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Prince Harry and Meghan Markle Are About to Receive a Major Award

It sounds like Prince Harry and Meghan Markle will need a babysitter in a couple of days, because the pair are set to receive a major award.

On February 26, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex will be honored with the prestigious President's Award at the 53rd NAACP Image Awards. The prize has previously been given to celebrities like Muhammad Ali, Condoleezza Rice, LeBron James, Rihanna and more.

The announcement was shared by the NAACP and BET earlier today. Derrick Johnson, the President and CEO of the NAACP, said, “We’re thrilled to present this award to Prince Harry and Meghan, The Duke and Duchess of Sussex, who together have heeded the call to social justice and have joined the struggle for equity both in the U.S. and around the world.”

Dia Dipasupil/Getty Images

While the couple is being honored for their activism, they will also hand out their own award on the big night. This was noted by Johnson, who said, “Not only do they continue to lead by example, The Duke and Duchess have also decided to inspire the next generation of activists through the NAACP-Archewell Digital Civil Rights Award, ensuring the support and recognition of generations of civil rights leaders to come.”

In a collaboration with the NAACP, the Sussexes recently established the annual NAACP-Archewell Digital Civil Rights Award, which is described as an “annual award that recognizes leaders creating transformational change—at the intersection of social justice and technology—to advance civil and human rights.” This first recipient will be author and scholar Dr. Safiya Noble.

While currently working as a Professor of Gender Studies and African American Studies at UCLA, Dr. Noble was also recognized as a MacArthur Fellow. As a part of her NAACP-Archewell Digital Civil Rights Award, the scholar will receive a $100,000 unrestricted stipend, which can be used to “advance new work, expand leadership and expertise, or continue to make an impact in the field.”

Prince Harry and Markle demonstrated their gratitude for the President's Award, as well as their own prize, saying, “It’s a true honor to be recognized by President Derrick Johnson and the NAACP, whose efforts to propel racial justice and civil rights are as vital today as they were nearly 115 years ago. We’re proud to support the NAACP’s work and to also partner with the organization on the newly created annual NAACP-Archewell Digital Civil Rights Award, which will be bestowed to Dr. Safiya Noble as part of the 53rd NAACP Image Awards.”

Congrats, Harry and Meghan!

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Joel Calfee

Associate Editor, News and Entertainment

Joel is the Associate Editor for News & Entertainment and has been reporting on all things pop culture for over 5 years. Before working at PureWow, he served as a Features...
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