'The Color Purple,' Usher honored at NAACP Image Awards

The cast of "The Color Purple" movie took home the 55th annual National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) award for outstanding motion picture on Saturday.

"If nobody gonna see us, I'm glad that our people see us," said actor Danielle Brooks from the cast. The NAACP awards are considered as top honors for Black artists in the US entertainment industry.

Who won the NAACP Image Awards?

Fantasia Barrino, who starred as Celie in the film, won the outstanding actress award. "Rustin" actor Colman Domingo won the outstanding actor award.

Damson Idris won best actor in a drama television series for his role in "Snowfall." Taraji P. Henson and Colman Domingo took home best supporting roles in "The Color Purple."

Poet and activist Amanda Gorman won the chairman's award.

"The Color Purple" has notably lacked nominations in this year's awards season. It is based on a novel of the same name by Alice Walker, and follows the story of two Black American teenage sisters, Celie and Nettie, in the American South during the early 1900s.

The original adaptation of the film made in 1985 by Steven Spielberg was criticized by many Black-led organizations, including the NAACP, for its portrayal of Black men.  

R&B singer Usher took home the entertainer of the year award and the outstanding male artist and president's award.

Usher spoke about being thankful for the journey of his successful career that has lasted three decades and thanked the women in his life.

New Edition was inducted into the NAACP Image Awards Hall of Fame. The Grammy-nominated R&B group includes Michael Bivins, Bobby Brown, Johnny Gill, Ralph Tresvant, Ronnie DeVoe and Ricky Bell.

The awards were hosted by American rapper and actress Queen Latifah.

tg/sms (AP, Reuters)