Samuel L. Jackson added his voice to the fight for voting rights during his acceptance speech at the 53rd annual NAACP Image Awards on Saturday.
The 73-year-old actor demonstrated his passion for social justice while accepting the Chairman’s Award, presented by the chairman of the NAACP National Board of Directors Leon W. Russell. Jackson, a longtime activist who fought for civil rights in the 1960s, called on viewers to use “our legs, our bodies, and our voices to work to make sure people do get out and vote… no matter what they do to keep us from doing it.”
“First of all thank you Mr. Leon W. Russell and the NAACP for bestowing this prestigious award on me,” Jackson began. “In the words of Marion Wright Edelman, ‘Service is the rent we pay for being. It is the very purpose of life, and not just something we do in our spare time.’ I’ve been fortunate enough to grow up in a lot of different eras, where I had the opportunity to use my voice, my legs, my body to fight for things that were right.”
He continued, “I’ve had the opportunity to use my body to fight for things that were right, from civil rights, to the Vietnam War, to a lot of other things that needed fixing and changing. We got it done. The most important thing being the Voting Rights Act.”
“We can put our legs, our bodies, and our voices to work to make sure people do get out and vote… no matter what they do to keep us from doing it. And I hope you all will do that. And maybe one day, someone will end up with one of these because you used your legs, your voice and your body.”
Jackson is a five-time NAACP Image Award winner, having previously won for his performances in A Time To Kill, Coach Carter, Mother and Child, Django Unchained, and Incredibles 2.
He follows a long line of exemplary Chairman honorees, including Congressman John Lewis, Barack Obama, Maxine Waters and Ruby Dee. The award honors those who “demonstrate exemplary public service and use their distinct platforms to create agents of change,” according to a press release.
“Many might not know that prior to his acting career, Jackson was a staunch activist during the Civil Rights Movement in the 1960s, even serving as an usher at Martin Luther King Jr.’s funeral,” said Russell in a statement. “His continued public service and advocacy for social change make him an excellent recipient for the Chairman’s Award.”
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