“What We Deem As Important Is Enough.” Keke Palmer’s NAACP Image Awards Speech Was Perfect

In December, I wrote that the best performances of the year were Black. The NAACP Image Awards is the only awards show that got the memo. Every year, the NAACP Image Awards recognize the best Black talent in entertainment. Every year, it is the awards show that prioritizes Black creative work and the projects that are often overlooked elsewhere. We’ve been saying for years that it’s about time the industry starts treating these awards with the same clout, respect, and adulation as every other prestigious honor in Hollywood, but honestly, maybe we don’t need them to. It isn’t about them. It’s about us. As Keke Palmer said in her acceptance speech for Entertainer of the Year at the 56th NAACP Awards in Los Angeles on Saturday, "It's so important that we come here together and celebrate one another," Palmer said. "Nobody has uplifted me more than you, all the people in this room."

The gratitude for a safe space from people in the room was palpable during Saturday night’s televised broadcast, which Unbothered was fortunate enough to experience in person, and each winner expressed sentiments that affirmed the communal vibe of the event. After quipping that he was shaking because he was nervous and because it was “mad cold in here” (I can confirm that it was), Power Book II: Ghost star Michael Rainey Jr. thanked his parents for affording him the opportunity to be “here in this room with all the great talent we have,” he said. “I’m just blessed and overjoyed.”

Echoing sentiments of joy were the Wayans family, who were inducted into the NAACP Hall of Fame. While the whole fam we know and love — Keenen Ivory Wayans, Damon Wayans Sr., Marlon Wayans, Shawn Wayans, Kim Wayans and Damon Wayans Jr.— received the honor, it was Marlon and Damon Sr. who did the talking on stage Saturday night and used their platform to give a hilarious and heartfelt tribute to their older brother Keenan. "He raised us all like Jedis," said Marlon. "We would not be here standing here if it wasn't for our big brother, Keenen Ivory Wayans."

The Wayans had the whole room erupting in laughter as they recalled the early years of Keenan’s career and what he taught them about comedy. It was beautiful to see this family, who has been funny for generations, receive the flowers they deserve and prove that there is no stopping their legacy any time soon. 

While the Wayans had everyone in stitches, there was one speech that silenced the room. Former Vice President Kamala Harris received the prestigious NAACP’s Chairman’s Award and spoke about the need for resilience and vigilance during the next four years of Trump’s presidency. “While 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,” Harris said to audible agreement and claps from the crowd. “The American story will be written by you. Written by us. By we the people.”

From the moment Harris entered the room during commercial break, the vibe shifted. People were on their feet to welcome her into the space as she took her seat alongside her husband, Doug Emhoff, and throughout her speech, you could see voracious nodding and faces on the verge of tears. These past couple months of the Trump administration have been rough on Black Americans, to say the least, and Harris represents an alternate reality where maybe Black folks in the federal government wouldn’t be facing mass layoffs, where DEI rollbacks wouldn’t be sweeping the nation, and where trans folks weren’t under attack for simply existing. I don’t subscribe to stanning politicians, but in the room on Saturday night, Harris’s presence didn’t feel like it was all about celebrity, it felt like a necessary moment of hope and a reminder that a leader can be empathetic, clear-headed, and motivational. 

“Some see the flames on our horizons, the rising waters in our cities, the shadows gathering over our democracy and ask ‘What do we do now?’” Harris said. “But 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.” 

The path in 2025 has been anything but easy, just ask the historically Black community of Altadena, which was devastated by the Eaton wildfires. Actor Morris Chestnut led a special segment highlighting the community’s resilience before 22 Altadena residents who lost their homes in the fires joined him on stage. They were met with a standing ovation and the reverence for the moment was felt deeply inside the Pasadena Civic Auditorium. Chestnut then encouraged donations to the Altadena Community Preservation Fund, which provides financial assistance to the neighborhood’s homeowners and hopes to preserve the community’s cultural heritage. GRAMMY Award-winning artist Ledisi, accompanied by the Adam Blackstone Band, performed a powerful medley of “Wholy Holy” & “How I Got Over” with a choir of Altadena residents. 

During Ledisi’s performance, Keke Palmer was on her feet, dancing and having a time. We also spotted Palmer and Chloe Bailey chatting in between commercial breaks and Cynthia Erivo and Lena Waithe arriving to hugs from Found star Shanola Hampton and The Six Triple Eight’s Ebony Obsidian. When it was time for Palmer to accept her award for Entertainer of the Year, she exuded the charm that makes her go viral so often. 

"Oh my gosh! Guys! I didn't think I was gonna win!” Palmer exclaimed before pointing directly to Wicked star Cynthia Erivo who was sitting front row and delivering an impression of Erivo's "Defying Gravity" battle cry riff. Erivo looked on smiling and clapping and the whole crowd showered Palmer with applause. "Girl, you killed that role. You kill every role you do. I mean, your power, your vulnerability, your strength. You are exceptional, Cynthia," Palmer said as Erivo mouthed “thank you.” 

“I was with Aunjanue Ellis at the ABFF event a few nights ago, and she said something that I think is so important: that you don't always have to ask for a seat at nobody's table. Just make your own table with your folks,” Palmer continued. "While we continue to ask for more money, because we need that, it's important that we remember that what we choose and what we deem as important is enough. And that's all I want to say."

Palmer's speech was proof of why the NAACP Image Awards are so necessary. What we deem as important is enough. I've been saying for years that this show should be respected in the industry as much as, say, The Oscars, but fighting to be including in legacy white institutions is always a losing battle. If we deem something important, it is. Period. And so this awards show — the one that feels like a family reunion and that actually recognizes more than one or a few Black folks — can be the most important one if treat it as such. Palmer encapsulated all of that while also making us life and charming the whole room. That's why she's the entertainer of the year.

Rivalling Palmer for best speech of the night was Kerry Washington who took home  Outstanding Actress in a Motion Picture for her portrayal of Major Charity Adams in The Six Triple Eight. “How extraordinary we have always been in a time when our history is being ripped from us when people are trying to get us to not tell our stories; we are telling your stories, ladies, because you are calling us forward into our greatness,” Washington said, after a shocked reaction to the win. She added:  “And that’s what this is about, it's about all of us being called into our greatness. So remember your greatness because that is what the fight is for.” In another funny moment of the night, Washington thought she had forgotten to thank The Six Triple Eight director Tyler Perry and came back out to interrupt the broadcast to do so. Of course, Washington had already given Perry a shout out. 

“I so was not expecting to win last night… When they said my name, I feel like I blacked out, so I don’t remember who I thanked, and then as I was walking off stage, I was like, 'Oh God, did I not thank Tyler?'” Washington told ExtraTV at the SAG Awards the next night. “And I didn't remember thanking him, so then I upended an entire live broadcast to thank someone I had already thanked, but that's how much I love Tyler Perry.” 

Like they do every year, the NAACP Image Awards gave Black entertainers the respect, shine, and flowers they deserve. 

Entertainer of the Year
Keke Palmer

Outstanding Motion Picture
“The Six Triple Eight” (Netflix)

Outstanding Actress in a Motion Picture
Kerry Washington — The Six Triple Eight

Outstanding Actor in a Motion Picture
Martin Lawrence — Bad Boys: Ride or Die

NAACP President’s Award
Dave Chappelle

Outstanding Actress in a Drama Series
Queen Latifah — The Equalizer

Outstanding Actor in a Drama Series
Michael Rainey Jr. — Power Book II: Ghost

Outstanding Actress in a Comedy Series
Quinta Brunson — “Abbott Elementary” (ABC)

Outstanding Actor in a Comedy Series
Damon Wayans — “Poppa’s House” (CBS)

NAACP Hall of Fame Inductees
The Wayans Family