Thursday, March 28, 2024

Rihanna Praised for Powerful ‘Call to Action’ During Speech at NAACP Image Awards [WATCH]

*Rihanna not only rocked the crowd at the 51st NAACP Image Awards Saturday night with her speech while accepting an award, she also received a pouring of praise from fans and celebs alike for her empowering call to action. 

The Bajan beauty received a standing ovation while accepting the President’s Award at the star-studded ceremony, during which she thanked advocates who have “devoted their lives supporting people of color.” 

“Thank you to Derrick [Johnson] and thank you to the staff of the NAACP, including all of you guys here in this room, and everyone at home watching who devoted their lives and efforts toward supporting people of color,” Rihanna began her speech. 

“Okay I’m gonna try to keep this simple because tonight is not really about me. The purpose is bigger than me, it’s not bigger than us together, but it’s bigger than me because my part is a very small part of the work that’s being done in this world and the work that is yet to be done,” she continued.

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“I’m lucky I was able to start at the Clara Lionel Foundation in 2012 and if there’s anything that I’ve learned, it’s that we can only fix this world together,” she said. “We can’t do it divided, I can’t emphasize that enough. We can’t let the desensitivity seep in. The ‘If it’s your problem, it’s not mine. It’s a woman problem, it’s a black people’s problem, it’s a poor people problem.’ “

Rihanna added,  “I mean how many people in this room have colleagues and partners and friends from other races, sexes, religions, show of hand,” she said. “Well then you know they wanna break bread with you, right? They like you? Well then, this is their problem too. So when we are marching and protesting and posting about the Michael Brown Jr.s and Tatiana Jeffersons of the worlds, tell your friends to pull up.”

“Thank you to the NAACP for your efforts to ensure equality for our communities,” Rihanna said. “Thank you for celebrating our strength and tenacity. We have been denied opportunities since the beginning of time and still, we prevail. I am honored and imagine what we can do together.”

As clips of her speech made the rounds on social media, fans and celebs reacted. 

Actress Kerry Washington shared a clip of RiRi’s speech on Twitter, and captioned it: “BOWING DOWN @rihanna! Thank you for that speech and for continuing to inspire.”

One Rihanna fan added, “Rihanna basically said, if you wanna have black friends, wanna enjoy black people & culture, you gotta join us in fighting racism & systems that discriminate against us. I see you.”

Another noted, “Rihanna curved every big award show but pulled up to the NAACP Image Awards. We can all learn a lesson.”

Author Tressie McMillan Cottom wrote, “I could not have imagined this 15 years ago. Rihanna gonna mess around and actually be who y’all pretend Bey is.”

Tracee Ellis Ross also praised RiRi’s NAACP speech on Twitter, writing “I love this woman. Thank you for all you do @rihanna. Congratulations on a much deserved award.”

Derrick Johnson, President and CEO of the NAACP, said in a statement that Rihanna received the award for  her “groundbreaking career as an artist and musician,” and for being a “stellar public servant,” per CNN. 

“From her business achievements through Fenty, to her tremendous record as an activist and philanthropist, Rihanna epitomizes the type of character, grace, and devotion to justice that we seek to highlight in our President’s Award,” he said.

Scroll up and watch her Rihanna’s speech via the clip above.

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