Issa Rae made history last week when she received the first-ever key to Inglewood in the city’s 114-year history.
Rae was handed the key at the Taste of Inglewood festival on Saturday. It was presented to her by Mayor James T. Butts.
“I’m a little emotional, I’m trying to be a thug right now. The mayor really flabbergasted me in that this is the first key in 114 years. It’s a huge honor and I just want to thank you all so much for your support. Thank you to the mayor, thank you to the city of Inglewood for making it so easy for us to film here, for helping us to showcase this city that I love so much,” Rae said.
“I have to give love to my grandparents who have lived here, who have lived in Briarwood for a long time and who established my first point of view of Inglewood and love the city themselves; my mom and my sister who live here actively,” she continued. “And just for being here, I have to give a shout-out to my collaborators and my company members at Hoorae who have come out here to support me. But I’m truly honored to receive this. I will always put on for my city. Inglewood, South L.A., stand up.”
Butts hailed Rae as the “Queen of Inglewood.”
The honor came a week after Rae joined forces with Airbnb to “showcase my version of the city,” to celebrate the Super Bowl 2022, offering guests the chance to experience the neighborhood at an incredibly affordable rate.
Guests were able to book a one-time stay for up to two guests from Feb. 12 to 14 at just $56 per night— a nod to Super Bowl LVI.
“I am such a champion for this part of L.A.,” Rae said in a statement to PEOPLE. “I spent an entire series here just to showcase all I have to offer, and the idea of being able to give people an experience that I got to curate to show people why it’s amazing just really excited me.”
