Article By Charlotte Mason// EEW Magazine // Awards

It just so happens to be Black History Month, but every day is the right day to celebrate black excellence and diversity in film, TV, music, literature and social justice.

EEW Magazine Online congratulates all the winners honored at the 51st NAACP Image Awards this year—with a special nod to Christian actress Niecy Nash who nabbed the “Outstanding Actress” award for her role in Ava Duvernay’s Netflix limited series “When They See Us.”

Nash plays Delores, the desperate mother of Korey Wise, a then-16-year-old who was sentenced as an adult and spent 11 ½ years in prison after being falsely convicted in the 1989 Central Park Five jogger case.

“God is good,” wrote Nash on Instagram, adding. “That’s that on that.” The big win was a great birthday present for the star who turns 50 on Feb. 23.

Also among the winners was 15-year-old Marsai Martin, Hollywood’s youngest executive producer.

The young embodiment of Black Girl Magic won four awards, among them: Outstanding Breakthrough Performance in a Motion Picture for Little; Outstanding Performance by a Youth (Series, Special, Television Movie or Limited-Series); and Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series for ABC’s “Black-ish.”

Amid the celebration was a sobering moment when the late basketball icon Kobe Bryant was remembered. Following the In Memoriam segment, the beloved athlete was honored with a visual presentation of images from his career.

The moving tribute began with an empty basketball court onstage. An audio clip was heard of Bryant thanking his fans at a Lakers game while images of him flashed onscreen. Two banners with Bryant's jersey numbers, 8 and 24, were later revealed.

Host Anthony Anderson of “black-ish” opened the show, telecast on BET for the first time, with a monologue that took a shot at the lack of diversity at the Oscars and Hollywood’s other ceremonies that handed out awards earlier in the year.

“Unlike other awards shows, we actually have black nominees,” Anderson said. He may well have been talking about Just Mercy, the acclaimed film that was snubbed by the Oscars, Golden Globes and other ceremonies in the long awards season.

Michael B. Jordan won best actor in a motion picture for his role as a crusading defense attorney in the film, and Jamie Foxx won best supporting actor for the wrongly convicted man he fought for.

“This project is a lot bigger than me. It’s about every person that’s wrongfully convicted and sitting in a jail cell right now,” Jordan said as he accepted the award.

Foxx won his fifth career image award for his role in “Just Mercy,” saying, “Thank you so much, black people, African-Americans, and everything else we are.”

He added, “Its always great to get it from black folks because we are so talented.”

Lupita Nyong’o won best actress in a film for her role in “Us.”

“Thank you to all the beautiful black girls out there who inspire me every day,” Martin said as she accepted the supporting actress award.

Martin’s “black-ish” cast mate Tracee Ellis Ross won best actress in a TV comedy series, her ninth career Image Award.

“I love being a part of this ever-growing chorus of black women owning our legacies,” Ross said as she accepted the award.

It was a big Image Awards all-round for “black-ish,” which took home seven, including best TV comedy and best actor in a TV comedy for host Anderson.

The NAACP gave its Chairman’s Award, which goes to people who show exemplary public service and “create agents of change,” to civil rights legend U.S. Rep. John Lewis of Georgia.

“The NAACP has been like a bridge over troubled waters,” Lewis, who is suffering from pancreatic cancer, said in a recorded acceptance speech from Washington. “We’re going to have some more troubled waters, and we’re going to need the NAACP.”

The full ceremony aired Saturday, February 22nd at 8/7c on BET.