Former Vice President Kamala Harris was honored Saturday evening with the Chairman’s Award at the 56th NAACP Image Awards. The award honors those who “excel in public service and leverage their unique platforms to ignite and drive meaningful change.”
Harris seemingly took a shot at President Trump and Elon Musk during her acceptance speech and warned of the “shadows gathering.”
Harris called for a “sense of urgency,” asserting that “eternal vigilance is the price of liberty” as she urged the Pasadena crowd to “stay alert, to seek the truth and to actively participate in the fight for America’s future.”
“The organization came into being at a moment when our country struggled with greed, bitterness and hatred. And those who forged the NAACP legacy, those who carried its legacy had no illusions about the forces they were up against. No illusions about how stony the road would be. But some look at this moment and rightly feel the weight of history,” Harris said. “Some see the flames on our horizons, the rising waters in our cities, the shadows gathering over our democracy and ask, what do we do now? But we know exactly what to do because we have done it before, and we will do it again. We use our power. We organize, mobilize. We educate, and we advocate. Because you see, our power has never come from having an easy path.”
“And while we have no illusions about what we are up against in this chapter in our American story, this chapter will be written not simply by whoever occupies the Oval Office, nor by the wealthiest among us,” Harris said, appearing to reference Trump and Musk, who is the wealthiest person in the world. “The American story will be written by you, written by us, by we, the people.”
Watch the clip below:
Our Chairman Award recipient @kamalaharris gave us 107 days (and 30-plus years of service), so she deserves all the flowers our hands can hold. Congratulations #NAACPImageAwards #BET pic.twitter.com/UfXXNNF9lB
— BET (@BET) February 23, 2025