Viola Davis gave a powerful speech at the 2026 NAACP Image Awards on Saturday night, speaking about her early beginnings, her success in the industry, and the current state of the nation.
Honored with the President’s Award, the EGOT winner took to the stage on Saturday and began her acceptance speech by noting: “I always feel like I’m going to feel worthy.”
“I love that quote, which is that the definition of hell is on your last day on Earth, the person you became meets the person you could have become,” she continued. “I say that about our nation, and I say that about myself; that there is no maturity unless you confront the depth and darkness of your soul. There is no maturity without healing, without a radical acceptance of one’s truth. I know that about myself when I grew up in poverty.”
The woman king The actress spoke about her upbringing, saying: “The little chocolate girl with the thick lips and the wide nose in Rhode Island in 1965. I didn’t see hope. I didn’t see dreams. I just wanted to be someone. I wanted success because I thought it was important. And no one can describe the journey from the little chocolate girl searching for hope, searching for God, to the girl living a transcendent life.”
Davis added, “This is a hero’s journey, and we have only to follow the thread of the hero’s path. Wherever we thought we would find abomination, we will find God. Wherever we thought we could kill another, we will kill ourselves. Wherever we thought of going abroad, we will reach the center of our being.” “And where we thought we were alone, we will be with the whole world. There is no soul of a nation without the soul of its people. And the soul of its people is represented not only by the living, breathing people in this room, but by all those who are no longer here. We either move forward together or we don’t stop at all. There is no man behind the curtain who has control over your life.”
“Our crown has already been bought and paid for,” she said. “All we have to do is wear it.”
Davis went on to praise “the people we forget, the people who don’t know what we don’t think about, the work we don’t want to do,” and shared praise for “the people who work at the food pantry in Central Falls who feed 3,000 people a month, the people who take care of my mother who has advanced dementia, and take care of the least of them.”
She concluded by saying, “You are my hero. I see you.” “Thank you.”
On Saturday night, Colman Domingo also received the President’s Award, while Salt-n-Pepa and DJ Spinderella were named to the NAACP Image Awards Hall of Fame.
Ahead of the televised awards ceremony, a slew of winners were revealed earlier this week. Michelle Obama, Will Packer and Kendrick Lamar’s Super Bowl halftime show all won big prizes during the first night; Lamar, SZA, and Cardi B took home awards during night two; and Sinners, Gracie’s Corner, Iron Heart, Celebrity Family Feud and A straw Victories gained on the third night.
See the complete list of 2026 NAACP Image Awards winners here.
