EGOT winner Viola Davis will be saluted with the Chairman’s Award at this year’s NAACP Image Awards.
Davis has already collected nine NAACP Image Awards for her performances in “How to Get Away With Murder,” “The Woman King,” “Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom,” “Fences,” “Won’t Back Down” and “The Help,” as well as for her 2022 memoir “Finding Me.” She will be presented with the Chairman’s Award during the 57th annual awards ceremony on Saturday, Feb. 28, broadcast live on BET and CBS from the Pasadena Civic Auditorium. Davis is also nominated for an Image Award for her role in the Amazon MGM Studios action-thriller “G20.”
The Chairman’s Award honors individuals who “excel in public service and leverage their unique platforms to ignite and drive meaningful change,” with Davis specifically recognized for both the impact of her work on camera and her tireless efforts toward social justice issues. Among her good works, Davis has partnered with multiple programs to eradicate childhood hunger in the U.S. and recently launched the Davis-Tennon Foundation.
“Viola Davis is a generational talent who has commanded audiences with her powerful and transcending performances,” said Leon W. Russell, chair of the NAACP National Board of Directors, acknowledging Davis for her “deeply impactful commitment to driving change.”
Russell continued: “Through a career defined by excellence and courage, she has used her platform to work towards opportunity and equity, crafting an undeniable legacy for generations to come. We look forward to celebrating her and the trailblazing path she has created for herself and others to follow.”
The prize is just the latest special acknowledgement for Davis, who received the Cecil B. DeMille honor at the 2025 Golden Globes and, last summer, was inducted into the Television Academy Hall of Fame. She also received an honorary doctorate from the American Film Institute. In 2022, she was honored with the Public Counsel’s William O Douglas Award for her commitment to social justice causes.
Davis succeeds last year’s Chairman’s Award honoree Vice President Kamala Harris, who delivered a rousing speech in her first TV appearance since leaving office. Other past honorees include Amanda Gorman, Samuel L. Jackson, the late U.S. Congressman John Lewis, Ruby Dee, Danny Glover, Rev. James Lawson, Tyler Perry, then-Senator Barack Obama, Congressman Bennie G. Thompson, Congresswoman Maxine Waters and former Surgeon General Regina Benjamin.
“Viola Davis exemplifies what it means to use one’s platform in service of others,” noted Connie Orlando, executive VP of specials, music programming & music strategy at BET. “She has paired extraordinary artistic achievement with meaningful action — from advocating for equity to helping address childhood hunger and uplifting underserved communities. Honoring her with the Chairman’s Award recognizes a legacy defined not only by excellence in entertainment, but by an enduring commitment to public service.”
Other special honorees during this year’s NAACP Image Awards week include A$AP Rocky, who will receive the Vanguard Award for fashion, presented at the annual fashion show on Friday, Feb. 27, and Rev. Dr. Jamal-Harrison Bryant, who will receive the prestigious Mildred Bond Roxborough Social Justice Impact Award at the Creative Honors on Thursday, Feb. 26.