Vice President Kamala Harris had a special request for Queen Latifah during a surprise cameo appearance in the intro to the 55th NAACP Image Awards. The pre-recorded sketch began by showing Latifah dressed in her robe getting ready to host Saturday’s national broadcast of the civil rights organization’s awards ceremony.
Latifah then gets a call from the vice president who says: “Hey Queen, I’ve got a mission for you.” And Latifah responds: “Madame Vice President, you know I would do anything to serve, but I’m about to host the NAACP Image Awards.”
But what Harris had in mind was definitely not the type of mission that Latifah carries out on her TV show “The Equalizer.” Can vice presidents also claim immunity? Latifah then listed some perks that she could provide Harris—“some fresh Usher sweat” or extra security. Usher would later appear on stage to receive the Entertainer of the Year award and the honorary President’s Award given to celebrities “in recognition of special achievement and distinguished public service.”
Then Latifah offered something else to Harris—a silk press service (used for hair straightening). Harris quipped: “Now that’s one assignment I have never misunderstood, I thank you for that.”
Vibe Magazine said that was a reference to an interview Harris did last year for the podcast, “Baby, This Is Keke Palmer,” which focused on the maternal health crisis facing Black women. Toward the end of the interview, the actor-singer did a humorous segment about “questions that need to be answered.” Palmer’s first question was: “How many times a month do you get a silk press.”
Harris answered with some details before Palmer quipped: ”You and Queen Latifah are going neck-and-neck with the silk presses.”
And then in Saturday’s intro, Harris mentioned the actual mission she had in mind for the Queen. “All I need you to do is remind people about how important this election is coming up in November,” Harris said. “And if you can ask people to go to Vote.gov to register to vote or to check their registration status that would mean a lot.”
Latifah replied: “Oh, that’s easy. You know I got you.”
And the cameo did get the intended response among its target audience on social media.
Such appearances are all part of a key role that the vice president is playing in the 2024 campaign to energize and coalesce the Democratic base, particularly young voters as well as Black and other voters of color.
She has followed up last year’s tour of college campuses with events this year focusing on reproductive rights, reminding people that former President Donald Trump handpicked the Supreme Court justices responsible for overturning Roe v. Wade.
Last year, Harris spoke about voting and abortion rights at the annual NAACP convention.
And there was another moment worth noting as part of Latifah’s opening comments at the awards ceremony. “It’s no secret we are facing some seriously pivotal issues. Everyone is talking about inflation. You know what’s not feeling inflation?”
The cameras then panned to actor Taraji P. Henson in the audience. She responded: “Equal pay for Black actresses.”
Latifah said, “Thank you, Taraji, for standing up for all of us.” She then asked all the Black actresses in the audience to stand up and then asked everyone to stand in support of them. “Everybody else in this hall room stand up for all of us Black actresses who have been representing for us. Support us. Join us. Because it’s you who stand next to us every day. We know this and we want to say thank you.”
Henson was on stage shortly afterward to receive the first award to be presented at the ceremony—for best supporting actress in a film for her role in the musical version of “The Color Purple,” her 12th NAACP Image Award win.