PASADENA, Calif. — Angela Bassett won entertainer of the year at Saturday's NAACP Image Awards on a night that also saw her take home an acting trophy for the television series “9-1-1.”
The Bassett-led Marvel superhero sequel “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever” won best motion picture at the ceremony, which was broadcast live on BET from Pasadena, California.
Viola Davis won outstanding actress for the action epic “The Woman King,” a project she championed and starred in. Will Smith won for the slavery drama“Emancipation,” his first release since last year's Academy Awards, where he slapped comedian Chris Rock on stage before winning his first best actor trophy.
“I never want to not be brave enough as a woman, as a Black woman, as an artist," Davis said, referencing a quote from her character in the film, which she called her magnum opus. “I thank everyone who was involved with ‘The Woman King’ because that was just nothing but high-octane bravery.”
“Abbott Elementary” won for outstanding comedy series. Creator and series star Quinta Brunson invited her costars onstage and praised shows like “black-ish” for paving the way for her series.
The 54 NAACP Image Awards were presented Saturday in Pasadena, California, with Queen Latifah hosting. Serena Williams received the Jackie Robinson Sports award, which recognizes individuals in sports for high achievement in athletics along with their pursuit of social justice, civil rights and community involvement.
The ceremony, which honors entertainers, athletes and writers of color, was hosted by Queen Latifah. Special honorees included Dwyane Wade and Gabrielle Union and civil rights attorney Ben Crump.
The co-host of MSNBC's "Morning Joe," sat down with Cheddar's Hope King and talked about advice she had for young women attempting to break into the media industry. Brzezinski also spoke candidly about her public clash with President Trump: "I'm really sad for our country."
Mika Brzezinski, co-host of MSNBC's "Morning Joe," spoke with Cheddar about the role of media in the age of Donald Trump. "Keep it cool and stick to the facts," she said.
The Canadian cannabis company has seen exponential growth with shares doubling since just mid-August, when Corona-maker Constellation Brands upped its stake with a $4 billion investment. CEO Bruce Linton said interest is now coming from pharma giants, which will rely on companies like Canopy for research, patented technology, and formulas.
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Twilio, a cloud-focused tech company based in San Francisco, is doubling down on its commitment to diversity. The company has a goal for at least 50 percent of its staff to be female and 30 percent to be from underrepresented groups by 2023. Lafawn Davis, global head of culture and inclusion at Twilio, said that there are more than enough women in tech to be able to fill the roles.
North Carolina is facing a new crisis a week after Hurricane Florence made landfall. Not only have millions of farm animals drowned in the initial floods. Now, flooded waste lagoons are contaminating the drinking water, explained Zoë Schlanger, environment reporter for Quartz.
One year after Hurricane Maria, Puerto Rico is still recovering from the devastation. Luis Soto of "Save the Children" said a staggering 84 percent of the island's kids are living in poverty.
The one-time Beatle is back at #1, and he didn't do it solely by selling albums. Austin Powell, managing editor at The Daily Dot, explains how McCartney was able to use the new music economy dominated by Spotify and Apple Music to his advantage.
Hurricane Florence is over, but the relief efforts are just beginning. The American Red Cross is currently housing 8,200 people displaced from the storm, and Gail McGovern, president and CEO of the American Red Cross, said the shelters will be in place until the last person has a more permanent place to go.
The difference between the wild valuations and stock moves in the nascent pot industry and those of the turn-of-the-century dot-com stocks (Pets.com, anyone?) is that cannabis "is a market that actually exists," said financier Terry Taouss of cannabis financing company Tidal Royalty.
