PASADENA, Calif. — Academy Award-winning actress Viola Davis took center stage Saturday evening at the 57th NAACP Image Awards, accepting the organization’s Chairman’s Award while delivering an inspiring message about personal growth and unity.
During her acceptance speech at the Pasadena Civic Auditorium, Davis emphasized the importance of facing difficult truths on the path to progress. “There is no becoming without healing and without a radical acceptance of one’s truth,” Davis stated. “We either move forward together or not at all.”
The 60-year-old performer shared her remarkable transformation from growing up in poverty in Rhode Island to becoming one of entertainment’s most celebrated figures. “I just wanted to be somebody. I wanted success because I thought it was significance,” she reflected.
Davis has built an impressive career with memorable roles in “The Help,” “Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom,” and “Doubt,” along with her starring role in the hit series “How to Get Away With Murder.” She joined the exclusive EGOT club after winning a Grammy for narrating the audiobook of her memoir “Finding Me,” complementing her two Tony Awards, Emmy, and Oscar for “Fences.”
“No one can describe the journey of going from the little chocolate girl searching for hope,” Davis shared, “to the girl living a transcendent life.”
Comedian Deon Cole opened the evening with a mix of political satire and cultural observations, including jokes about immigration enforcement and a reference to a recent disruption at the British Academy Film Awards. The February 21st incident involved an inappropriate outburst during a presentation by actors Michael B. Jordan and Delroy Lindo.
Cole addressed the audience with humor regarding potential disruptions: “If there are any white men out here in the audience with Tourette’s, I advise you to tell them they can read the room tonight.”
The ceremony celebrated Black excellence across entertainment and literature, with Regina Hall among the evening’s presenters. Hall presented the first award to Miles Caton for outstanding breakthrough performance in “Sinners,” while also acknowledging Jordan and Lindo’s professionalism during the earlier incident.
“I’d like to just take a moment to the two kings who are in this audience and send you so much love for your class,” Hall remarked.
Ryan Coogler’s supernatural thriller “Sinners” dominated the film categories with 18 nominations throughout the night.
The program also featured special tributes, including the President’s Award presentation to Colman Domingo and a memorial honoring the late Rev. Jesse Jackson, who passed away February 17th at age 84.
Samuel L. Jackson presented the tribute to the civil rights icon, recognizing his decades of activism and political influence. The former protégé of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. became a national figure during the Civil Rights Movement and maintained his advocacy through the Rainbow/PUSH Coalition.
Jackson’s work spanned voting rights, education, and economic opportunities for Black Americans, with his famous phrase “I am somebody” inspiring generations to embrace their dignity and potential.
The tribute received enthusiastic applause, highlighting Jackson’s enduring influence on civil rights and social justice movements across multiple generations.
