NAACP Image Awards starts with a call to get out the vote

The NAACP Image Awards kicked off Monday (Photo: NAACP Image Awards/Facebook)

LOS ANGELES — The NAACP Image Awards kicked off Monday night with six powerful women issuing a call to get out the vote.

Kerry Washington, Tracee Ellis Ross, Laverne Cox, Jurnee Smollet-Bell, Lena Waithe and Angela Robinson took the stage holding hands. Beyond declaring support for the Time’s Up initiative to stop sexual harassment and gender discrimination, the six women urged viewers to speak up at the polls as well.

“The midterms are a perfect moment for us to use our voices,” Robinson said. “If we can take back a senate seat in Alabama…”

“Then we have the ability to shift the imbalance of power,” Smollet-Bell said.

Host Anthony Anderson opened the show with a politically tinged monologue, taking aim at Omarosa Manigault and President Donald Trump’s administration. He also said he doesn’t expect Oprah Winfrey to run for president.

“Why would she move to a smaller house?” he said.

Anderson was also an early winner Monday as he was named best actor in a comedy series for his work on ‘black-ish.”

Octavia Spencer won the first award of the night, actress in a motion picture, for her role in “Gifted.”

Mary J. Blige and Jay-Z are the leading nominees at the 49th Image Awards, which is being broadcast live on TV One from the Civic Auditorium in Pasadena, California. Danny Glover will receive the President’s Award for his professional and philanthropic achievements at the show that recognizes exceptional work by people of colour in film, TV, music and literature.

Jay-Z is up for entertainer of the year honours against Ava DuVernay, Bruno Mars, Chadwick Boseman, Issa Rae and Chance the Rapper.

Presenters set to appear during the two-hour special include Boseman, Rae, Terry Crews, Halle Berry and Sterling K. Brown.

A batch of winners was revealed during a pre-telecast dinner on Sunday evening. Jordan Peele won writing and directing honours for “Get Out.” SZA was named best new artist in the music category, while the genre’s best artist awards went to Blige and Bruno Mars.