In the wake of the overtly political Golden Globes, ongoing allegations of sexual impropriety in Hollywood and just days after the president's infamous "shithole" comment, the 49th annual NAACP Image Awards focused instead on black pride and empowerment.
Host Anthony Anderson opened the show with a nod to the Globes, calling the Image Awards "Oprah for President headquarters."
"Can you believe Oprah's speech? Now that's what you call a 'stable genius,'" he said in reference to Oprah Winfrey's rousing Globes acceptance speech. "I know Donald Trump calls himself one, but I think it would be best if we just locked him up ... in a stable."
Held on Martin Luther King Jr. Day, the show had several presenters and winners directly mentioning Dr. King in their remarks, including Anderson in his opening monologue.
"Our new air date tonight on Dr. King Day builds upon the show's great tradition as a night of hope and pride, honoring our history and those that make history," he said.
Immediately after Anderson's monologue, several actresses took to the stage for a special #TimesUp presentation: Kerry Washington, Tracee Ellis Ross, Lena Waithe, Jurnee Smollett-Bell, Laverne Cox and Angela Robinson urged the audience to "shift the balance of power" by voting in this year's upcoming midterm elections.
"Everyone knows that when we show up we make change," said Smollett-Bell. "But we can't do it alone," said Robinson.
During the commercial break, Rep. Maxine Waters (D-Los Angeles) introduced the audience to her guest Esaw Garner, the mother of the late Eric Garner, who was killed by police in 2014.
"This is my friend and she's here from New York," said Waters. "And we're fighters and we appreciate Martin Luther King Jr. and all that he's done but we're gonna impeach Trump!"
Actor, producer and humanitarian Danny Glover, who received the President's Award, opened his speech by acknowledging the 50th anniversary of King's assassination before making a statement that seemed to be directed at the president's insult earlier this week.
"In proclaiming this decade, we are recognizing that people of African descent represent a distinct group whose human rights must be protected and honored," he said. "James Baldwin stated that when we cannot tell ourselves the truth about our past, we become trapped in it. This is especially true about race in America."
"black-ish" was a big winner of the night, taking home three awards: for comedy series, actress in a comedy series for Tracee Ellis Ross (her fourth award for her work on the show) and actor in a comedy series for Anderson.
Andra Day performed a haunting rendition of Billie Holiday's "Strange Fruit" as the screen behind her displayed the names and hometowns of lynching victims. Afterwards, she was joined onstage by Common to perform "Stand Up for Something," images of King and the Black Lives Matter movement showing onscreen. Visibly moved, the audience rose during the final notes of the song.
Daniel Kaluuya beat Denzel Washington for the outstanding actor in a motion picture award, after telling The Times on the red carpet that "it's factual that Denzel is the best actor in the world."
"I don't think I'm allowed to do stuff like that," he said. "I don't think anyone's allowed to, so if it happens there would have to be a revote. It would be very fitting for the time that we're in."
Taraji P. Henson won the award for actress in a drama series but was not present to accept the award. Presenter Chadwick Boseman accepted the award on her behalf.
Omari Hardwick took home the actor in a drama series award for his performance on Starz' "Power." Halle Berry was greeted with huge applause when she presented the Music Makes a Difference honor to Charlie Wilson, who received a standing ovation.
Director Ava DuVernay won the entertainer of the year award, thanking her peers (including Waithe, Shonda Rhimes, Kenya Barris, Donald Glover, Courtney Kemp and Lee Daniels) for their contributions in a speech that moved the audience both to tears and to their feet.
"This is our time," she said. "We can say we were here when all this gorgeous art was happening, that we lifted each other up, that we did as Dr. King said he would do: live the dream. We're the dream."
