The Soul Train Awards 2022 presented by BET and hosted by award-winning comedian and actor Deon Cole, featured a lineup of unforgettable performances including special moments and appearances by some of the brightest stars in Black culture and entertainment. 

The event kicked off with the “Soul Train Awards Red Carpet Special,” with hosts Tank covering the Main Stage, Letoya Luckett on the Correspondent Stage, and Novi Brown (“Tyler Perry’s Sistas”) in the Walmart Lounge. Beyoncé led the night with three wins for Album of The Year, Song of the Year and Best Collaboration with Ronald Isley & The Isley Brothers. 

Trailblazing 90’s R&B supergroup Xscape was crowned Lady of Soul at this year’s Awards. The award was presented to them by their legendary producer and So So Def Recordings founder Jermaine Dupri, who spoke fondly about knowing the group was destined for stardom when he met them. 

Xscape embodied elegance as they graced the stage and  accepted the award. The group  performed some of their biggest hits, including “My Little Secret,” “Who Can I Run To?,” ''Tonight,” and fan-favorite “Just Kickin It” with surprise guest Jermaine Dupri, to which the audience bumped, grooved, and sang along word for word. Xscape ended their performance with their powerful ballad, “Understanding.”

Iconic funk brand Morris Day & The Time closed out the night with the Legend Award, presented to them by JB Smoove. After reflecting on the group’s success, and their days collaborating with Prince, Morris Day & The Time accepted the award and expressed profound gratitude. The group then brought their blend of funk and soul to the stage, performing a medley of their classic hits including “Cool,” “777,” “Jungle Love,” and closing out with crowd favorite “Bird,” keeping the audience on their feet dancing until the last note.

Here is the complete list of Soul Train Awards 2022 winners:
 
Best New Artist
Tems  
 
Certified Soul Award
Mary J. Blige          
 
Best R&B/Soul Female Artist
Jazmine Sullivan  
 
Best R&B/Soul Male Artist
Chris Brown         
 
Best Gospel/Inspirational Award
Maverick City Music X Kirk Franklin          
 
Song of the Year
Break My Soul  -    Beyoncé
  
Album of the Year
Renaissance     -     Beyoncé
 
The Ashford and Simpson Songwriter’s Award
Hrs & Hrs  -  Muni Long
 
Best Dance Performance
About Damn Time  Lizzo

Best Collaboration
Make Me Say It Again, Girl     -    Ronald Isley & The Isley Brothers Feat. Beyoncé
 
Video of the Year
Smokin Out The Window  -   Bruno Mars, Anderson Paak, Silk Sonic

Watch an encore airing of Soul Train Awards 2022, Sunday, November 27 at 8 PM ET/PT and Thursday, December 1 at 9 PM ET/PT on BET. The Soul Train Awards 2022 will air internationally on BET Africa on Sunday, November 27 at 3:00 CAT, BET France on Thursday, December 1 at 20:45 PM CET. The show will also be available to watch on My5 and Sky On-Demand in the UK beginning Thursday, December 1.

As reports from around the United States confirm what many have suspected -- blacks are hardest hit by the coronavirus global pandemic, the NAACP has partnered with BET to present the 4-week community program, ”Unmasked: A COVID-19 Virtual Town Hall Series”.

 

The  first virtual town hall will be presented this Wednesday, April 8 at 8pm ET, 5pm PT. Part one of the four-part series will feature a candid discussion on the health, mental, and economic tolls this crisis has had on our communities and how people of color can apply pressure to ensure the congressional response to this pandemic is equitable.

 

Click here to register online. 

 

 

 

 

 

“Marching Orders,” an original unscripted series, takes viewers inside the Marching Wildcats of Bethune-Cookman University in Daytona Beach, Florida. The band’s rich history includes being showcased at major sports events from the Super Bowl to NFL games and was featured in the popular film “Drumline” starring Nick Cannon and Zoe Saldana. This 12-episode series, Marching Orders, premiered on Friday, August 3 on Netflix and was produced by Stage 13/Gigantic Productions.



For students, becoming a member of the Marching Wildcats will be one of their most significant life achievements. The legacy, history, and honor of earning a spot in the 300-member plus band is a pivotal moment that is often rooted in the students’ own familial histories. Expectations run high for the new generation of Marching Wildcats.



It’s difficult to convey just how important marching bands have become in the culture and climate of HBCUs unless one has lived it as an undergraduate student. While many rival institutions will take issue with the Marching Wildcats being touted as the nation’s best, that is par for the course. Let the trash-talking continue.

“Nobody works as hard as we do,” says Band Director Donovan Wells, in the series opener. “Nobody pays attention to the details as much as we do.”

 

 

@vanessawbyers

 

Miami’s WSVN-TV Channel 7 News producer Robin Cross has been terminated. Cross was the subject of international media coverage as the woman caught on cell phone video yelling at her neighbor about vehicle  parking. Cross’s profanity-laced tirade ended with her using a racial slur in reference to the Black girlfriend of her neighbor’s son.

It is unfortunate and disappointing that WSVN allowed this story to linger for five days before taking action beyond suspension of Cross. It is also unfortunate that WSVN didn’t use this as a teachable moment and opportunity for healing via a community conversation about race. America will never be as great a nation as she can be until that very painful and shameful issue is addressed and overcome.

Thank you to everyone who contacted WSVN to voice their opinions regarding the situation. This is what happens when people unite. This is what happens when we are more than just keyboard soldiers. This is what happens when we take action.

 

#STAYwoke

 

Related Link:

Miami's WSVN-TV Ch. 7 Producer Caught on Video Using Racial Slur and Profanity [VIDEO] [EXPLICIT LANGUAGE]

 

If you enjoy watching quality television, you owe it to yourself to check out Showtime’s THE CHI. It airs Sundays at 10 PM EST. Subscribers can also view episodes on demand on the Showtime app.

THE CHI chronicles the lives of residents of the South Side of Chicago. It humanizes people who have been dehumanized because of the numerous reports of death due to gun violence. As in many, urban, predominantly-black neighborhoods demonized by crime statistics and poverty, there is a beautiful side that is rarely shown. As one-sided as the South Side of Chicago is typically portrayed, THE CHI doesn’t shy away from its ugly side of crime, drugs and poverty.

Award-winning Chicago natives Lena Waithe (Emmy - Master of None) and Common (Academy Award - Selma) have presented a cinematically beautiful well-acted and well-written drama. Waithe made history as the first Black woman to win an Emmy for Comedy Writing. It’s 2018 and we’re still celebrating Black “firsts” but let us not digress. The Chi cast includes Jason Mitchell (Brandon); Tiffany Boone (Jerrika); Ntare Guma Mbaho Mwine (Ronnie); Jacob Latimore (Emmett); Yolanda Ross (Jada); Sonja Sohn (Laverne); and Miami’s own Alex Hibbert (Kevin).

You might remember Alex from his award-winning film debut as “Little” in the Miami-based and Miami-focused movie Moonlight which won multiple awards including the Academy Award for Best Picture. In Moonlight, Alex was incredibly expressive just using his eyes and body language. That same compelling quiet energy is evident as he portrays Kevin in THE CHI.

Since THE CHI has been renewed for a second season, we look forward to seeing more of Alex Hibbert on THE CHI next year. Episode 5 is scheduled to air on February 11 so you have plenty of time to binge watch the first four episodes to catch up with the storyline.

 

 Related Links:

Official Series Website - The Chi

More Than Moonlight: Alex Hibbert is a Child Actor Worth Watching

 

The announcement is part of the company’s commitment to launch independently owned and operated networks as part of a series of public interest commitments made by Comcast in connection with the NBCUniversal transaction completed in 2011. Since the NBCUniversal transaction, Comcast has successfully launched over 20 independent networks, doubling the number of independent networks launches that it committed to as part of the transaction. Four of those networks were launched as a result of a public request for channels that satisfied the criteria established in several agreements between Comcast and leading diversity organizations: two African American majority owned networks (ASPiRE and REVOLT) and two Hispanic American operated networks (Baby First Americas and El Rey). Additionally, two substantially Hispanic American owned networks, Kids Central and Primo TV, will launch on Comcast Cable systems beginning in January 2017.

“We are looking forward to receiving another round of great proposals as we begin the process to launch two more African American majority owned networks,” said Justin Smith, Senior Vice President of Content Acquisition for Comcast Cable.

Criteria for selecting the next two substantially African American owned networks that Comcast will launch include: the content of the network; whether the network is fully financed; whether the network’s ownership and/or management group(s) are well established, have relevant experience, and are substantially owned by African Americans; whether the network is already launched and has existing or potential multichannel video programming distributor (MVPD) distribution; price; and whether the network and its potential carriage provide value to Comcast and its customers. Comcast will accept proposals for every major genre, including general entertainment, movies, music, kids, news, and sports.

Applicants may visit http://corporate.comcast.com/diverseprogramming to submit a proposal and learn about the terms and conditions. Proposals are due by March 15, 2017, and the two networks will be selected in the coming months.

 

“Orange Is The New Black” star Uzo Aduba, also known as her character Suzanne “Crazy Eyes” Warren, joined HuffPost Live and commented on the current state of race relations in the U.S.

Aduba: “We’re living in a time right now where the challenging and the hard conversation needs to be had. We’re watching the country, the face of this country and the ideas of this country, change and move into a place where we have the opportunity to stand on the right side of history. And I think people are wanting to be made part of the conversation that is our American history. And I feel that it is our responsibility as human beings and members of the human family to use our voice to ignite that change. I do think that is important. I think we are living in a very fragile time where we have the opportunity to be the people we say we are. Not just stand by and watch anything and everything happen in ways that will be disastrous for our future.”

 

 

 

Los Angeles, California _ Mercedes Young is responding to late night talk show host Jimmy Kimmel talking about her revealing that she is a born again virgin on the WEtv show ‘Match Made in Heaven’. The show aired on Thursday, February 12, 2015.

Mercedes Young

Young, a 23 year-old entrepreneur from Miami was featured on the show with another contestant, telling the bachelor Shawn Bullard they were virgins.

"Mine is a little different," Mercedes told Bullard after the revelation. "She’s a pure virgin, I’m a born again virgin."

"I don’t know if that’s how virginity works!" Kimmel told his laughing audience after referring to the show as an "all Black version of ‘The Bachelor’".

"That’s like eating a salad and calling yourself a born again vegetarian," he laughed. "It’s like ‘I’m a virgin, these are my children, Caroline and Samantha."

Young has released the following statement through her publicist:

"When I signed up to be a part of WEtv’s ‘Match Made in Heaven’, I knew that I was signing away my privacy and that what you put out there to the world you can’t take back. I just didn’t realize that talking about my celibacy was one of the things that was something that would end up as a part of an intro for Mr. Jimmy Kimmel on his late night talk show.

I was very flattered to have him show my clip on his show because I’m a fan and have been for years. I’d be even more flattered to one day appear on his show and really explain to him what a #BornAgainVirgin is.

Anyway, after the show aired, I got a ton of people calling me offended that he was making fun of my celibacy. Honestly, when I saw the show I actually laughed because I realized that the term "born again virgin" is not one that a lot of people have heard.

I actually had planned to launch my #BornAgainVirgin campaign, tee shirt line and purity jewelry line later on this year but Mr. Jimmy Kimmel has unintentionally forced me into talking about it a little earlier than I intended to.

#BornAgainVirgin focuses on the fact that there is no shame in preserving yourself.

Since Jimmy Kimmel took the time to mention me, I must now make the time to continue my mission of encouraging people to realize there is nothing wrong with being a #BornAgainVirgin.

Mercedes

 

 

 

Spike Lee, Clive Davis and Attorney General of the United States Eric H. Holder, Jr. Received Special Honors

 

LOS ANGELES, CALIF. – The winners of the "46th NAACP Image Awards" were announced last night during the live broadcast from Pasadena Civic Auditorium which aired on TV One (9-11 p.m. ET live/PT tape-delayed). The two-hour live special was hosted by Anthony Anderson. There was a one-hour live pre-show from the red carpet hosted by Kevin Frazier and Shaun Robinson.

NAACP Chairwoman Roslyn Brock presented the NAACP Chairman’s Award to Attorney General of the United States, Eric H. Holder, Jr., NAACP President Cornell William Brooks presented the NAACP President’s Award to Spike Lee and Russell Simmons presented the NAACP Vanguard Award to Clive Davis.

Some of the biggest names in film, television and music appeared including Will Smith, Common, Angela Bassett, Gabrielle Union, Laurence Fishburne, Tracee Ellis Ross, Larenz Tate, Sharon Leal, Kerry Washington, Oprah Winfrey, David Oyelowo, Octavia Spencer, Keegan Michael-Key, Taraji P. Henson, Tessa Thompson, Shemar Moore, Uzo Aduba, Wendy Raquel Robinson, Russell Simmons, John Gaskins III, Valeska Guittierez, Nicole Beharie, Mehcad Brooks, Lamorne Morris, Taye Diggs, Quvenzhané Wallis, Gabrielle Union, Omar Epps, and Henry Simmons. In addition, cast Members from Orange is the New Black, Belle, black-ish, Grey’s Anatomy, House of Cards, How to Get Away with Murder and more.

Lance Reddick was the in-show announcer. Affion Crockett was the backstage Social Media Commentator. The NAACP Image Awards production team included Executive Producers Reginald Hudlin and Phil Gurin, Tony McCuin was the Director, Byron Phillips was Producer, and Robin Reinhardt was Talent Producer.

The NAACP Image Awards is the premier multicultural awards show. It celebrates the accomplishments of people of color in the fields of television, music, literature and film, and also honors individuals or groups who promote social justice through creative endeavors.

Nominees for the NAACP Image Awards are determined by the number of entries received by the deadline. To be eligible, projects must have had a national distribution date between January 1, 2014, and December 31, 2014. For the 2014 voting period, over 1,200 submissions were received by the artists, managers, publicists, production companies, record labels, studios, networks and/or publishers. From those entries, a nominating committee of 300 industry professionals and NAACP leaders from across the country select five nominees in each of the 54 categories, excluding Entertainer of the Year. Those results were announced at a press conference. To determine the winners, the members of the NAACP vote via a secured online site. The results are tabulated by the Image Awards auditors, Bert Smith & Co., and the results are confidential until the envelope is opened LIVE on stage during the NBC telecast on Friday, February 6, 2015.

The 46TH NAACP Image Awards were sponsored by: AT&T, Bank of America, FedEx, Ford Motor Company, General Motors, Gilead Sciences, Hyundai Motor America, Southwest Airlines, UAW-Chrysler, and Wells Fargo.

The winners are as follows -

Outstanding Actress in a Motion Picture

Taraji P. Henson - "No Good Deed" (Screen Gems)

Outstanding Actor in a Comedy Series

Anthony Anderson - "black-ish" (ABC)

Outstanding Actor in a Drama Series

Shemar Moore - "Criminal Minds" (CBS)

Outstanding Actress in a Drama Series

Viola Davis - "How to Get Away with Murder" (ABC)

Outstanding Actress in a Comedy Series

Tracee Ellis Ross - "black-ish" (ABC)

Outstanding Comedy Series

"black-ish" (ABC)

Outstanding Drama Series

"How to Get Away with Murder" (ABC)

Outstanding Actor in a Motion Picture

David Oyelowo - "Selma" (Paramount Pictures)

Outstanding Motion Picture

"Selma" (Paramount Pictures)

Entertainer of the Year

Taraji P. Henson

The Winners From Last Night's Non-Televised Categories Are As Follows –

LITERATURE:

Outstanding Literary Work - Fiction

"A Wanted Woman" – Eric Jerome Dickey (Penguin Random House)

Outstanding Literary Work - Non-Fiction

"Just Mercy: A Story of Justice and Redemption" – Bryan Stevenson (Spiegel & Grau)

Outstanding Literary Work - Debut Author

"Forty Acres" – Dwayne Alexander Smith (Atria Books)

Outstanding Literary Work - Biography/Autobiography

"Breaking Ground: My Life in Medicine" – Louis Sullivan with David Chanoff (University of Georgia Press)

Outstanding Literary Work - Instructional

"Promises Kept: Raising Black Boys to Succeed in School and in Life" – Joe Brewster, Michele Stephenson, Hilary Beard (Spiegel & Grau)

Outstanding Literary Work - Poetry

"Citizen: An American Lyric" – Claudia Rankine (Graywolf Press)

Outstanding Literary Work - Children

"Dork Diaries 8: Tales From A Not-So Happily Ever After" – Rachel Renee Russell with Nikki Russell and Erin Russell (Simon & Schuster)

Outstanding Literary Work - Youth/Teens

"Brown Girl Dreaming" – Jacqueline Woodson (Nancy Paulsen Books)

RECORDING:

Outstanding New Artist

3 Winans Brothers (BMG)

Outstanding Male Artist

Pharrell Williams (Columbia Records)

Outstanding Female Artist

Beyoncé (Columbia Records)

Outstanding Duo, Group or Collaboration

"Stay With Me" – Sam Smith feat. Mary J Blige (Capitol)

Outstanding Jazz Album

"My Old Friend: Celebrating George Duke" – Al Jarreau (Concord)

Outstanding Gospel Album (Traditional or Contemporary)

"Where My Heart Belongs" – Gladys Knight (Shadow Mountain Records)

Outstanding Music Video

"You and I (Nobody in the World)" – John Legend (Columbia Records)

Outstanding Song

"We Are Here" – Alicia Keys (RCA Records)

Outstanding Album

"Aretha Franklin Sings the Great Diva Classics" – Aretha Franklin (RCA Records)

ANIMATED OR COMPUTER GENERATED IMAGE (CGI):

Outstanding Character Voice-Over Performance

Loretta Devine - "Doc McStuffins" (Disney Junior)

TELEVISION:

Outstanding Writing in a Comedy Series

Sara Hess - "Orange is the New Black" – It Was the Change (Netflix)

Outstanding Writing in a Drama Series

Erika Green Swafford - "How to Get Away With Murder" – Let’s Get To Scooping (ABC)

Outstanding Writing in a Television Movie

Shernold Edwards - "A Day Late and a Dollar Short" (Lifetime Networks)

Outstanding Directing in a Comedy Series

Ken Whittingham - "Parks and Recreation" – Prom (NBC)

Outstanding Directing in a Drama Series

Carl Franklin - "House of Cards" – Chapter 14 (Netflix)

Outstanding Directing in a Television Movie

Reggie Bythewood - "Gun Hill" (BET)

Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series

Laurence Fishburne - "black-ish" (ABC)

Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series

Yara Shahidi - "black-ish" (ABC)

Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series

Joe Morton - "Scandal" (ABC)

Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series

Khandi Alexander - "Scandal" (ABC)

Outstanding Television Movie, Mini- Series, or Dramatic Special

"The Trip to Bountiful" (Lifetime Networks)

Outstanding Actor in a Television Movie, Mini- Series, or Dramatic Special

Blair Underwood- "The Trip to Bountiful" (Lifetime Networks)

Outstanding Actress in a Television Movie, Mini- Series, or Dramatic Special

Cicely Tyson- "The Trip to Bountiful" (Lifetime Networks)

Outstanding News/Information (Series or Special)

"Unsung" (TV One)

Outstanding Talk Series

"Steve Harvey" (Syndicated)

Outstanding Reality Series

"Iyanla: Fix My Life" (OWN)

Outstanding Variety (Series or Special)

"Oprah’s Master Class" (OWN)

Outstanding Children’s Program

"Doc McStuffins" (Disney Junior)

Outstanding Performance by a Youth in a Youth/ Children’s Program (Series or Special)

Fatima Ptacek- "Dora and Friends: Into the City!" (Nickelodeon)

Outstanding Host in a Talk, Reality, News/Information, or Variety Series

Steve Harvey- "Steve Harvey" (Syndicated)

DOCUMENTARY:

Outstanding Documentary - (Film)

"Through A Lens Darkly: Black Photographers and the Emergence of a People" (Chimpanzee Productions, Inc.)

Outstanding Documentary - (Television)

"Bad Boys" (ESPN)

MOTION PICTURE:

Outstanding Writing in a Motion Picture

Misan Sagay - "Belle" (Fox Searchlight Pictures/DJ Films)

Outstanding Directing in a Motion Picture

Antoine Fuqua - "The Equalizer" (Columbia Pictures)

Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Motion Picture

Common- "Selma" (Paramount Pictures)

Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Motion Picture

Carmen Ejogo - "Selma" (Paramount Pictures)

Outstanding Independent Motion Picture

"Belle" (Fox Searchlight Pictures/DJ Films)

For all information and latest news, and complete list of winners, please visit the official NAACP Image Awards website at http://www.naacpimageawards.net.

FB: /naacpimageaward • Twitter: @naacpimageaward