, CMT, Comedy Central, LOGO, MTV, MTV2, Paramount Network, POP TV, Smithsonian, TV Land and VH1.
