As the star-studded NAACP’s 44th Annual Image Awards was about to air across the nation on NBC last Friday, the Boston NAACP gathered beforehand to recognize the work and commitments of local individuals worthy of an Image Award — and then they watched the event via a large-screen TV.
“While the local Image Award recipients are not involved in the work that they do for the recognition alone, we realized that the recognition and affirmation inspires those who are already doing great work to do more,” said Michael Curry, president of the Boston NAACP.
This was the second year of the Boston NAACP Image Awards. Unlike the national NAACP Image Awards, the Boston branch conducts a nomination at its meetings for individuals working across a broad spectrum including education, civil rights, entertainment, social justice and the arts. In a final meeting, the nominees are voted on and the awards are presented to the recipients just before the watch.
This year’s watch took place at the NAACP’s offices in Roxbury and was attended by an intimate group of members and friends of the branch.
“There are a lot of people doing great work in this city who are never recognized, and often times the same people tend to get recognized over and over again,” said Curry from the podium. “Our intent is to recognize those who have been overlooked and bring forth the next generation of leaders.”
The recipients of the 2012 Boston NAACP Image Awards included New England Cable News reporter Latoyia Edwards, photographer and archivist Eric “Pops” Esteves, retired educator and activist Barbara Fields, author and activist Priscilla Flint, artist Ekua Holmes, entrepreneur Marvin Jones, Executive Director of Access Strategies Kelly Bates, entertainer and New Edition member Michael Bivins, President and CEO of Elevated Media Group Darius McCroey, Assistant Chief of Associated Press Ebony Reed and GrlzRadio’s Bernadette Reid.
