NAACP Image Awards: Queen Latifah, Taraji P Henson speak against unequal pay for Black actresses in Hollywood

The 2024 NAACP Image Awards, presented by the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), celebrated outstanding performances in film, television, theatre, music, and literature this weekend. Host Queen Latifah's opening remarks addressed the struggles Americans are facing, including inflation, prompting Taraji P. Henson to highlight the ongoing issue of pay inequality for Black actresses in Hollywood.

"It’s no secret we are facing some seriously pivotal issues,” Latifah said during her monologue. She added, “Everyone is talking about inflation. You know what’s not feeling inflation?”

The cameras then cut to Henson, who was sitting with the audience, and said, “Equal pay for Black actresses.” Latifah then said, “Thank you, Taraji, for standing up for all of us.”

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Latifah asked all Black actresses to stand up for recognition and then called on everyone in the audience to stand in support of Black actresses. This gesture emphasised the need for solidarity and support in the industry.

Henson, who won Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Motion Picture for The Color Purple, used her acceptance speech to address pay inequality in Hollywood. She thanked those who stood by her during the press tour for the movie when she initially called out the issue.

“This is a surprise. I’m grateful. I just want to thank you guys so much for showing up for me all the time, not just to the box office or watching what I’m in but y’all saw what happened and y’all showed up, you showed out, you showed me love,” Henson said during her speech, adding, “It’s a scary thing to speak your truth but I urge you all to speak your truth because at the end of the day that’s all we have.”

Henson has been a vocal advocate for pay equality in Hollywood. During The Color Purple's 2023 press run, she spoke about her experience with pay disparity, emphasising the financial challenges faced by actors and the importance of speaking one's truth.

“I’m just tired of working so hard, being gracious at what I do [and] getting paid a fraction of the cost,” Henson said. “I’m tired of hearing my sisters say the same thing over and over. You get tired. I hear people go, ‘You work a lot.’ Well, I have to. The math ain’t math-ing. When you start working a lot, you have a team. Big bills come with what we do. We don’t do this alone. It’s a whole team behind us. They have to get paid.”