By Sholnn Z. Freeman
The nominations for the 56th NAACP Image Awards have been announced, spotlighting two celebrated Howard University alumnae, Taraji P. Henson and Lynn Whitfield, a third-generation Howard graduate.
Both actresses graduated from what is now Howard University’s Chadwick A. Boseman College of Fine Arts and say Howard inspired the positive representation of Black women they bring to their roles. The NAACP Image Awards’ mission to honor outstanding achievements and performances of people of color in arts, entertainment, and culture.
Whitfield (BFA `75) is a double-nominee this yer. She in contention for “Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Motion Picture” for her performance in Albany Road. In the film, she takes on the role of a mother who has to work through challenging family dynamics during a road trip with her son’s ex-fiancée. She is also nominated in the “Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series” category for her portrayal of Alicia on the Showtime series The Chi.
Henson (BFA `95) has received an NAACP award nomination for “Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Limited Television Series, Special, or Movie” for Fight Night: The Million Dollar Heist. Henson portrayed a businesswoman navigating a male-dominated world with wit and determination.
Reflecting on their time at Howard, Whitfield and Henson have praised the university for instilling a sense of fearlessness and resilience that has shone through in their movie roles.
Henson’s career includes iconic roles such as Cookie Lyon in Empire, which earned her a Golden Globe and multiple Emmy nominations. She also starred in the critically acclaimed Hidden Figures, where she portrayed mathematician Katherine Johnson. Beyond acting, Henson is a philanthropist and mental health advocate. In 2018, she founded the Boris Lawrence Henson Foundation, named after her late father, to address mental health stigma in the African American community.
As the Howard University commencement speaker in 2022, Henson spoken about how the University taught her to think and believe that she could play any character. Howard, she said, “made me fearless, gave me a tough skin, and instilled in me greatness.” She said she drew on her training and experiences to create no-nonsense Black women screen characters on screen, bringing them multiple dimensions and depth.
Whitfield’s career includes a Golden Globe-nominated performance as Josephine Baker in The Josephine Baker Story. In an Essence interview, Whitfield recalled the vibrant creative environment where notable artists like Donny Hathaway, Roberta Flack, Debbie Allen, and Phylicia Rashad thrived.
“There was proof of the manifestation of what Howard University could do,” Whitfield said. “When you walked across the yard, you saw people coming from law, music, medicine, and philosophy. The conversations, the community, the energy—it was all about us. There was no need to explain why we existed or who we were. That is just such rare air.”
Whitfield has an illustrious Howard family history. Both grandfathers attended Howard University—one in 1916 and the other in 1917—and noted that her father’s father was on the first Howard University football team.
Speaking about her parents, she said, “They met, they dated, they fell in love, they graduated, my dad went off to the service; and when he came back, they got married, and so here I am.”
Other notable honorees who graduated from the University include Kelley Kali (BA’ ’06), nominated for “Outstanding Directing in a Television Movie, Documentary, or, Special” for the original film Kemba. The film tells the story of Kemba, a sheltered college student who falls for a man with a dangerous double life. Nick Cannon (BA ‘20) is also up for “Outstanding Host in a Reality/Reality Competition, Game Show or Variety” for the The Masked Singer. Marlon Wayans, who attended Howard, is also nominated in the “Outstanding Guest Performance” category for his performance on the TV series “Bel-Air.”
The 56th NAACP Image Awards will air live on February 22 on BET and CBS. This year’s theme, “Our Stories, Our Culture, Our Excellence,” underscores the importance of celebrating achievements across 80 competitive categories, spanning film, television, music, literature, and podcasts.
