Watch as Keke Palmer takes the stage to present the prestigious Vanguard Award to the incredibly talented Cynthia Erivo at the 2025 ESSENCE Black Women in Hollywood celebration! In this heartfelt and empowering moment, Keke delivers a moving tribute to Cynthia’s groundbreaking achievements in film, music, and theater.
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00:00Hey guys! Thank you Aldis, it's always good to see him. So wait a minute, let me see
00:07where I'm looking at. Where's my girl? Cynthia. Cynthia Erivo. Okay, I'm not sure
00:15that there's much that I can say that I haven't already said, but you know, here
00:20it goes. While most of the world was dazzled by you first in the Broadway
00:24musical The Color Purple, for me, it was Harriet. Man, I was with a girlfriend of
00:32mine and she lives for we will overcome moments, so I was a little bit concerned
00:36because I was not in the mood to be mad at America again. But she insisted that
00:41this wasn't that, so I was like, okay, okay, let me watch the movie. And she was right.
00:47The depth of emotion displayed while still portraying Harriet with so much
00:53pride, it gave me chills. So much so that I had to DM you on Instagram to let you
00:59know how much I was moved by your ability to be both strong, vulnerable, and
01:05honorable. Then my father told me he loved you in Aretha. Then my dear friend
01:12Naomi Ackie told me you had been killing it since you attended the Royal Academy
01:16of Dramatic Arts back in England, of course. As one of the very few black
01:23women that have gotten in, something I know that you are currently working on
01:27the board to change, so bravo to that. So, there was so much chatter about Wicked,
01:35right? My girls and I were all talking about the press tour and with all the
01:39crying you and Ariana was doing, I didn't know if I was going to see a musical or
01:42drama. But little did I know it was both. Girl, why was I sobbing in the theater?
01:52Why do you have me sobbing and holding my head up high? This is why you are one
01:58of my favorite actresses because I see me in you. I do get my feelings heard. I
02:05do want to be liked, but I'm nobody's victim and I will never let anyone
02:11change the likeness in my step and the crack in my smile. And you possess and
02:16inject that fire into all your characters. I held my mother's hand in
02:22that scene where Elphaba is falling out the sky and she sees that little her.
02:28The innocence that's lost so early in womanhood or feeling invisible or just
02:33being the minority. We must always fight to protect that little person that knows
02:40they are more than what the world has told them they could be.
02:47You do this, Cynthia. You do this in life and you have done this in art. And I, you
02:53know, I was one of those children that believed because of art. And you keep me
02:58believing and so many others. Please never stop. I am so proud of you and I am
03:05so happy to be here to honor you and give you this much deserved award. As I
03:10have said once and I'll say it again, Cynthia Erivo, you are truly remarkable.