Dee, Washington, Williams, Wilson, et al. Honored at NAACP Image Awards

Broadway veterans Denzel Washington, Chandra Wilson, and Vanessa Williams were among the winners at the 39th Annual NAACP Image Awards, which were bestowed on Thursday, February 14 in Los Angeles and broadcast on FOX Television.

Washington won for his work on the film The Great Debaters, which was also named Outstanding Motion Picture. Wilson won for her work on Grey’s Anatomy, and Williams won for her work on Ugly Betty.

Veteran theater actress Ruby Dee received the NAACP Chairman’s Award. She is nominated for the Academy Award this year for her work in American Gangster, and she has also earned her the Screen Actors Guild Award for Best Supporting Actress. Special awards were also presented to singers Aretha Franklin and Stevie Wonder.

Other acting winners included LeVan Davis, Omar Epps, America Ferrera, Lance Gross, Hill Harper, Janet Jackson, Christel Khalil, Queen Latifah, Wendell Pierce, Raven-Symone, Regina Taylor, Jurnee Smollet, Kristoff St. John, and Denzel Whitaker.

Chris Brown, Kirk Franklin, Alicia Keys, Angelique Kidjo, Eddie and Gerald Levert, and Jordin Sparks took home awards for their recordings.

For more information, visit www.naacpimageawards.net.