LOS ANGELES (AP) 鈥� Former Vice President stepped on the stage Saturday night with a sobering message, calling the civil rights organization a pillar of the Black community and urging people to stay resilient and hold onto their faith during the tenure of .
鈥淲hile we have no illusions about what we are up against in this chapter in our American story, this chapter will be written not simply by whoever occupies the oval office nor by the wealthiest among us,鈥� Harris said after receiving the NAACP鈥檚 Chairman's Award. 鈥淭he American story will be written by you. Written by us. By we the people.鈥�
The 56th annual Image Awards was held at the Pasadena Civic Auditorium in the Los Angeles area.
Harris, defeated by Trump in last year鈥檚 presidential election, was the first woman and the first person of color to serve as vice president. She had previously been a U.S. senator from California and the state鈥檚 attorney general.
In her first major public appearance since leaving office, Harris did not reference her election loss or Trump鈥檚 actions since entering the Oval Office, although Trump mocked her earlier in the day at the .
Harris spoke about eternal vigilance, the price of liberty, staying alert, seeking the truth and America鈥檚 future.
鈥淪ome see the flames on our horizons, the rising waters in our cities, the shadows gathering over our democracy and ask 鈥榃hat do we do now?鈥欌�� Harris said. 鈥淏ut we know exactly what to do, because we have done it before. And we will do it again. We use our power. We organize, mobilize. We educate. We advocate. Our power has never come from having an easy path.鈥�
Other winners of the Chairman鈥檚 prize have included former President , the late Rep. and the late actor .
NAACP Hall of Fame
was honored during the ceremony along with the . The family was inducted into the NAACP Image Awards Hall of Fame in recognition of pioneering contributions to film, TV, sketch and stand-up comedy that have shaped Hollywood for decades.
Keenen Ivory Wayans, Sr., Marlon Wayans, Shawn Wayans, Kim Wayans and Damon Wayans Jr. each were recognized.
Marlon Wayans, whose guest appearance on Peacock鈥檚 鈥淏el-Air鈥� was up for an NAACP award, shared how Keenen Ivory Wayans sparked the family鈥檚 rise.
鈥淗e raised us all like Jedis,鈥� he said. 鈥淲e wouldn鈥檛 be here if it wasn鈥檛 for our big brother.鈥�
Marlon Wayans joked that when his brother told their mom he was leaving college for comedy, she said, 鈥滲oy, I鈥檝e known you your whole life, and you ain鈥檛 never said nothing funny. That鈥檚 the funniest thing you鈥檝e said."
The crowd erupted in laughter, a fitting tribute to a family that has kept audiences laughing for more than three decades.
The family has a long list of credits. Keenen Ivory Wayans created the sketch comedy series 鈥淚n Living Color鈥� in 1990 and directed the 2000 slasher spoof 鈥淪cary Movie,鈥� which was written by Marlon Wayans and Shawn Wayans, who also wrote and starred in 鈥淲hite Chicks鈥� in 2004. Damon Wayan's had a starring role in the 1995 comedy 鈥淢ajor Payne,鈥� and currently co-stars with son Damon Wayans Jr. in the CBS sitcom 鈥淧oppa鈥檚 House," which was nominated for an NAACP Award. The pair also were nominated for their acting on the show.
Damon Wayans Jr. has acted in two of the most critically acclaimed comedies in recent years: 鈥淗appy Endings鈥� and 鈥淣ew Girl.鈥� Kim Wayans, a comedian, actor and director, also received praise for her work in the 2011 drama 鈥淧ariah.鈥�
Entertainer of the year
Keke Palmer expressed her surprise after her name was called as winner of the coveted entertainment of the year.
鈥淥h my gosh. Guys, I didn鈥檛 think I was going to win,鈥� said Palmer, who paid homage to fellow nominee Cynthia Erivo鈥檚 Oscar-nominated performance in 鈥淲icked.鈥�
Palmer starred in the buddy comedy 鈥淥ne of Them Days,鈥� which debuted No. 1 at the box office last month. She also won an Emmy for her hosting efforts on NBC鈥檚 鈥淧assword.鈥�
鈥淚t鈥檚 such an amazing category to be in with all these people,鈥� Palmer said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 a beautiful night. It鈥檚 Black History Month, y鈥檃ll. It鈥檚 so important we all come here together and celebrate one another with one another.鈥�
Other nominees included Kendrick Lamar, Kevin Hart and Shannon Sharpe.
Awards recognize LA residents impacted by wildfires
Image Awards host Deon Cole honored residents of the nearby Altadena neighborhood who were affected by January鈥檚 devastating .
A video of the fire devastation played before actor Morris Chestnut took the stage.
鈥淗omes were lost, stores destroyed, countless lives shattered and over two dozens souls gone forever,鈥� said Chestnut, a Los Angeles native who referenced impacted areas such as Altadena, the Pacific Palisades and Malibu.
鈥淏ut what was not lost is the spirit of our community,鈥� said Chestnut, who noted 22 Altadena residents attended the show on Saturday. Many in the audience stood and applauded.
Cole shifted tone and brightened the mood with a comedic prayer for Kanye West鈥檚 wife to find more clothes after her barely-there Grammys look and for Shannon Sharpe to finally size up his T-shirts.
The opening act was a lead-up to the evening鈥檚 first award: Queen Latifah as best actress in a drama series for her role in 鈥淭he Equalizer.鈥�
Chappelle honored
Dave Chappelle was honored with the President's Award for his 鈥渢hought-provoking humor."
Accepting the award, Chappelle talked about the NAACP's push against negative portrayals of Black people in media and the importance of representation.
鈥淓very opportunity we get, we just keep chipping away at this monster of a machine,鈥� he said.
Past recipients of the President's Award include Jay-Z, Lauryn Hill, Usher, Rihanna and John Legend.
Jonathan Landrum Jr., The Associated Press
