Editing NAACP Image Awards (section)

==Controversies==
In 1987, the NAACP came under fire for dropping their Best Actress award for that year. They defended this position, citing a lack of meaningful roles for Black women.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.upi.com/Archives/1987/10/29/Best-actress-award-dropped-in-NAACP-Image-Awards/5120562482000/|title=NAACP cites lack of Best Actress in a Motion Picture Award due to lack of meaningful roles|date=October 29, 1987|website=[[UPI.com]]|access-date=July 23, 2016}}</ref> In 1990, they were criticized once again for not awarding Best Actress.<ref name="NAACP Best Actress">{{cite news|url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1990-10-25-ca-4455-story.html|title=Why NAACP lacks image award for Best Actress in a Motion Picture|date=October 25, 1990|newspaper=[[LA Times]]|access-date=August 29, 2016}}</ref> This was the fourth time it could not find enough nominees for Best Actress.<ref name="NAACP Best Actress"/> Sandra Evers-Manly, president of the organization's Beverly Hills/Hollywood branch, said, "The [film] industry has yet to show diversity or present realistic leading roles for [[African-American]] women."<ref name="NAACP Best Actress"/>

In several instances, nominees have been perceived as “undeserving” or “unworthy” of recognition by members of the media, fellow celebrities, as well as the general public; in their own defense, some NAACP representatives have stated that the overall quality of an artist's work is the salient issue. This would render certain factors, such as criminal charges or the nominee's past, being inconsequential in this regard. For example, in 1994, rapper [[Tupac Shakur]] was nominated for Outstanding Actor in a Motion Picture (for ''[[Poetic Justice (1993 film)|Poetic Justice]]''), despite [[sexual assault]] charges being filed against him in December 1993.<ref>{{cite news|title=Michael Jackson makes surprise appearance at NAACP Image Awards|work=[[Jet (magazine)|Jet]]|date=January 24, 1994|url=http://www.findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m1355/is_n12_v85/ai_14777970|access-date=September 29, 2006}}</ref> Furthermore, Shakur had been accused of felony counts of forcible sodomy and unlawful detainment in New York City; a woman alleged that he and two male accomplices held her captive, in a hotel room, and restricted her movements, holding her down as a fourth accomplice sodomized her.<ref name="Charged">{{cite news|url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1994-01-07-ca-9458-story.html|title=Shakur Questionably nominated|last=Leonardi|first=Marisa|date=January 7, 1994|newspaper=LA Times |access-date= July 1, 2016}}</ref> Shakur was also indicted for two counts of aggravated assault, in an unrelated incident, in which he supposedly shot and wounded two off-duty police officers.<ref name="Charged"/> The same year, [[Martin Lawrence]] was criticized for winning Outstanding Actor in a Comedy Series and Outstanding Comedy Series for ''[[Martin (TV series)|Martin]]'', after the show was maligned for its sexual content.<ref name="Charged"/> In 2004, [[R. Kelly]]'s ''[[Chocolate Factory]]'' was nominated for Outstanding Album<ref>{{cite web|last=Wiederhorn|first=Jon|title=Outkast, Beyoncé, R. Kelly Nominated For NAACP Image Awards|work=VH1.com|date=January 8, 2004|url=http://www.vh1.com/artists/news/1484218/01082004/ashanti.jhtml|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20040204202816/http://www.vh1.com/artists/news/1484218/01082004/ashanti.jhtml|url-status=dead|archive-date=February 4, 2004|access-date=September 29, 2006}}</ref> while he was under [[indictment]] for charges related to [[child pornography]].<ref name="zahn">{{cite web|title=Paula Zahn Now: Can Democrats Challenge Kerry?; NAACP Controversy; California Death Penalty Debate|work=CNN.com|date=January 28, 2004|url=http://transcripts.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/0401/28/pzn.00.html|access-date=September 29, 2006}}</ref>

Other nominees have faced controversy due to their portrayals of major civil rights figures. In 2003, the comedy film ''[[Barbershop (film)|Barbershop]]'' received five nominations, including Outstanding Motion Picture and Outstanding Supporting Actor (for [[Cedric the Entertainer]]'s performance); during the film, Cedric's character makes [[Barbershop (film)#Subjects discussed in the barbershop|pejorative remarks]] about [[Rosa Parks]], [[Martin Luther King Jr.]], [[Michael Jackson]], and [[Jesse Jackson]]. This content elicited criticism, including Parks' refusal to attend the ceremony.<ref>{{cite web|title=Image Awards rekindle 'Barbershop' controversy|work=CNN.com|date=March 9, 2003|url=http://www.cnn.com/2003/SHOWBIZ/TV/03/08/image.awards.ap/|access-date=September 29, 2006|archive-url =https://web.archive.org/web/20060629060508/http://www.cnn.com/2003/SHOWBIZ/TV/03/08/image.awards.ap/|archive-date=June 29, 2006}}</ref> Hip-hop group [[OutKast]] received six nominations in 2004, and criticism soon followed—for both them and the NAACP—due to the name of one of their songs being “[[Rosa Parks (song)|Rosa Parks]]”. The song had resulted in [[Parks v. LaFace Records|Parks suing OutKast]] for defamation over use of her name.<ref name="zahn"/>