JAY-Z to be honored with NAACP President's Award
The president of the NAACP said there is no better time than now to honor JAY-Z with this award.
Just days after being honored with the Vanguard award at the 30th Annual GLAAD Media Awards alongside his wife Beyoncé, JAY-Z is being honored again this week by the NAACP.
On Thursday (Mar. 28) the NAACP announced that Hov will receive the President’s Award at the 50th NAACP Image Awards taking place tonight (Mar. 30) at the Dolby Theater in Los Angeles.
“The President’s Award is an honor we carefully bestow upon an individual, maintaining its significance and commitment to recognizing excellence in service that directly affects our community,” NAACP president Derrick Johnson said in a press release. “Shawn Carter has been committed to shedding light on the issues that plague the black community including systematic racism and unjust treatment under the law, utilizing his global platform to create everlasting change. There is no better time than now, as we celebrate our 50th year, to honor him with this award.”
Previous recipients include Spike Lee, Lauryn Hill, John Legend, Colin Powell, Condoleezza Rice, Muhammad Ali and last year’s recipient, Danny Glover.
Over the last year, JAY-Z has dominated headlines for his social justice work. Along with Van Jones and Meek Mill, Jay helped launch the Reform Alliance, a group that focuses on ending the revolving door of probation and parole in the United States. Also when 21 Savage was detained by ICE, JAY-Z recruited a legal team to help assist with his release. Most recently, Hov lent the services of the philanthropic division of Roc Nation to help dismiss the case of Jabari Talbot, the 11-year-old 6th grader who was charged with disrupting a school function and resisting arrest without violence after he refused to stand for the Pledge of Allegiance back in February.
California Congresswoman Maxine Waters will also be honored at this year’s awards with the Chairman’s Award. The award is given to those “who demonstrate exemplary public service and use their distinct platforms to create agents of change.” Recently Waters made history as the first woman and first African-American to hold the Chair’s gavel of the House Financial Services Committee.
The NAACP Awards will air live tonight (Mar. 30) at 9 pm ET on TV One.