Roughly three dozen students and community members gathered for the annual NAACP Image Awards ceremony Sunday evening in the Grand Ballroom in the Martin Luther King Jr. University Union.  

Awards were given to students, faculty and registered student organizations. 

The event was held to honor the contributions of Black students and faculty on campus. The event opened with introductions followed by the playing of the Black national anthem “Lift Every Voice and Sing.” The lyrics were written as a hymn by NAACP leader James Weldon Johnson in 1900 with music composed by his brother J. Rosamond Johnson, according to the NAACP website. 

Kristopher Gross, a junior physical education major, hosted the event as president of the NAACP chapter on campus. 

“The NAACP already does a bigger image awards with celebrities and stuff like that. So, we try to have the same on a smaller scale with the students and have the students vote for their peers,” Gross said. 

Gross’ goal for the event was to bring Eastern’s Black community together, spread positivity and highlight Black excellence. 

Ambria Ford, a senior psychology major, was the winner of the Martin Luther King Jr. Academic Leadership Award. The award was given to an upperclassman student who is dedicated to outstanding academic achievement. 

“I just feel that a lot of our Black community is underestimated,” Ford said. “I just want other people like me to feel they can achieve the same thing.” 

A second award was given to Mickey Carbins. The award, titled the Shirley Chisholm Academic Award, was in the academic category given to an undergraduate student. 

Awards were given in several other categories, such as athletics and activism both in the community and on campus. The awards were named after prominent Black Americans such as Thurgood Marshall, Michelle Obama and Michael Jordan. These awards were chosen by a vote prior to the show. 

Additionally, awards were also given during the ceremony for categories such as best hair and best dressed. The winners in these categories were chosen by a vocal vote from the audience during the show. 

The award ceremony featured several performances such as singing by student Jahlani Grant. The African student association performed a choreographed dance number along with a fashion show from the couture modeling organization on campus. Each performance was well-received by the attendees. 

Chrissy Brown, a senior, is a part of the couture modeling organization and expressed excitement about the ceremony. She said how she enjoyed the Black community on campus coming together and celebrating both their similarities and differences. 

She offered advice to any Black student who may feel isolated or out of place on campus. 

“I would tell them to join any Black RSO, to get in touch with your community,” Brown said. “We have NAACP, we have BSU (Black Student Union), we have so many organizations that cater to Black students and Black creativity.” 

Jacob Hamm can be reached at 581-2812 or at jmhamm@eiu.edu.