The 52nd NAACP Image Awards was held this past weekend, highlighting the work of African-American celebrities and giving them their flowers in celebration of their lasting careers. The show was on BET (Black Entertainment Television), and it is the only television award show I watch each year because it gives me hope, even during this global pandemic. Due to COVID-19, the award show was held remotely from the comfort of the celebrities’ homes. However, it is still one of my favorite award shows because it honors African-American celebrities while they are still here. The show’s host was Anthony Anderson, a comedian and actor seen on the show “black-ish” The show was entertaining because it displayed the many friendships Anderson has in the industry; it makes me want to have those types of friendships in the future.

The award show’s big winners were Will Smith and Martin Lawrence, who took home the “Outstanding Motion Picture” award for “Bad Boys for Life.” The winner of the “Outstanding Actress in a Comedy Series” award was Issa Rae. Her show “Insecure” was one of my favorite shows on HBO, and I am glad she is getting her flowers for her work. Meanwhile, I was thrilled to see artists such as Jazmine Sullivan get to perform during the show as well. I love that 1960’s R&B inspires her; everything she does is done with love and intention to bring self-love and R&B back to the music industry.

I felt that Eddie Murphy becoming an NAACP Hall Of Famer was long overdue because he has been making families, such as my own, laugh and cry with his movies such as both installments of “Coming to America,” “Dreamgirls,” and many more. “Dreamgirls” was one of my favorite films to watch for Black History Month, something I wrote about in my first article for The Hartford Informer. I appreciated his speech because it was extremely humble, and it was cool to hear him talk about his production company, Eddie Murphy Productions. 

I am a proud member of the University of Hartford’s branch of the NAACP (the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People), a civil rights organization. This month, I learned about their founders during the chapter’s Women’s History Month presentation. Shoutout to Kristen Valentine, the President of the NAACP on campus and a current student here at the University of Hartford. She gave an excellent presentation that honors the women of the past and present. It was amazing because I did not know that Ida B. Wells and Mary White Ovington were two of the NAACP founders. 

I am incredibly appreciative of my womanhood and culture, and this presentation made me look in the mirror within myself. I understand that it is time for me to focus on what makes me happy and inspires others, just like Wells and Ovington did back then. They make me want to focus on life, education, experimenting with my art, and my womanhood. We don’t really know who we are, and we have to figure out what makes us authentic during our twenties. As Women’s History Month comes to a close, let’s make it more of a priority to stand up for ourselves, honor ourselves, and love the women in our lives now. If you love someone, let them know, and reaffirm because many women like myself need that reassurance.