The NAACP celebrates diversity at the 47th Annual Image Awards

On February 5, the NAACP  held its 47th annual Image Awards to celebrates the achievements of people of color in film, television, music, and literature.  It also honored or groups who promoted social justice through creative endeavors. Hosted by actor Anthony Anderson (Black-ish), the show aired at 9/8c  on TV One.  Eclipse Magazine had the opportunity to celebrate this amazing event, including chatting with talented celebrities such as Jussie Smollett (Empire)!

Awards season is in full swing.  From the Golden Globes to the SAG Awards to the upcoming Oscar Awards, it seems like an endless constellation of stars are flooding the red carpet every week.  Last Friday, once again the limos pulled up amongst glitz and glamour and the flashing of cameras as celebrities came out to attend the NAACP Awards at the Pasadena Civic Auditorium.  Unlike the other awards shows that celebrate film/tv/music, this one took a step further to include literature and other people who promote social justice via the creative arts.

To kick off the live broadcast, there was a non-televised NAACP Image Awards dinner hosted by Affion Crockett and Nischelle Turner the night before.  During the non-televised dinner, winners of the 47th NAACP Image Awards in the non-televised categories were announced.  Winners in forty-five categories for music, literature, animation were announced, along with a special tribute to Julian Bond, former Chairman of the NAACP.

There were several notable people at the NAACP Image Awards for the non-televised dinner, including NAACP Chairman Roslyn Brock along with several NAACP members, and noteable people in both entertainment, music, and literature.  I had the lovely opportunity of chatting with some incredible people, including the host of the non-televised NAACP Image Awards dinner actor Affion Crockett  along with such nominees as director Christine Swanson nominated for outstanding director in a motion picture (TV) for her film For The Love Of Ruth on TV One, author Sakina Ibrahim nominated for “Big Words To Little Me: Tips To My Younger Self” nominated for outstanding literary work (instructional), and NAACP Image Award winner Justin Smollett of “Empire”.

The remaining ten categories in television and film were announced live the following evening during the two-hour TV One telecast on February 5.  NAACP president Cornell William Brooks presented John Legend with the President’s Award for his public service and career success.  The Entertainer of the Year Award was bestowed to Michael B. Jordan,  an individual within the entertainment industry who has achieved notable success in multiple projects and mediums. Eight individuals and organizations, including including Empire star Jussie Smollett, the University of Missouri’s Concerned Student 1950 Collective, and Brittany “Bree” Newsome, the activist and filmmaker who scaled a flagpole and took down the Confederate flag outside the South Carolina Capitol, were honored with the NAACP Chairman’s Award for using platforms to be agents of change.

The talented Justin Smollett, who has been previously nominated for multiple awards such as BET, Teen’s Choice Awards, and Young Artist Awards, was announced as winner of the NAACP Image Award Outstanding Recording Artist.  Best known for his role as Jamal Lyon in Empire, I got a chance to chat with him on the red carpet during the NAACP Image Awards dinner.  He talked about what it means to be a nominee for this prestigious award, his view on diversity in Hollywood, and the universal stories of Empire. Check out his interview!

 

Here is the complete list of winners for  the 47th annual NAACP Image Awards:

President Award

John Legend

Entertainer of the year

Michael B. Jordan ***WINNER
Misty Copeland
Pharrell Williams
Shonda Rhimes
Viola Davis

MOTION PICTURE

Outstanding Motion Picture

Straight Outta Compton (Universal) ***WINNER
Beasts of No Nation (Netflix)
Concussion (Sony)
Creed (Warner Bros./Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer)
Dope (Open Road Films)

Outstanding Actor in a Motion Picture

Michael B. Jordan, Creed (Warner Bros./Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer) ***WINNER
Abraham Attah, Beasts of No Nation (Netflix)
Chiwetel Ejiofor, Secret in Their Eyes (STX)
Michael Ealy, The Perfect Guy (Screen Gems)
Will Smith, Concussion (Sony)

Outstanding Actress in a Motion Picture

Sanaa Lathan, The Perfect Guy (Screen Gems) *** WINNER
Lauren Keke Palmer, Brotherly Love (Flavor Unit)
Teyonah Parris, Chi-Raq (Amazon Studios and Roadside Attractions)
Viola Davis, Lila and Eve (Samuel Goldwyn)
Zoe Saldana, Infinitely Polar Bear (Sony Pictures Classics)

Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Motion Picture

O’Shea Jackson Jr., Straight Outta Compton (Universal) ***WINNER
Chiwetel Ejiofor, The Martian (Fox)
Corey Hawkins, Straight Outta Compton (Universal)
Forest Whitaker, Southpaw (The Weinstein Company)
Idris Elba, Beasts of No Nation (Netflix)

Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Motion Picture

Phylicia Rashad, Creed (Warner Bros./Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer) ***WINNER
Angela Bassett, Chi-Raq (Amazon Studios and Roadside Attractions)
Gugu Mbatha-Raw, Concussion (Sony)
Jennifer Hudson, Chi-Raq (Amazon Studios and Roadside Attractions)
Tessa Thompson, Creed (Warner Bros./Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer)

Outstanding Independent Motion Picture

Beasts of No Nation (Netflix) ***WINNER
Brotherly Love (Flavor Unit)
Chi-Raq (Amazon Studios and Roadside Attractions)
Infinitely Polar Bear (Sony Pictures Classics)
Secret in Their Eyes (STX)

Outstanding Documentary (Film)

The Black Panthers: Vanguard of the Revolution (PBS Distribution/Firelight Films) ***WINNER
Amy (A24)
Dreamcatcher (Rise Films, Green Acres Films & Vixen Films in association with Impact Partners and Artemis Rising Foundation)
In My Fathers House (Break Thru Films)
What Happened, Miss Simone? (A Radical Media Production in Association with Moxie Firecracker for Netflix)

Outstanding Documentary (Television)

Muhammad Ali: The Peoples Champ (BET) ***WINNER
August Wilson: The Ground on Which I Stand (PBS)
Belief (OWN)
Kareem: Minority of One (HBO)
Light Girls (OWN)

Outstanding Comedy Series

black-ish (ABC) ***WINNER
House of Lies (Showtime)
Key & Peele (Comedy Central)
Orange Is the New Black (Netflix)
Survivor’s Remorse (Starz)

Outstanding Actor in a Comedy Series

Anthony Anderson, black-ish (ABC) ***WINNER
Andre Braugher, Brooklyn Nine-Nine (Fox)
Don Cheadle, House of Lies (Showtime)
Dwayne Johnson, Ballers (HBO)
RonReaco Lee, Survivor’s Remorse (Starz)

Outstanding Actress in a Comedy Series

Tracee Ellis Ross, black-ish (ABC) *** WINNER
Gina Rodriguez, Jane the Virgin (The CW)
Loretta Devine, The Carmichael Show (NBC)
Uzo Aduba, Orange Is the New Black (Netflix)
Wendy Raquel Robinson, The Game (BET)

Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series

Mike Epps, Survivor’s Remorse (Starz) ***WINNER
David Alan Grier, The Carmichael Show (NBC)
Laurence Fishburne, black-ish (ABC)
Miles Brown, black-ish (ABC)
Terry Crews, Brooklyn Nine-Nine (Fox)

Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series

Marsai Martin, black-ish (ABC) ***WINNER
Anna Deavere Smith, Nurse Jackie (Showtime)
Danielle Brooks, Orange Is the New Black (Netflix)
Laverne Cox, Orange Is the New Black (Netflix)
Tichina Arnold, Survivor’s Remorse (Starz)

Outstanding Drama Series

Empire (Fox) ***WINNER
Being Mary Jane (BET)
How to Get Away with Murder (ABC)
Power (Starz)
Scandal (ABC)

Outstanding Actor in a Drama Series

Terrence Howard, Empire (Fox) ***WINNER
LL Cool J, NCIS: Los Angeles (CBS)
Morris Chestnut, Rosewood (Fox
Omari Hardwick, Power (Starz)
Wesley Snipes, The Player (NBC)

Outstanding Actress in a Drama Series

Taraji P. Henson, Empire (Fox) *** WINNER
Gabrielle Union, Being Mary Jane (BET)
Kerry Washington, Scandal (ABC)
Nicole Beharie, Sleepy Hollow (Fox)
Viola Davis, How to Get Away With Murder (ABC)

Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series

Joe Morton, Scandal (ABC) ***WINNER
Alfred Enoch, How to Get Away With Murder (ABC)
Bryshere Y. Gray, Empire (Fox)
Guillermo Diaz, Scandal (ABC)
Jussie Smollett, Empire (Fox)

Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series

Regina King, American Crime (ABC) ***WINNER
Cicely Tyson, How to Get Away with Murder (ABC)
Danai Gurira, The Walking Dead (AMC)
Grace Gealey, Empire (Fox)
Naturi Naughton, Power (Starz)

Outstanding Television Movie, Miniseries or Dramatic Special

The Wiz Live! (NBC) ***WINNER
American Crime (ABC)
Bessie (HBO)
Luther (BBC America)
The Book of Negroes (BET)

Outstanding Actor in a Television Movie, Miniseries or Dramatic Special

David Alan Grier, The Wiz Live! (NBC) ***WINNER
Cuba Gooding, The Book of Negroes (BET)
David Oyelowo, Nightingale (HBO)
Idris Elba, Luther (BBC America)
Michael Kenneth Williams, Bessie (HBO)

Outstanding Actress in a Television Movie, Miniseries or Dramatic Special

Queen Latifah, Bessie (HBO) ***WINNER
Angela Bassett, American Horror Story: Hotel (FX Networks)
Aunjanue Ellis, The Book of Negroes (BET)
Jill Scott, With This Ring (Lifetime)
LaTonya Richardson Jackson, Show Me a Hero (HBO)

Outstanding News/ Information (Series or Special)

Unsung (TV One) ***WINNER
Katrina: 10 Years After the Storm (ABC)
News One Now (TV One)
Oprah Prime: Celebrating Dr. King and the Selma Marches 50 Years Later (OWN)
Oprah: Where Are They Now? — Civil Rights Special (OWN)

Outstanding Talk Series

The Talk (CBS) ***WINNER
Melissa Harris-Perry (MSNBC)
Steve Harvey (Syndicated)
The Daily Show With Trevor Noah (Comedy Central)
The Wendy Williams Show (Syndicated)

Outstanding Reality Program/Reality Competition Series

Welcome to Sweetie Pies (OWN) ***WINNER
Dancing With the Stars (ABC)
Iyanla: Fix My Life (OWN)
Shark Tank (ABC)
The Voice (NBC)

Outstanding Variety (Series or Special)

Family Feud (Syndicated) ***WINNER
lack Girls Rock! (BET)
Oprah’s Master Class (OWN)
The Daily Show With Trevor Noah (Comedy Central)
The Nightly Show With Larry Wilmore (Comedy Central)

Outstanding Children’s Program

Doc McStuffins (Disney Junior) ***WINNER
Dora and Friends (Nickelodeon)
K.C. Undercover (Disney Channel)
Little Ballers (Nickelodeon)
Project MC2 (Netflix)

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

Marcus Scribner, black-ish (ABC) ***WINNER
Hudson Yang, Fresh Off The Boat (ABC)
Marsai Martin, black-ish (ABC)
Miles Brown, black-ish (ABC)
Skai Jackson, Jessie (Disney Channel)

• Outstanding Host in a News, Talk, Reality, or Variety (Series or Special) — Individual

  Steve Harvey, Family Feud (Syndicated) ***WINNER
  Melissa Harris-Perry, Melissa Harris-Perry (MSNBC)
  Bryant Gumbel, Real Sports With Bryant Gumbel (HBO)
  Trevor Noah, The Daily Show With Trevor Noah (Comedy Central)
  Larry Wilmore, The Nightly Show With Larry Wilmore (Comedy Central)

 

WRITING

 

Outstanding Writing in a Comedy Series

Kenya M. Barris, black-ish — “The Word” (ABC) ***WINNER
Alan Yang, Aziz Ansari, Master of None — “Parents” (Netflix)
Jennie Snyder Urman, Jane the Virgin — “Chapter Twenty-Three” (The CW)
Jill Soloway, Transparent — “Kina Hora” (Amazon Video)
Jordan Peele, Keegan-Michael Key, Jay Martel, Ian Roberts, RebeccaDrysdale, Colton Dunn, Phil Augusta Jackson, Alex Rubens, Charlie Sanders, Rich Talarico, Key & Peele — “Y’all Ready For This?” (Comedy Central)

Outstanding Writing in a Dramatic Series

Mara Brock Akil, Jameal Turner, Keli Goff, Being Mary Jane — “Sparrow” (BET) ***WINNER
Erika Green Swafford, Doug Stockstill, How to Get Away with Murder — “Mama’s Here Now” (ABC)
John Ridley, American Crime — “Episode 1” (ABC)
LaToya Morgan, Turn: Washington’s Spies — “False Flag” (AMC)
Lee Daniels, Danny Strong, Empire — “Pilot” (Fox)

Outstanding Writing in a Motion Picture (Television)

Lawrence Hill, Clement Virgo, The Book of Negroes (BET) ***WINNER
Dee Rees, Bessie (HBO)
Michael S. Bandy, Eric Stein, White Water (TV One)
Nzingha Stewart, With This Ring (Lifetime)
Shem Bitterman, Whitney (Lifetime)

Outstanding Writing in a Motion Picture (Film)

Ryan Coogler, Aaron Covington, Creed (Warner Bros./Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer) ***WINNER
Andrea Berloff, Jonathan Herman, Straight Outta Compton (Universal)
Christopher Cleveland & Bettina Gilois, Grant Thompson, McFarland USA(Walt Disney)
Pete Docter, Meg LeFauve, Josh Cooley, Inside Out (Disney/Pixar)
Rick Famuyiwa, Dope (Open Road Films)

 

DIRECTING

Outstanding Directing in a Comedy Series

Don Cheadle, House of Lies — “The Urge to Save Humanity is Almost Always a False Front for the Urge to Rule” (Showtime) ***WINNER
Aziz Ansari, Master of None — “Parents” (Netflix)
Brad Silberling, Jane the Virgin — “Chapter Twenty-Three” (The CW)
Peter Atencio, Key & Peele — “The End” (Comedy Central)
Stan Lathan, Real Husbands of Hollywood — “Cabin Pressure” (BET)

Don Cheadle, House of Lies — “The Urge to Save Humanity is Almost Always a False Front for the Urge to Rule” (Showtime) ***WINNER
Aziz Ansari, Master of None — “Parents” (Netflix)
Brad Silberling, Jane the Virgin — “Chapter Twenty-Three” (The CW)
Peter Atencio, Key & Peele — “The End” (Comedy Central)
Stan Lathan, Real Husbands of Hollywood — “Cabin Pressure” (BET)

Outstanding Directing in a Dramatic Series

John Ridley, American Crime — “Episode 1” (ABC) ***WINNER
Ernest Dickerson, Hand of God — “Welcome the Stranger” (Amazon Video)
Lee Daniels, Empire — “Pilot” (Fox)
Millicent Shelton, American Crime — “Episode Ten” (ABC)
Salim Akil, Being Mary Jane — “Sparrow” (BET)

Outstanding Directing in a Motion Picture (Television)

Dee Rees, Bessie (HBO) ***WINNER
Christine Swanson, For the Love of Ruth (TV One)
Nzingha Stewart, With This Ring (Lifetime)
Rusty Cundieff, White Water (TV One)
Salim Akil, The Start Up (BET)

Outstanding Directing in a Motion Picture (Film)

Ryan Coogler, Creed (Warner Bros./Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer) ***WINNER
Alfonso Gomez-Rejon, Me and Earl and the Dying Girl (Fox Searchlight/Rhode Island Ave)
Charles Stone, III, Lila and Eve (Samuel Goldwyn)
F. Gary Gray, Straight Outta Compton (Universal)
Rick Famuyiwa, Dope (Open Road Films)

ANIMATED/CGI

Outstanding Character Voice-Over Performance (Television or Film)

Loretta Devine, Doc McStuffins (Disney Channel) ***WINNER
Aisha Tyler, Archer (FX Networks)
Audra McDonald, Doc McStuffins (Disney Junior)
Jeffrey Wright, The Good Dinosaur (Disney/Pixar)
Wanda Sykes, Penn Zero (Disney XD)

RECORDING

Outstanding New Artist

Jussie Smollett (Columbia Records) ***WINNER
Andra Day (Warner Bros. Records)
Judith Hill (NPG Records)
The Weeknd (Republic Records)
Yazz (Columbia Records)

Outstanding Male Artist

Pharrell Williams (Columbia Records/I Am Other) ***WINNER
Charlie Wilson (RCA Records)
Kendrick Lamar (Top Dawg Entertainment/Aftermath/Interscope)
The Weeknd (Republic Records)
Tyrese Gibson (Recordz)

Outstanding Female Artist

Jill Scott (Atlantic Records) ***WINNER
Janet Jackson (Rhythm Nation/BMG)
Jazmine Sullivan (RCA Records)
Lalah Hathaway (Hathaway Entertainment/Entertainment One)
Lauryn Hill (RCA Records)

Outstanding Duo, Group or Collaboration

“Conqueror” — Empire Cast feat. Estelle & Jussie Smollett (Columbia Records) ***WINNER
“Hamilton: An American Musical” — Original Broadway Cast (Atlantic Records)
“No Sleeep” — Janet Jackson feat. J. Cole (Rhythm Nation/BMG)
“One Man Can Change the World” — Big Sean feat. Kanye West and John Legend (G.O.O.D. Music/Def Jam Recordings)
“Sound & Color” — Alabama Shakes (ATO Records)

Outstanding Jazz Album

Miles Davis at Newport 1955-1975: The Bootleg Series Vol. 4, Miles Davis (Columbia/Legacy Recordings) ***WINNER
BrotherLEE Love: Celebrating Lee Morgan, Terell Stafford Quintet (Capri Records)
Dee Dee’s Feathers, Dee Dee Bridgewater, Irvin Mayfield, New Orleans Jazz Orchestra (Okeh)
The Complete Concert By the Sea, Erroll Garner (Legacy Recordings/Octave Music Publishing Corporation)
The Epic, Kamasi Washington (Brainfeeder)

Outstanding Gospel Album (Traditional or Contemporary)

It’s Personal, Tina Campbell (Gee Tree Creative) ***WINNER
A Different Place, Kim Burrell (Shanachie Entertainment)
Losing My Religion, Kirk Franklin (RCA Inspiration)
The Gospel According to Jazz — Chapter IV, Kirk Whalum (Mack Avenue Records, Rendezvous, Top Drawer Records)
You Shall Live, Marvin Sapp (RCA Inspiration)

Outstanding Jazz Album

Miles Davis at Newport 1955-1975: The Bootleg Series Vol. 4, Miles Davis (Columbia/Legacy Recordings) ***WINNER
BrotherLEE Love: Celebrating Lee Morgan, Terell Stafford Quintet (Capri Records)
Dee Dee’s Feathers, Dee Dee Bridgewater, Irvin Mayfield, New Orleans Jazz Orchestra (Okeh)
The Complete Concert By the Sea, Erroll Garner (Legacy Recordings/Octave Music Publishing Corporation)
The Epic, Kamasi Washington (Brainfeeder)

Outstanding Gospel Album (Traditional or Contemporary)

It’s Personal, Tina Campbell (Gee Tree Creative) ***WINNER
A Different Place, Kim Burrell (Shanachie Entertainment)
Losing My Religion, Kirk Franklin (RCA Inspiration)
The Gospel According to Jazz — Chapter IV, Kirk Whalum (Mack Avenue Records, Rendezvous, Top Drawer Records)
You Shall Live, Marvin Sapp (RCA Inspiration)

Outstanding Music Video

“Shame” — Tyrese Gibson (Voltron Recordz) ***WINNER
“Can’t Feel My Face” — The Weeknd (Republic Records)
“Freedom” — Pharrell Williams (Columbia Records/I Am Other)
“No Sleeep” — Janet Jackson feat. J. Cole (Rhythm Nation/BMG)
“Sound & Color” — Alabama Shakes (ATO Records)

Outstanding Song (Traditional)

“Back Together” — Jill Scott (Atlantic Records) ***WINNER
“Everytime I’m With You” — Seal (Reprise Records)
“Feeling Good” — Lauryn Hill (RCA Records)
“Goodnight Kisses” — Charlie Wilson (RCA Records)
“Let It Burn” — Jazmine Sullivan (RCA Records)

Outstanding Album

Woman, Jill Scott (Atlantic Records) ***WINNER
Beauty Behind the Madness, The Weeknd (Republic Records)
Empire (Original Soundtrack From Season One), Empire Cast (Columbia Records)
Forever Charlie, Charlie Wilson (RCA Records)
Unbreakable, Janet Jackson (Rhythm Nation/BMG)

Outstanding Song (Contemporary)

“You’re So Beautiful” — Empire Cast feat. Jussie Smollett & Yazz (Columbia Records) ***WINNER 
“Conqueror” — Empire Cast feat. Estelle & Jussie Smollett (Columbia Records)
“Freedom” — Pharrell Williams (Columbia Records/I Am Other)
“No Sleeep” — Janet Jackson feat. J. Cole (Rhythm Nation/BMG)
“Unbreakable” — Janet Jackson (Rhythm Nation/BMG)

LITERATURE

• Outstanding Literary Work (Fiction)

  Stand Your Ground, Victoria Christopher Murrary (Touchstone) ***WINNER
  Driving the King, Ravi Howard (HarperCollins/Harper)
  Ghost Summer: Stories, Tananarive Due (Prime Books)
  Mama’s Boy, ReShonda Tate Billingsley (Gallery Books, a division of Simon & Schuster)
  Under the Udala Trees, Chinelo Okparanta (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt)

  Outstanding Literary Work (Non-Fiction)

  Spectacle: The Astonishing Life of Ota Benga, Pamela Newkirk (HarperCollins/Amistad) ***WINNER
  50 Billion Dollar Boss: African American Women Sharing Stories of Success in Entrepreneurship and Leadership, Kathey Porter (Author), Andrea Hoffman (Author), (Palgrave Macmillan)
  Ghettoside: A True Story of Murder in America, Jill Leovy (Spiegel & Grau)
  SHOWDOWN: Thurgood Marshall and the Supreme Court Nomination That Changed America, Wil Haygood (Alfred A. Knopf)
  The Light of the World, Elizabeth Alexander (Grand Central Publishing)

  Outstanding Literary Work (Debut Author)

  The Fishermen, Chigozie Obioma (Little, Brown & Company) ***WINNER
  Between the World and Me, Ta-Nehisi Coates (Spiegel &Grau)
  The Star Side of Bird Hill, Naomi Jackson (Penguin Press)
  The Turner House, Angela Flournoy (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt)
  The Wind in the Reeds: A Storm, A Play and the City That Could Not Be Broken, Wendell Pierce (Author), Rod Dreher (Author), (Riverhead Books)

  Outstanding Literary Work (Biography/ Auto-Biography)

  Between the World and Me, Ta-Nehisi Coates (Spiegel & Grau) ***WINNER
  After the Dance: My Life With Marvin Gaye, Jan Gaye (Author), David Ritz (With), (HarperCollins/Amistad)
  One Righteous Man: Samuel Battle and the Shattering of the Color Line in New York, Arthur Browne (Beacon Press)
  Power Forward: My Presidential Education, Reggie Love (Simon & Schuster)
  Year of Yes: How to Dance It Out, Stand In the Sun and Be Your Own Person,Shonda Rhimes (Simon & Schuster)

  Outstanding Literary Work (Instructional)

  Soul Food Love: Healthy Recipes Inspired by One Hundred Years of Cooking in a Black Family, Alice Randall (Author), Caroline Randall Williams (Author), (Clarkson Potter) ***WINNER
  Big Words to Little Me: Tips and Advice for the Younger Self, Sakina Ibrahim (Author), Jessie Lee (With), (Createspace (Self published))
  Free Your Mind: An African-American Guide to Meditation and Freedom, Cortez R. Rainey (CreateSpace)
  Grandbaby Cakes: Modern Recipes, Vintage Charm, Soulful Memories, Jocelyn Delk Adams (Agate Surrey)
  Keep Calm … It’s Just Real Estate: Your No-Stress Guide to Buying a Home, Egypt Sherrod (Perseus/Running Press)

  Outstanding Literary Work (Poetry)

  How to Be Drawn, Terrance Hayes (Penguin Books / Penguin Random House) ***WINNER
  Catalog of Unabashed Gratitude, Ross Gay (University of Pittsburgh Press)
  Reconnaissance, Carl Phillips (Farrar, Straus and Giroux)
  Redbone, Mahogany L. Browne (Willow Books)
  Wild Hundreds, Nate Marshall (University of Pittsburgh Press)

  Outstanding Literary Work (Children)

  Gordon Parks How the Photographer Captured Black and White America, Carole Boston Weatherford (Author), Jamey Christoph (Illustrator), (Albert Whitman & Company) ***WINNER
  Chasing Freedom: The Life Journeys of Harriet Tubman and Susan B. Anthony, Inspired by Historical Facts, Nikki Grimes (Author), Michele Wood (Illustrator), (Orchard Books / Scholastic)
  Granddaddy’s Turn: A Journey to the Ballot Box, Michael S. Bandy (Author), Eric Stein (Author), James E. Ransome (Illustrator), (Candlewick Press)
  If You Plant a Seed, Kadir Nelson (Balzer + Bray, an imprint ofHarperCollins Publishers)
  New Shoes, Susan Lynn Meyer (Author), Eric Velasquez (Illustrator), (Holiday House)

  Outstanding Literary Work (Youth/Teens)

  X: A Novel, Ilyasah Shabazz (Author), Kekla Magoon (With), (Candlewick Press) ***WINNER
  Rhythm Ride: A Road Trip Through the Motown Sound, Andrea DavisPinkney (Roaring Brook Press)
  Stella by Starlight, Sharon Draper (Simon & Schuster)
  Untwine, Edwidge Danticat (Scholastic Press)
  You Are Wonderfully Made: 12 Life-Changing Principles for Teen Girls to Embrace, Gwen Richardson (Author), Sylvia Daye Richardson (Author), (Cushcity Communications)

  It was truly an honor to cover the NAACP Image Awards this year.  Having been co-president of a cultural diversity organization in college as well as my very first official publication in a textbook actually being on cultural diversity during my freshman year, I fully understand the importance of diversity.  It is not about creating boundaries, but fusing boundaries.  Blackish, Fresh  Off The Boat, Dr. Ken, Jane the Virgin, and Modern Family may show different ethnicities, but it has the universal story about family from a comedic standpoint.  Creed, Straight Out Of Compton, and The Revenant show different ethnicities, but has the universal story about defeating adversity from a dramatic standpoint.  The list goes on. Just as Jussie Smollett says, the word diversity can be misunderstood.  Movies, television, music, literature are universal stories that do not know colors.  Just as a rainbow cannot exist as separate colors, the tapestry of different cultural backgrounds cannot be separated.  Diversity is the very fabric of what makes this country what it is today. Diversity in Hollywood is here to stay, and what will always bind us together.

Missed out on the 47th Annual NAACP Image Awards?  No worries!  You can catch highlights of the awards below.

https://youtu.be/KxxAtUcT02U

 

NAACP Image Awards web site:  http://www.naacpimageawards.net/

Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/naacpimageaward

Twitter:  @naacpimageaward / #ImageAwards

 

Courtesy of NAACP and TV One