The Wayans family will forever be remembered as a lineage of entertainment trailblazers who dared to dream beyond the limited depictions of Black people on the small and big screens. And for that reason, they are more than deserving of their induction into the NAACP Image Awards Hall of Fame.
Kim, Damon, Damon Jr., Marlon, Craig, Damien and Chaunte Wayans attended the awards ceremony on Saturday (Feb. 22), where they accepted the honor, cementing their legacy of delivering decades of laughter. Noticeably absent from the lineup were Shawn Wayans and the “In Living Color” mastermind Keenan Ivory Wayans.
From their hit ‘90s sketch comedy to “The Wayans Brothers,” “Marlon,” “Poppa’s House,” “My Wife and Kids” or films like I’m Gonna Git You Sucka, White Chicks or the Scary Movie franchise, there is no corner of comedy that the talented bloodline of comics, writers, producers and directors have not impacted.
In their collective acceptance speech spearheaded by Marlon and Damon, they paid homage to their leader, Keenen, who not only had the fearlessness to envision a future for himself in Hollywood, but the grit to pursue his passion. Because of him, a path for his younger siblings to follow suit was paved.
“My family was over the moon when Keenen first got his stand-up appearance on [‘The Tonight Show Starring] Johnny Carson.’ We all watched on a black-and-white TV in our kitchen — and I remember it was a tube television, the antenna was broken, so we had a hanger in there for an antenna and a fork to change the channels — and we watched my brother do stand-up comedy on that television. From that day on, me as a child, I sat there and I was like, ‘Wow, you mean not only can you dream, but you can make your dreams come true,’” recollected Marlon about the impression the A Low Down Dirty Shame star had on him.
The tribute to the uber-talented creator continued with Marlon noting, “My brother Keenen raised us all like Jedis… We would not be here, standing here, if it wasn’t for our big brother, Keenen Ivory Wayans.” The dynasty joined fellow NAACP Image Awards Hall of Fame inductees Oprah Winfrey, Spike Lee, Stevie Wonder, Eddie Murphy and Aretha Franklin.
The night was capped with a second salute to comedic excellence when Dave Chappelle accepted the prestigious President’s Award. “I won a lot of awards recently, but this one tonight is probably the most special award I’ve ever gotten because it’s from this institution that represents these people. Us, people of color, Black people,” he began. The speech touched on the progress that Black actors have made in Hollywood since the “hideous” depictions in 1915’s Birth of a Nation.
The stand-up juggernaut hoped that the strides made over the past 100 years empowers his peers to “feel strong and inspired and not discouraged, especially because this is a very difficult time right now, and your institution [the NAACP] is sadly more relevant than it’s been in a long time. We got a lot of work to do, but it feels good to know that we’re not in it alone and that we got each other. And remember, community is everything.”
Cheers to the Wayans family and comedy GOAT Chappelle for their indelible impact on entertainment and culture.
Article by Angelina Velasquez, REVOLT
