Former Vice President Kamala Harris urged viewers not to “surrender to cynicism and destruction” as she was honored at the 2025 NAACP Image Awards on Saturday.
The ceremony was held to celebrate Black movers and shakers in entertainment, politics and beyond. The chairman’s award, which was awarded to Harris, is an award given to “individuals who excel in public service and leverage their unique platforms to ignite and drive meaningful change.”
She said she was inspired by the work of the NAACP, thus honored to receive the award, adding that the organization is “part of the reason I chose a life of public service.”
She continued: Americans must have the same “sense of urgency…knowing, as the saying goes, eternal vigilance is the price of liberty.”
“Some look at this moment and rightly feel the weight of history,” Harris said during her acceptance speech. “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, we mobilize, we educate and we advocate.”
The former vice president stated, “Our strength flows from our faith: faith in God, faith in each other, and our refusal to surrender to cynicism and destruction—not because it is easy, but because it is necessary. Not because victory is guaranteed, but because the fight is worth it.”
Although Harris never directly mentioned President Donald Trump, her 2024 election opponent, she emphasized that “this chapter in our American story” will not be defined solely by “whoever occupies the Oval Office, nor by the wealthiest among us,” but rather by “we the people.”
Harris received a standing ovation as she took the stage to accept the award. In his introductory remarks, NAACP board of directors chair Leon W. Russell praised her 2024 presidential campaign and declared that she “will continue to be an inspiration for generations to come.”
“Against impossible odds, she gave America a campaign that was a force of nature,” Russell said. “No one else could have accomplished what she did, and no one else is more deserving of our gratitude.”
Previous recipients of the Chairman’s Award include former President Barack Obama, Congressman Maxine Waters, Samuel L. Jackson and Forest Whitaker.
