Meghan Markle and Prince Harry appeared at the 2022 NAACP Image Awards to accept a special honor.
The couple was given the President’s Award during the 53rd annual award ceremony on Saturday for their distinguished work and achievements in public service, particularly in racial and social justice. Recipients in the past have included LeBron James, Rihanna, Jay-Z, Muhammad Ali, Colin Powell and Condoleezza Rice, among many others.
While accepting the award, both the duke and the duchess wore creations by Black designers. Markle wore a blue ombre one-shouldered gown with a matching cape by Christopher John Rogers while the prince wore a black tuxedo by Ozwald Boateng.
“It’s inspiring to think about the legacy of the Image Awards, which began shortly after the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Voting Rights Act of 1965 were passed into law,” Markle said in the couple’s acceptance speech. “Today, we can continue that legacy by reestablishing federal voting protections in our country and fulfilling the work of civil rights giants, like the late John Lewis. We are so deeply humbled to be here in the company of so many illustrious awardees.”
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Before Harry chimed in, he gave a brief message of support for the people of Ukraine amidst their war with Russia.
“We would like to acknowledge the people of Ukraine, who urgently need our continued support as a global community. I also echo the immense gratitude for tonight, both for this award and this community for welcoming me so warmly,” Harry said. “I think it’s safe to say that I come from a very different background from my incredible wife, yet our lives were brought together for a reason.
“We share a commitment to a life of service, a responsibility to combat injustice and a belief that the most often overlooked are the most important to listen to,” he continued.
Through their Archewell Foundation, which they launched in 2020, the couple have supported efforts regarding the COVID-19 pandemic, Black Lives Matter and tackling racial justice issues.
“I couldn’t be prouder that we’re doing this work together. We moved to California, my home state, shortly before the murder of George Floyd,” Markle said. “For Black America, those nine minutes and 29 seconds transcended time, invoking centuries of our unhealed wounds.
“In the months that followed, as my husband and I spoke with the civil rights community, we committed ourselves and our organization, Archewell, to illuminating those who are advancing racial justice and progress,” she said.
The 53rd NAACP Image Awards will honor humanitarians, global leaders, and co-founders of Archewell, Prince Harry and Meghan, The Duke and Duchess of Sussex, with the prestigious President's Award. The President's Award is presented in recognition of distinguished public service. pic.twitter.com/pCZcG5p3Tg
— NAACP Image Awards® (@naacpimageaward) February 24, 2022
Prince Harry and Markle have also teamed with the NAACP for a new annual honor, the NAACP-Archewell Digital Civil Rights Award, which is supported by Archewell Foundation and administered by the NAACP. The award recognizes leaders creating transformational change, particularly at the intersection of technology and social justice, to advance civil and human rights.
This inaugural recipient for this award is renowned author and scholar Dr. Safiya Noble, who has developed the study of how digital technologies intersect with culture, race and gender.
This mark’s the couple’s first major appearance at an awards show together since they relocated to California in 2020. They live in Montecito with their two-year-old son Archie and eight-month-old daughter Lilibet.
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