Prince Harry and Meghan Markle received the President's Award at the 53rd annual NAACP Image Awards on Saturday, earning recognition "of special achievement and distinguished public service." The couple expressed support for the people of Ukraine during their acceptance speech and introduced the new NAACP-Archewell Digital Civil Rights Award, an honor given to those who advance human rights "at the intersection of social justice and technology."

Dr. Safiya Noble, an internet studies scholar and author of Algorithms of Oppression, was recognized as the inaugural recipient of the award, Harpers Bazaar reports. Noble received a $100,000 unrestricted stipend as part of the award.

"Safiya's work speaks to a new chapter in the movement for civil rights. This community knows what it means to speak up for what is right, and to march for what is just. As the fight for justice still remains, it's time to extend this march to the world online, a place where hate and discrimination are fueled instantly, propagated globally, and felt deeply," Harry said.

Meghan echoed her husband's sentiment.

"This is the era of the digital justice movement," she said. "We are proud to partner with NAACP and each of you to translate the vital efforts of those who came before us to the modern challenges that exist ahead of us."

As Blavity previously reported, other notable figures who have received the President's Award include Muhammad Ali, LeBron James, Jesse Jackson, Colin Powell, Condoleezza Rice, Rihanna, JAY-Z, Lauryn Hill and Soledad O'Brien.

Derrick Johnson, President and CEO of the NAACP, said Prince Harry and Meghan Markle have "heeded the call to social justice and have joined the struggle for equity both in the U.S. and around the world."

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