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On March 4, 2023, some of the most influential celebrities, activists and leaders in the black community gathered for the 9th annual Truth Awards, a star-studded red-carpet event that honored the contributions and achievements of Black queer artists and leaders, as well as trusted allies to the Black LGBTQIA+ community, at the Taglyan Cultural Complex.
In case you missed it and want to be a part of the impactful experience, FOX SOUL, the Black community’s premiere free streaming platform, will stream the awards show taking place tomorrow, Saturday March 18 at 7PM PT / 10 PM ET and again on Friday, March 24th at 6PM PT / 9PM ET.
The event addressed the challenges of queer black artists and leaders who face underrepresentation and erasure. This year’s show was co-hosted by actress, model and talk show host of Cocktails with Queens and TEA G-I-F, FOX SOUL’s premier talk shows, Claudia Jordan, news anchor Marcus Washington, and Harlem actor Jerrie Johnson. A few other notable celebrity guests include, Jason Lee, Judge Mablean Ephriam, Eric Scott Ways, Kim Fields, Brandee Evans, Terrance Terrell, Kim Coles, Rhoyle Ivy King, Folake Olowofoyeku, Geffri Maya, Tre’vell Anderson, Ashlee Marie Preston, and Darnell Moore. But what is a celebration without some dynamic performers, we’re talking Coko Gamble, Avery Wilson, Jayye Michael, and Bryan Thompson.
In partnership with Better Brothers Los Angeles and the D.I.V.A Foundation this year’s Truth awards honored actress, singer, and songwriter Raven Symone; Judge Greg Mathis, vegan social media influencer Tabitha Brown; Internal Medicine Physician and HIV expert Dr. David Malebranche; the Unique Women’s Coalition, Hampton University football player Byron Perkins; UCLA provost and professor Darnelll Hunt; The Netflix series The Upshaws and STARZ #TakeTheLead.
Highlights:
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Abbott Elementary actress Sheryl Lee Ralph raised over $50,000 in under five minutes and matched every dollar raised at this year’s event.
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Actress and comedian Tiffany Haddish surprised the crowd in a video appearance, donating double the amount of each scholarship with a total $40,000, $5000 going to each scholarship.
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‘Raven’s Home’ actress Raven Symone receives Icon Award for her decades of commitment to kids and family programming.
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Byron Perkins, the first openly gay HBCU football player, was honored with the Courage Award.
ABOUT TRUTH AWARDS
Since 2015, the Truth Awards has honored over 50 individuals including Mayor Karen Bass, Judge Darrin Gayles, James Earl Hardy, Kalen Allen, TS Madison, and Emmy Award winners Colman Domingo, Karamo Brown, Anthony Hemingway, Taj Paxton, Loretta Devine, Sheryl Lee Ralph, and Raven Symone. They have awarded over $150,000 in scholarships to black LGBTQ+ students pursuing post-secondary education. Celebrities such as Oprah Winfrey, Dwyane Wade, Gabrielle Union, Sherri Shepherd, Tisha Campbell, Simone Missick and more have joined the celebration to show their support of the LGBTQ+ community.
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