Prince Harry and Meghan Markle will receive the highly esteemed President's Award for the 53rd annual Image Awards, according to HuffPost.
Previous recipients of the award include Muhammad Ali, LeBron James, Jesse Jackson, Colin Powell, Condoleezza Rice, Rihanna, JAY-Z, Lauryn Hill and Soledad O'Brien.
The criteria for gaining the award is based on "recognition of special achievement and distinguished public service," the NAACP said on Thursday, HuffPost reports.
"It's a true honor to be recognized by President Derrick Johnson and the NAACP, whose efforts to propel racial justice and civil rights are as vital today as they were nearly 115 years ago," the Duke and Duchess of Sussex said in a joint statement, according to The Hollywood Reporter. "We're proud to support the NAACP's work and to also partner with the organization on the newly created annual NAACP-Archewell Digital Civil Rights Award, which will be bestowed to Dr. Safiya Noble as part of the 53rd NAACP Image Awards."
The 53rd NAACP Image Awards will honor humanitarians, global leaders, and co-founders of Archewell, Prince Harry and Meghan, The Duke and Duchess of Sussex, with the prestigious President's Award. The President's Award is presented in recognition of distinguished public service. pic.twitter.com/pCZcG5p3Tg
— NAACP Image Awards® (@naacpimageaward) February 24, 2022
The royal duo established the NAACP-Archewell Digital Civil Rights Award, which their Archewell Foundation supports.
President and CEO of the NAACP Derrick Johnson said the organization is "thrilled" to present the award to the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, adding that they've "heeded the call to social justice and have joined the struggle for equity both in the U.S. and around the world."
The NAACP Image Awards will air on BET at 8 p.m. ET on Saturday.
