Moments of joy, pride, tears and laughter marked the ceremonies at the 7th Annual Critics Choice Celebration of Black Cinema and Television during a gala evening at the Fairmont Century Plaza Hotel.
Hosted by comedian Jay Pharaoh, awards were handed out in 14 categories to industry talents including Tyler Perry, Cynthia Erivo, Regina King, John David Washington, Wendell Pierce, Malcolm D. Lee, Jharrel Jerome, Natasha Rothwell, Kris Bowers and Aunjanue Ellis-Taylor.
The list of presenters was equally as star-studded. Among them were Kelly Rowland, Courtney B. Vance, Brian Tyree Henry, Ava DuVernay, Jeffrey Wright, Taye Diggs, Sheryl Lee Ralph and Aldis Hodge.
Perry was presented with the Icon Award, just days after Steve Mensch, the president of Tyler Perry Studios, was killed in a plane crash.
“This life is but a moment, it’s so precious, and we need to lean into spreading love one to another; I’m 55 years old, I’m tired of bullshit,” Perry said in his emotional acceptance speech. “I’m in a place in my life where I just want to make some people laugh and inspire and do good things and encourage people. And that’s what I try to do all of my life. But there’s an urgency in it now as I think about where we are in the world.”
Erivo, who is gathering acclaim for her role in Wicked, accepted the actress award and noted the importance of her part in the hit film.
“As a Black queer nominee, the opportunity to bring Elphaba alive was the gift of a lifetime. And I don’t think any amount of words could ever really eloquently describe the type of grateful I am to be able to play a girl that can fly so that other little girls could know they could fly too,” she said.
“So, for every child who sees themselves in Elphaba now, for every Black person who feels her strength, for every queer soul who recognizes their own battle to embrace who they are, for anyone who has ever felt alone and unseen, Wicked is for you. Elphaba is a love letter to you. Representation is a powerful thing. It’s why I wanted the long nails, her microbraids and her boldness to reflect not just her greenness but my Blackness. I know my roots, they’re where I begin. Because when we bring our whole selves into the work, it becomes a mirror, not just for us, but for the world.”
The ceremony will be televised during January on Starz, and on television stations around the country during February, Black History Month.
