How the NAACP Image Awards Pivoted to Spotlight L.A.’s Black Communities Affected by the Wildfires

variety.com:

Angelique Jackson Billed as “Black culture’s biggest night,” the NAACP Image Awards are always a collection of the most influential figures in film, television, music, literature and more.

Take this year’s lineup of entertainer of the year nominees: “Wicked” star Cynthia Erivo, multi-hyphenate Keke Palmer, rapper Kendrick Lamar, comedian Kevin Hart and NFL Hall of Famer-turned-broadcaster Shannon Sharpe. “They are undeniable, the biggest names of 2024 — for different reasons, which is what I love,” says Connie Orlando, executive vice president of specials, music programming & music strategy at BET, which backs the awards.

But with the ceremony taking place at the Pasadena Civic Center on Saturday, Feb. 22, just six weeks after Los Angeles was devastated by a series of wildfires, the celebration takes on a new tenor.

The theme for this year’s show is “Our Stories, Our Culture,” spotlighting the storytellers who elevate the Black community, and there’s no more urgent story than this one. “We are literally in the backyard of Altadena for the show,” says Robin Harrison, vice president of the NAACP Hollywood Bureau. “We are literally in the backyard of people who have lost their homes — some of them lost their lives — and we wanted to do something to support those families.” As plans for the awards came together, Orlando announced that the live broadcast, which is simulcast on BET and CBS, had been extended by an additional 30 minutes to 2.5 hours so there’d be more time to drive support for the fire victims. “We must not let the story of the Black communities like Altadena be forgotten.