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Kerry Washington's Amazing NAACP Image Award Speech: VIDEOS

PHOTOS: GETTY

The big winner at the 44th Annual NAACP Image Awards: The fabulous Kerry Washington. The star of ABC's "Scandal" was a triple threat at the ceremony, picking up trophies for Outstanding Actress in a Drama Series for Scandal, Supporting Actress in a Motion Picture for Django Unchained and the President's Award for special achievement and exceptional public service.

Kerry Washington's amazing acceptance highlighted her work for equality and President Obama. Watch it AFTER THE JUMP ...

Said the actress:

"I consider it an honor to be an advocate for the arts and to serve on [President] Obama's committee for arts and humanities because just as we must insure that 'We, the people' includes all Americans, regardless of race, class, gender and sexual orientation, we must also work to ensure that the stories we tell, the movies we produce, the television we produce, the theaters we stage, the novels we publish, are all inclusive in all those same ways."

Kerry Washington is the "first Black female lead on network television in 38 years." The President's Award was presented to Washington by actress Diahann Carroll who first broke that color barrier in 1968.

The complete winners list HERE.

Videos of all three acceptance speeches, the transcript of the big speech and a photos of "Olivia" and "Fitz" on stage AFTER THE JUMP ...

VIDEO: NAACP's Ben Jealous Talks Equal Marriage on "Maddow"

NAACP President and CEO Benjamin Jealous appeared last night on MSNBC's The Rachel Maddow Show. The topic: The veteran civil rights organization's historic resolution support equal marriage for gay and lesbian couples. "The NAACP has always stood for expanding rights and the Constitution, not taking them away," said Jealous. "When we get it wrong it gives permission for parents to reject kids."

"This an important day. ..... And it's very personal to me," he added. The NAACP president fought back tears and explained how his mother and father, an inter-racial couple, were prohibited from marrying in their home state.

Jealous has worked to engage the NAACP in LGBT issues. In February 2009, the national board called for the overturn of California's Proposition 8 but stopped short of endorsing equal marriage. Later that year, the National Black Justice Coalition became the first Black LGBT group to address the national board. In March 2011, the first openly LGBT president of a local NAACP chapter was elected.  In August 2011, the organization held its first town hall on LGBT issues.

Watch the segment AFTER THE JUMP ...

NAACP Endorses Marriage Equality

Bravo. The board of directors of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People has voted to endorse equal marriage rights for same-sex couples. The resolution approved today by the nation's oldest civil rights organization affirms that "marriage equality [is] consistent with equal protection under the law provided under the Fourteenth Amendment of the United States Constitution."

This marks the first time the national board has fully endorsed marriage equality—and comes ten days after President Barack Obama's historic announcement supporting that position.

The resolution was presented at the civil rights organization's annual retreat in Miami. It was approved by an almost unanimous vote—only 2 members of the 64-member board  opposed. The resolution states:

"The NAACP Constitution affirmatively states our objective to ensure the ‘political, education, social and economic equality’ of all people. Therefore, the NAACP has opposed and will continue to oppose any national, state, local policy or legislative initiative that seeks to codify discrimination or hatred into the law or to remove the Constitutional rights of LGBT citizens. We support marriage equality consistent with equal protection under the law provided under the Fourteenth Amendment of the United States Constitution. Further, we strongly affirm the religious freedoms of all people as protected by the First Amendment."

"The mission of the NAACP has always been to ensure the political, social and economic equality of all people," said NAACP Board Chair Roslyn Brock in a statement. "We have and will oppose efforts to codify discrimination into law."

"The NAACP's support for marriage equality is deeply rooted in the Fourteenth Amendment of the United States Constitution and equal protection of all people," added President and CEO Benjamin Jealous. "The well-funded right wing organizations who are attempting to split our communities are no friend to civil rights, and they will not succeed."

But this is not the first time the board has spoken out for marriage rights:  In February 2009, the national board called for the overturn of California's Proposition 8 but stopped short of endorsing equal marriage.

In February 2010, the NAACP elected 44-year-old Roslyn Brock as its new chairwoman to replace the legendary Julian Bond, a civil rights icon and one of first Blacks elected to the Georgia House of Representatives. Brock joined 37-year-old NAACP President Benjamin Jealous—who has tried to engage LGBT issues— and both have pledged to make the veteran civil rights organization more relevant. In March 2011, the first openly LGBT president of a local NAACP chapter was elected. In August 2011, the organization held its first town hall on LGBT issues.

Bond lead the NAACP until 2010 and has been especially vocal on LGBT issues.  As a result of Bond's leadership, the NAACP now has an LGBT Equality Task Force. Bond also spoke at the 2009 National Equality March and has pushed for marriage equality legislation in Maryland and New Jersey.

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Homophobia in the Black Church Discussed at NAACP LGBT Town Hall

The NAACP held its first LGBT Town Hall meeting at its convention in Los Angeles last week. The discussion was moderated by CNN anchor Don Lemon. The panel featured Wanda Sykes, former NAACP Chairman Julian Bond, current NAACP CEO Ben Jealous, writer Kenyon Farrow, Spelman College's Dr. Beverly Guy-Sheftall, director Patrik-Ian Polk and actor Darryl Stephens.

One of the more contentious topics: The number of anti-gay churches and ministers in NAACP leadership positions, such as Rev. Keith Ratliff, Iowa's leading black pastor and the anti-gay chair of the Iowa/Nebraska chapter, reports  More Down Low TV.

Mr. Jealous responded saying the gay community should take the NAACP seriously because the NAACP was there with the Human Rights Campaign helping to pass the Matthew Shepard / James Byrd Hate Crimes Bill. The NAACP were champions of fighting Prop 8 in California as well as fighting alongside the LGBT community in Maine, Massachusetts, in Washington D.C. and in Maryland, and in other places. Jealous also said the LGBT community needed to do more ground work in the black community and not come late in the game with an expectation. He also said the black community needed to be treated with the same respect as the other allies of the LGBT community.

The well-publicized case of disgraced anti-gay Pastor Eddie Long was also on the menu.

"There [are] many prominent ministers who are major homophobes who themselves are gay," said veteran civil rights leader and LGBT ally Julian Bond. "I don't want to say for sure but we have our suspicions. ... I wouldn't go as far to say that Eddie Long is gay. He's openly homophobic, we know that. But I don't know that he's gay. But he is predatory."

In February 2010, the NAACP elected 44-year-old Roslyn Brock as its new chairwoman to replace the legendary Julian Bond. Brock joined 37-year-old NAACP President Benjamin Jealous—who has tried to engage LGBT issues— and both have pledged to make the veteran civil rights organization more relevant. In March 2011, the first openly LGBT president of a local NAACP chapter was elected.

Watch the report AFTER THE JUMP ...

WATCH: 28 Year Old Gay Man Elected Head of Worcester NAACP

After five years of inactivity, the NAACP chapter of Worcester, Massachusetts has re-organized and elected a 28-year-old openly gay academic as its new president, reports the Boston Herald.

Ravi Perry, a political science professor at Clark University, was elected Saturday with a slated of new officers. The 28-year-old says he hopes that as an openly gay man he can help the storied civil rights group address long-ignored gay and lesbian issues in minority communities. Perry also said that most on the newly elected Worcester board are 40 years of age, signaling a generational shift within the NAACP.

Perry tweeted this on Feb. 23: "President Obama's declaration that DOMA is unconstitutional has changed the marriage equality debate significantly. Applause!"

Perry's appointment is welcome. Much of the NAACP is still largely controlled by traditional anti-gay black churches and ministers, such as Rev. Keith Ratliff, Iowa's leading black pastor and the anti-gay chair of the Iowa/Nebraska chapter.

In February 2010, the NAACP elected 44-year-old Roslyn Brock as its new chairwoman to replace the legendary Julian Bond. Brock joins 37-year-old NAACP President Benjamin Jealous—who has tried to engage LGBT issues— and both have pledged to make the veteran civil rights organization more relevant to today's black youth.

Watch Perry's election AFTER THE JUMP ...

Bmore Sun: Will New NAACP Chair Roslyn Brock Push for Gay Rights?

Last week the NAACP elected 44-year-old Roslyn Brock as its new chairwoman to replace the legendary Julian Bond. Brock's election was described as "a generational shift in leadership" of the nation's oldest civil rights group." Brock joins 37-year-old NAACP President Benjamin Jealous as the "youngest to hold their positions" in the organization's history and both have pledged to make it more relevant to today's black youth. Does that include embracing LGBT issues and gay rights, asks an editorial in the Baltimore Sun.

One way would be to embrace President Barack Obama's call for ending the military's discriminatory "don't ask, don't tell" policy, which forces gay and lesbian soldiers to lie about who they are or face dismissal. The arguments heard today against gays serving openly in the military offer an eerie echo of fears voiced 60 years ago about allowing black soldiers to serve on an equal footing with whites. When President Harry S. Truman signed the executive order integrating the armed forces in 1948, the decision was hailed by the NAACP as a great step forward in the struggle for equal rights. There's no reason the fight for equal treatment of gays and lesbians in the military shouldn't be part of the NAACP's long tradition of working to level the playing field for all oppressed minorities.

Enlarging the NAACP's civil rights mission to include combating discrimination against gay and lesbian service members might bring Ms. Brock and Mr. Jealous in conflict with their base of supporters among African-American churchgoers, many of whom oppose homosexuality on religious grounds. Ironically, the two young leaders could find themselves obliged to undertake the delicate task of reminding rank-and-file members that the Bible was also once used to justify slavery and segregation. They might also point out that many of the gay soldiers discriminated against by the military's "don't ask, don't tell" policy are black.

More than "many". As we wrote at The Grio, MSNBC's new portal for black news and opinion, blacks are disproportionately affected by DADT. Blacks make up about 29 percent of active duty troops and more than 45 percent of those dismissed under "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" 2008.

Under Bond and Jealous, the veteran civil rights organization supported expanding hate crime and employment protection laws to LGBTs. The NAACP now has an LGBT Equality Task Force. And of course the the national board of the NAACP (finally) took a position on marriage equality and called for the overturn of California's Proposition 8. But the organization is still largely controlled by traditional anti-gay black churches and ministers, such as Rev. Keith Ratliff, Iowa's leading black pastor and the anti-gay chair of the Iowa/Nebraska chapter. 

Would it make good sense for the NAACP to throw its weight behind a DADT repeal and other gay rights issues. Absolutely. But will it happen anytime soon?

NAACP's Benjamin Jealous in NYT: Gays Should Mobilize Blacks

The Sunday New York Times 'Race Matters' column, which is normally very thoughtful, publishes a rather lackluster interview with Benjamin Todd Jealous, the young and newish president of the NAACP. Deborah Soloman's interview quotes the terribly inaccurate and debunked 70 percent exit poll figures in California's Proposition 8.

The N.A.A.C.P., which just held its 100th annual convention amid much fanfare, was founded to advance civil rights. Why has the organization failed to take a stand on same-sex marriage, one of the most urgent civil rights issues of our day?
We’re engaged in fighting a whole range of issues of urgent relevance to the gay community and people of color in our country, including school bullying, hate crimes and employment discrimination. But we’re a barge, not a speedboat. We’re not going to repeat the mistakes of so many other institutions that have literally torn themselves apart over this divisive issue.

Exit polling suggested that 70 percent of black voters — the largest by far of any minority group — voted to make gay marriage illegal in California by voting in favor of Proposition 8 last fall. How do you explain that? The bond between black culture and church culture?
You’re looking at this from 50,000 feet. I’m looking at if from the ground, and I know that church leaders are on both sides of the debate. Black voters have been scapegoated — so many pundits blamed the passage of Proposition 8 on them. But it would have passed even if 100 percent of the black voters had voted against it.

Why do you think it’s such a divisive issue in the black community?
If gay rights groups want to change the opinion polls in the black community, they have to invest in it. It’s a long-term conversation. The battle to oppose Prop 8 could have been much better run. They came to the black community late, with the expectation that they were going to get certain results.

Jealous adds that the gay community should engage and "mobilize", not the other other way around. That is the take-away to Jealous' message.

On the upside, under his leadership, the NAACP now has an LGBT Equality Task Force. And of course the the national board of the NAACP took a position on marriage equality and called for the overturn of California's Proposition 8. But the organization is still largely controlled by the black churches and ministers. Some are progressive and gay-friendly but many, such as Rev. Keith Ratliff, Iowa's leading black pastor and the anti-gay chair of the Iowa/Nebraska chapter, are vehemently anti-gay. But the new partnership with the National Black Justice Coalition should slowly educate membership on LGBT issues.

Questions for Benjamin Todd Jealous [NYT]

Some Background ...
NAACP Doesn't Take a Position on Gay Marriage [R20]
NAACP, Julian Bond Call for Overturn Prop 8 [R20]
NBJC First Black LGBT Group to Address NAACP [R20]
Obama to NAACP: "Gays Still Denied Their Rights" [R20]

Benjamin Jealous: NAACP Doesn't Take a Position on Gay Marriage

This week, the NAACP celebrates its centennial, marking 100 years as the nation's oldest and arguably most high profile civil rights organization. President Barack Obama will address the conference on Thursday.

Long indifferent on LGBT rights and concerns, the NAACP has made some strides under Benjamin Todd Jealous, the newest and youngest president of the civil rights group. In February, for the first time ever, the national board of the NAACP took a position on marriage equality and called for the overturn of California's Proposition 8. And of course, National Board Chair Julian Bond—who has an excellent record on LGBT rights and marriage equality. But when will the group take a national position on gay rights and marriage, CNN's T.J. Holmes asked jealous over the weekend.

Jealous told CNN: "We don't take a position on that nationally."

JEALOUS: We have been steadfast advocates for the basic civil rights of gay people, making sure that, for instance, hate-crimes protection is extended to gay people. ... We want to make sure that - that our children and our family members who are gay is - basic civil rights and human rights are protected.

HOLMES: Is that not considered then, in you all's estimation, a civil rights? Some would call it that kind of civil right, a - a issue of equality, a gay person being able to marry who they want to marry?

JEALOUS: That's a very tense debate inside our association. You know, and there have been branches and state conferences - like, for instance, in California and San Francisco, come out very clearly on the issue. There are others, some of our national board members for instance, from the Midwest, who have taken an entirely opposite position. We're a democratic, small 'd,' organization, where issues are debated until a consensus is reached. And that one is very much still under debate amongst the membership of the association.

It's also worth noting despite the NAACP's recent movement on Prop 8 and August Provost—the black gay sailor found brutally murdered at Camp Pendleton—the organization is still largely controlled by the black churches and ministers. Such as Rev. Keith Ratliff, Iowa's leading black pastor and the anti-gay chair of the Iowa/Nebraska chapter. Perhaps this explains why there are no seminars or topics on LGBT rights at this year's conference, and, HIV/AIDS is only mentioned as far as its impact on black women. 

AFTER THE JUMP, via Queer Isn't It?, watch Benjamin Jealous discuss the NAACP, gay rights and marriage equality. There is also some personal reflection by Jealous on growing up biracial, and, having a longtime friend who is gay (or transgender?). Jealous tells Holmes: "I've seen the homophobia he experienced in the black community. I've seen the racism he experienced in the gay community. No one should have to hide their identity."

NAACP and Julian Bond Call for Overturn of Proposition 8

Now this is major. The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) storms into the 21st century and calls for the overturn of California's Proposition 8. National Board Chair Julian Bond—who has an excellent record on LGBT rights and marriage equality—and newish CEO Benjamin Jealous announce the veteran civil rights organizations supports measures before the state legislature that challenge the amendment which denied marriage rights to same-sex couples.

Bond and Jealous urged passage of HR 5 and SR 7, resolutions which call for the invalidation of Prop 8 and ask the California Supreme Court to overturn it. Bond says it's a matter of equal protection. "The NAACP has long opposed any proposal that would alter the federal or state constitutions for the purpose of excluding any groups or individuals from guarantees of equal protection," adding the amendment "threaten[ed] civil rights and all vulnerable minorities."

This is the first time the national organization has weighed in on same sex marriage. Last fall the California chapter of the NAACP filed amicus briefs with the California Supreme Court in the legal challenges against Prop. 8. The state chapter was also part of the original lawsuit that brought same sex marriage to California. This is significant because its  Only a week after its 100th birthday, this signals a welcome and dramatic policy change. "This is not your grandfather's NAACP," notes Ron Buckmire, the black gay California activist and political strategist.

So much for blacks opposing gay rights and marriage equality.

Thanks MICHAEL, RON and KEITH