October 23, 2024
LeVar Burton, Missy Elliott, Spike Lee, And Queen Latifah Receive National Honors
Black Excellence was on full display at the White House.
The National Endowment for Humanities and the National Endowment for the Arts celebrated their 2022 and 2023 honorees, including LeVar Burton, Queen Latifah, and Spike Lee, at a White House ceremony on Oct. 22.
Burton was honored by the National Endowment for the Humanities and received a medal from President Joe Biden. The honor is granted to people who have significantly impacted the arts and humanities.
“I am still in the thrall of last night,” Burton tweeted. “One of the best days of my life.”
Burton, consistent advocate of literacy for 40 years, is known for hosting the classic children’s TV Show, Reading Rainbow.
“I like to say, ‘If you can read in at least one language, you are free.’ Frederick Douglass said that, and I believe him and agree with him,” Burton told U.S News and World Report in 2023. “Because if you can read in at least one language, you can self-educate. As we used to say on “Reading Rainbow,” “You can pick up a book and take a look.” No one can hold sway over your heart or your mind because you have the wherewithal to discover and discern the truth for yourself. That’s freedom.”
Elliott, a multi-hyphenate talent, has done the work to receive such a National Medal of Arts. She is the first woman rapper to be inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame.
“I am HUMBLY GRATEFUL! Crying Tears of JOY! Thinking of the days I wasn’t so strong but through FAITH & PRAYER I kept going..I’m SO THANKFUL,” she tweeted.
The Black Excellence did not stop with Elliott. Queen Latifah currently stars in and executive produces The Equalizer. The Emmy and Grammy winner was also nominated for an Oscar for her work in 2002’s Chicago.
Rounding out the list is director and screenwriter Lee, a film legend thanks to such classics as Do the Right Thing, Malcolm X, and Black KkKlansman. He has also amassed critical acclaim for his documentaries, receiving two Emmys for his work on Hurricane Katrina, When the Levees Broke: A Requiem in Four Acts, and the Peabody Award for A Huey P. Newton Story.
The quartet’s decades-long commitment to creating work that enriches humanity is impressive and should be celebrated.
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