Bounce, the first and only broadcast and multi-platform entertainment network serving African Americans, has announced the full roster of honorees for the 2020 Bounce Trumpet Awards which annually recognize the outstanding accomplishments of African Americans who have succeeded against great odds and inspired success in others.
This year’s 29th annual ceremony – entitled The Bounce Trumpet Awards: Stand Up – will honor individuals who have risen to fight social injustice for Black Americans and will premiere on Sunday, December 13th at 8:00 p.m. ET/PT.
This year’s honorees:
- Supermodel, businesswoman and actress Naomi Campbell will be honored with the Vanguard Award which highlights individuals who creatively challenge the norm by introducing mainstream culture to avant-garde ideas and making a social impact in their respective industry. Campbell has used her voice for decades to call out racism in the modeling industry and set up various charity relief efforts for natural disasters all over the world.
- “Grown-ish” and “Black-ish” star-turned-activist Yara Shahidi will receive the Trailblazer Award which recognizes pioneers who inspire others to follow their path to greatness with innovative ideas that challenge the status quo. Aside from acting, Shahidi founded WeVoteNext (formerly Eighteenx18) with NowThisNews to encourage voting for the 2018 and 2020 elections and has a partnership with the Young Women’s Leadership Network of New York.
- Transformational Georgia political figure Stacey Abrams will be bestowed with the Valor Award which recognizes an individual who shows boldness and determination in the face of conflict or danger, for her astonishing organizing efforts with Fair Fight Action to bring about record voter registration and turnout during the 2020 election.
- Former American Track & Field star Tommie Smith will be given the Xernona Clayton Award of Distinction, named after the esteemed founder of the Trumpets, which recognizes individuals who, having succeeded against immense odds, herald change and prosperity to enhance and enrich the world. Smith’s silent gesture of protest at the 1968 Olympics continues to be a historic and enduring image for athletes and activists standing up against injustice today.
Among the special guests helping to pay tribute to the honorees are Grammy-award superstar Mariah Carey, Oscar nominated director Lee Daniels, actor/activist Jesse Williams, actor Trevor Jackson, political activist Angela Davis and former Congressman Bakari Sellers. In addition, this year’s ceremony will feature musical performances from Busta Rhymes, Anthony Hamilton, Terrace Martin and Bell Biv Devoe.
Immediately following The Bounce Trumpet Awards: Stand Up, Bounce will present the world broadcast television premiere of With Drawn Arms, the critically-acclaimed and compelling documentary produced by Jesse Williams (Grey’s Anatomy, Power) and Oscar, Emmy and GRAMMY-award winner John Legend which explores the impact and the legacy of American track star Tommie Smith’s then-shocking symbol of protest against social injustice while receiving the gold medal at the 1968 Summer Olympics. With Drawn Arms is the result of a long-term collaboration between Smith and artist Glenn Kaino, who co-directs with Afshin Shahidi. An official selection of the 2020 Tribeca Film Festival, With Drawn Arms explores the legacy of the iconic fist-raising gesture, following Smith as he looks back at the moment that helped make a statement while providing a symbol of hope. President Barack Obama, the late Civil Rights icon Rep. John Lewis, Colin Kaepernick, Megan Rapinoe, Jemele Hill, Nelson George, Brent Musburger and Jesse Williams are among those who discuss the moment and its impact.
The Bounce Trumpet Awards were conceived to recognize the outstanding accomplishments of African Americans and those who have succeeded against great odds and inspired success in others. Founded in 1992 by American Civil Rights leader Xernona Clayton, The Trumpet Awards were acquired by Bounce in 2016. The list of prestigious honorees includes Muhammad Ali, Beyoncé, Jamie Foxx, Halle Berry, Stevie Wonder, The African-American Women of the United States Congress, Steve Harvey, Martin Luther King, III, Janelle Monáe and Spike Lee and many others including the late Rep. John Lewis, who will be memorialized during the ceremony for his life’s work alongside this year’s recipients.
