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Meghan Markle and Prince Harry will be awarded the prestigious President’s Award—which is “presented in recognition of special achievement and distinguished public service—at the upcoming NAACP Image Awards. Past recipients have included Muhammad Ali, LeBron James, Rihanna, and JAY-Z.
“It’s a true honor to be recognized by President Derrick Johnson and the NAACP, whose efforts to propel racial justice and civil rights are as vital today as they were nearly 115 years ago,” the Duke and Duchess of Sussex said in a press release.
Derrick Johnson, president and CEO of the NAACP, said they are “thrilled” to present the award to Meghan and Harry, “who together have heeded the call to social justice and have joined the struggle for equity both in the US and around the world.”
“Not only do they continue to lead by example, The Duke and Duchess have also decided to inspire the next generation of activists through the NAACP-Archewell Digital Civil Rights Award, ensuring the support and recognition of generations of civil rights leaders to come,” Derrick added.
Meghan and Harry’s Archewell Foundation and the NAACP partnered on the newly created NAACP-Archewell Digital Civil Rights Award, which will be bestowed to Dr. Safiya Noble, an internet studies scholar and professor of gender studies and African American studies. The award “recognizes leaders creating transformational change—at the intersection of social justice and technology—to advance civil and human rights.”
According to a press release, the NAACP-Archewell Digital Civil Rights Award “seeks to recognize long-term contributors to the digital rights space while also supporting a new generation of visionaries working to expand equity, including issues related to discrimination, misinformation, privacy, countering biases, limiting profiling and surveillance, improving transparency, increasing diversity in the tech sector, and more.”
The 53rd NAACP Image Awards will feature a performance by Mary J. Blige, as well as appearances by Issa Rae, Kerry Washington, LL Cool J, Michael Strahan, Morgan Freeman, Nikole Hannah-Jones, Paula Patton, Questlove, Samuel L. Jackson, Simu Lius, Tiffany Haddish and Zendaya. Tune into the ceremony Saturday, Feb. 26, at 8 pm ET on BET.