Grammy award-winning singer John Legend received the prestigious President’s Award at this year’s NAACP’s Image Awards. He has used his platform to shed light on various social issues for years. His passion for social change led him to create the “Show Me Campaign” in 2007, which aims to end the cycle of poverty through education.
He launched a multicultural change campaign, Free America, which focuses on ending mass incarceration. Legend partnered with the MacArthur Foundation to create the LRNG program which helps teachers create tech-savvy projects for kids who have grown up using technology.
The evening included performances from Empire’s Jussie Smollett singing “Ordinary People” and Alice Smith singing “Glory.” After singing his hit “All of Me,” NAACP president Cornell William Brooks presented Legend with the honor. His inspiring acceptance speech included him thanking his team, wife and the NAACP.
“We know that we stand on the shoulders of giants who risked their lives to bring us closer to true freedom,” Legend said. “And of course, we are still fighting for freedom,” he continues. “Today communities of color are still being questioned by a criminal justice system that over polices us, over arrest us, over incarcerates us, and disproportionately takes the lives of our young people because the simple fact that our skin conjures the image of threat and violence.”
Despite it all, Legend remains hopeful that change will come saying, “Fighting for justice isn’t an act of hate, it’s an act of love. So let’s spread love, let’s make the world a more beautiful and just place. We have so much opportunity, let’s not waste it.”
Watch John Legend’s acceptance speech and tribute performances below.
https://youtu.be/C62x4YSz49U
Jussie Smollett – “Ordinary People”
https://youtu.be/v69JGfpc3ls
Alice Smith – “Glory”
https://youtu.be/fkXVo7dMWyA
