She’s the new name you need to know, and she’s making waves all over Hollywood: Lupita Nyong’o will be honored at Essence magazine’s seventh annual Black Women in Hollywood luncheon on Feb. 27 at the Beverly Hills Hotel.
Nyong’o will be honored for best breakthrough performance for her role in 12 Years a Slave. The event will also honor Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences President Cheryl Boone Isaacs with the Trailblazer Award and director Ava DuVernaywith the Visionary Award.
In recognition of the 50th Anniversary of the signing of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, the event will also pay tribute to legendary performers who were champions of the civil rights movement: Cicely Tyson, Diahann Carroll, Nichelle Nichols, Jim Brown, Denise Nicholas and Clarence Williams III, among others.
– USA Today