NAACP SIX-TIME IMAGE AWARD RECIPIENT ANTHONY ANDERSON RETURNS AS HOST
THE STAR-STUDDED TWO-HOUR LIVE TV SPECIAL TO FEATURE APPEARANCES AND PERFORMANCES BY ALICIA KEYS, ANDRA DAY, ARSENIO HALL, CYNTHIA ERIVO, JAZMINE SULLIVAN, LIN-MANUEL MIRANDA, MAXWELL, MC LYTE,
MICHELLE OBAMA, MISTY COPELAND, REGINA KING, SAMUEL L. JACKSON, THE CAST OF “TYLER PERRY’S SISTAS,” SWIZZ BEATS, AND TRACY MORGAN
BEVERLY HILLS, CA (March 25, 2021) – The NAACP today announced that NBA superstar, business entrepreneur, and philanthropist, LeBron James, will receive the prestigious President’s Award during the 52nd NAACP Image Awards. Additionally, six-time NAACP Image Awards Winner, Anthony Anderson, will return as host of this year’s two-hour LIVE TV special, which will air on BET, Saturday, March 27th at 8/7c, and will be simulcast across ViacomCBS networks including CBS, BET Her, Comedy Central, Logo, MTV, MTV2, Paramount, Pop, Smithsonian, TV Land, VH1, BET PLUTO, and CMT.
Marking his eighth consecutive year as host, Anthony Anderson is an Emmy and Golden Globe-nominated actor and currently the star and Executive Producer of ABC’s multi-award winning sitcom, “black-ish.” He also holds the record for the most wins in the NAACP Image Award category of Outstanding Actor in a Comedy Series with six wins.
The President’s Award is presented in recognition of special achievement and distinguished public service, with previous recipients including Rihanna, Shawn “JAY-Z” Carter, Jesse Jackson, Lauryn Hill, Soledad O’Brien, Colin Powell, Condoleezza Rice, and Muhammad Ali, among others.
“LeBron James is one of the greatest athletes of his generation, and through his work both on and off the court, has transcended beyond sports to become a cultural icon,” said NAACP President and CEO Derrick Johnson, who will present the award to LeBron James during the LIVE TV special. “This is nowhere more evident than over the past year, where LeBron has used his platform to speak out on issues that were directly affecting the Black community including voting initiatives, police brutality, and racial inequality. LeBron epitomizes the type of leadership, sportsmanship, and commitment to social justice that we seek to highlight with our President’s Award.”
Alongside his incredible achievements on the court – which include four NBA MVP Awards, four NBA Championships, four NBA Finals MVP Awards, and two Olympic gold medals – off the court, LeBron has used his platform to inspire and uplift others through the LeBron James Family Foundation, which invests its time, resources and passion into creating generational change for kids and families through a focus on education and co-curricular educational initiatives including the groundbreaking, public I PROMISE School, I PROMISE Village by Graduate Hotels that provides transitional housing for families, and House Three Thirty that will offer job training and financial health programming, as well as More Than A Vote, a coalition of Black athletes and artists LeBron founded in 2020 that is dedicated to educating, energizing and protecting Black voters.
As a business entrepreneur, James has infused his commitment to empowering others into the business and entertainment sectors through The SpringHill Company, which unites three companies he co-founded with Maverick Carter including UNINTERRUPTED, the athlete empowerment media and consumer product company, SpringHill Entertainment, the premium scripted and unscripted film and television production company and The Robot Company, the brand and culture consultancy. With a diverse team committed to creating the most culturally inspired brands, entertainment and products, The SpringHill Company is telling important stories, empowering diverse creators, and connecting brands and consumers to culture and entertainment. Coupled with his achievements in sports, business, philanthropy and activism, James’ diverse business portfolio of innovative partnerships and investments has established him as one of the most influential figures in the world.
As previously reported, the LIVE broadcast of the 52nd NAACP Image Awards will feature performances from Image Award Outstanding Female Artist nominee Jazmine Sullivan who will perform–along with Grammy Award-winning singer Maxwell, who will celebrate the 25th anniversary of his debut album Urban Hang Suite. Throughout the evening there will be appearances from Alicia Keys, Andra Day, Arsenio Hall, Cynthia Erivo, Lin-Manuel Miranda, Michelle Obama, Misty Copeland, Regina King, Samuel L. Jackson, the cast of Tyler Perry’s Sistas, Swizz Beatz, and Tracy Morgan. MC Lyte will serve at the night’s Voice Over announcer.
Earlier this week, the NAACP Image Awards kicked-off its’ Virtual Experience, which is streaming at naacpimageawards.net. The celebration of “Black Excellence” has included a portion of the non-televised awards, virtual red carpet, curated conversation series, a theatre featuring past performances and speeches and much more. Following the LIVE broadcast on Saturday, the Virtual Experience will host an after party which will feature classic cuts by DJ Questlove, current cuts by DJ Kiss, and a Jazz Lounge performance by Robert Glasper and Lalah Hathaway.
The 52nd NAACP Image Awards is presented by Wells Fargo, and sponsored by AT&T, FedEx, Nike, Bank of America, American Airlines, Airbnb, Alaska Airlines, AARP, Ford, and Hilton.
The NAACP Image Awards honors the accomplishments of people of color in the fields of television, music, literature, and film and also recognizes individuals or groups who promote social justice through creative endeavors.
The 52nd NAACP Image Awards is produced by Hudlin Entertainment and The Gurin Company. Executive Producers Connie Orlando, Reggie Hudlin and Phil Gurin, Co-Executive Producer Byron Phillips, and Producer Robin Reinhardt.
For all information and the latest news, please follow NAACP Image Awards on Instagram @NAACPImageAwards.
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NAACP
Founded in 1909 in response to the ongoing violence against Black people around the country, the NAACP (National Association for the Advancement of Colored People) is the largest and most pre-eminent civil rights organization in the nation. We have over 2,200 units and branches across the nation, along with well over 2M activists. Our mission is to secure the political, educational, social, and economic equality of rights in order to eliminate race-based discrimination and ensure the health and well-being of all persons.
In media attributions, please refer to us as the NAACP.
NOTE: The Legal Defense Fund – also referred to as the NAACP-LDF was founded in 1940 as a part of the NAACP but separated in 1957 to become a completely separate entity. It is recognized as the nation’s first civil and human rights law organization, and shares our commitment to equal rights.
About BET:
BET, a subsidiary of ViacomCBS Inc. (NASDAQ: VIACA, VIAC), is the nation’s leading
provider of quality entertainment, music, news and public affairs television programming for the African-American audience. The primary BET channel is in 90 million households and can be seen in the United States, Canada, the Caribbean, the United Kingdom, sub-Saharan Africa and France. BET is the dominant African-American consumer brand with a diverse group of business extensions including BET.com, a leading Internet destination for Black entertainment, music, culture, and news; BET HER, a 24-hour entertainment network targeting the African-American Woman; BET Music Networks – BET Jams, BET Soul and BET Gospel; BET Home Entertainment; BET Live, BET’s growing festival business; BET Mobile, which provides ringtones, games and video content for wireless devices; and BET International, which operates BET around the globe.
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