Prince Harry & Meghan Markle Honored at NAACP Image Awards

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle beamed as they accepted their NAACP President's Award Saturday evening at the NAACP Image Awards, using the occasion to redouble their support for Ukraine, to speak about their shared commitment to social justice, and to acknowledge Meghan's mom.

"We are so deeply humbled to be here in the company of so many illustrious awardees," Markle said, looking lovely in a bespoke silk gown by Black designer Christopher John Rogers. The elegant "Cunningham blue" one-shoulder dress, featuring a cascading train, was her first fashion statement of 2022, accentuated by Crumpled Gold earrings by Alexis Bittar and Aquazzura leather sandals.

Harry, looking sharp in a tux by Black designer Ozwald Boateng, said, "Before I begin, we would like to acknowledge the people of Ukraine, who urgently need our continued support as a global community."

The statement was in line with one posted on their Archewell site under the header, "We Stand with the People of Ukraine." It read, "Prince Harry and Meghan, The Duke and Duchess of Sussex and all of us at Archewell stand with the people of Ukraine against this breach of international and humanitarian law and encourage the global community and its leaders to do the same."

Harry also thanked the Black community for the warm welcome he's received. "I think it's safe to say that I come from a very different background than my incredible wife. Yet, our lives were brought together for a reason." He said they "share a commitment to a life of service, a responsibility to confront injustice, and a belief that the most often overlooked are the most important to listen to."

"I couldn't be prouder that we're doing this work together," Meghan added.

The President's Award has previously gone to icons including Rev. Jesse Jackson, Muhammad Ali, Colin Powell, JAY-Z, Rihanna and LeBron James.

The couple has also partnered with the NAACP to launch the NAACP Archewell Digital Civil Rights Award, which will be presented annually to a person causing transformational change at the intersection of social justice and technology. The award comes with a $100,000 stipend for use in new work or to expand leadership in the field.

Its first honoree, Dr. Safiya Noble, is a University of California, Los Angeles, professor distinguished for her studies on how digital technologies intersect with race, culture, and gender. Her book "Algorithms of Oppression: How Search Engines Reinforce Racism," explores bias in commercial search engines.