40^th NAACP Image Awards on FOX

By Ally Matteodo

The 40^th NAACP Image Awards on Fox garners the title Best TV Show of the Week.  The ceremony, airing at 8:00 p.m. ET on Thursday, February 12^th, was hosted by Halle Berry and Tyler Perry.  Beyonce Knowles started off the night with a moving performance of her single “Halo.”  Wangari Maathai and Al Gore each received Chairman Awards for their incredible efforts to better the environment.  Will.I.Am, Seal, and Jennifer Hudson also graced the floor with incredible performances.  Russell Simmons was also honored, receiving the NAACP Vanguard award.  Other winners included Sean Combs for his acting in Raisin in the Sun and Taraji P. Henson for her role in The Curious Case of Benjamin Button.  Will Smith and Rosario Dawson also won Image Awards for their acting in Seven Pounds.  An inspiring tribute was paid to “The Greatest” Muhammad Ali, and the ceremony closed with a performance of “Black Man” by Stevie Wonder. 

This year and this awards ceremony marked the 100^th anniversary of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, the oldest civil rights organization in the nation. There could be no more eloquent tribute to the success of the NAACP than the election of Barack Obama as the first African-American President of the United States. That these notable events – one a one-hundred year anniversary, one a first-time event, and both historic milestones – should occur in the same year is inspirational...as were the NAACP Image Awards.

When Will Smith came on stage to accept his award, he mentioned an expression by Confucius:  “Whether you think that you can or that you can’t, you are usually right.”  Confidence can make the difference between success and failure – and have done so for millions of African-Americans and indeed persons of every color. In another part of Smith’s acceptance speech, he mentioned making his way in the world, stating his conviction that he was privy to all this earth had to offer.  Everyone should carry this attitude with them, and everyone should know that they can be anything they want to be, and achieve anything they want to achieve. Through the sharing of stories that include pain, heartache, and ultimately triumph, all people are given the inspiration, hope, and drive they need to spur them on in the pursuit of happiness and their dreams.