Whether it’s the story of Black women showing valor in World War in the movie Six Triple Eight, starring Kerry Washington or Pharrell Williams finding out his ancestors’ stories on PBS’ Finding Your Roots or Sherri Shepherd’s talk show being recognized, Black creatives will soon be honored at the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People’s (NAACP) 2025 Image Awards.
The organization also announced earlier this month comedian, Dave Chappelle, will be honored with its President’s Award for his “fearless social commentary” and “no-holds-barred approach.”
Illinois Soul’s David Pierce spoke with Karen Boykin-Towns, who is the Vice Chair for NAACP’s Board of Directors and Co-Executive Producer of the show about what viewers can expect to see on this joy-filled night.
“We have so many amazing products that have made it to our culture that have helped to, you know, music that we have swayed to, certainly, books that have pierced our thinking, movies that have moved us,” Boykin-Towns shared. “And so it’s going to be a great show [and] great talent.”
But the awards and its contenders aren’t limited to those that are on screens.
The Images Awards also features categories honoring players behind-the-scenes for costume design, hair, make-up, and “Outstanding Literary Work”.
Boykin-Towns also shared how she learned that Black artists have been barred from being in film production unions which later impacted performers on-stage.
“So you may have someone that don’t look like us who has to do our hair and or makeup, which may not have those capabilities, and maybe sometimes you go out looking a little crazy or what I found has happened is that some of them will just do it themselves so that they can look the way they know they need to look”.
Boykin-Towns said the show will also show support for the Altadena neighborhood near Los Angeles. Massive wildfires killed 17 and destroyed 9,000 buildings in the historically Black community in January.
“It is important that we recognize each other, that we support each other and that we come together collectively, particularly now, to understand that we have the power in which to be able to stand and push back on those things that are not in our best interest,” she added.
Boykin-Towns said unity is also a priority amid a political system seemingly dismissive to Black Americans.
“What we know is that our ancestors before us dealt with many different challenges, even more significant than now, with much less than what we currently have and therefore, we are more than capable, but we must work together,” she explained. “We must be strategic in terms of our movements, and we must work collectively.”
The NAACP is innovating the Image Awards by allowing viewers to vote in it’s “Outstanding Social Media Personality” category by clicking here.
The full interview with Boykin-Towns is below. The show will air on Saturday, February 22 at 7:00 PM Central time on Black Entertainment Television (BET) and CBS.