LOS ANGELES (AP) — The civil rights drama “Selma” won top honors at the NAACP Image Awards in a ceremony that took sharp notice of snubs of African-American artists and their work by the Oscars.
“This is more than a movie,” Oprah Winfrey, who was a “Selma” producer and appeared in it, said Friday in accepting the trophy for outstanding motion picture. “It’s important that we all know who we are so we know where we’re going, and claiming the glory.”
“Selma,” which dramatizes events surrounding the 1965 Alabama voting rights marches led by the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., also captured best actor honors for David Oyelowo, who played King.
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He realized early in his career that African-Americans were being “pigeon-holed” as R&B artists and losing out on financial and career opportunities because of that, Davis said. He said he was proud to be honored for his efforts to help black artists reach their full potential.
The 46th NAACP Image Awards, given by the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People civil rights group, aired on TV One.
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