The Creative Coalition presented the sixth annual Television Humanitarian Awards September 17 on Variety's Facebook and YouTube pages. Watch above.
The evening, honoring those in the TV industry who engage in advocacy work, using their positions to make a positive impact, celebrated Tony winners Billy Porter and Phylicia Rashad, as well as Uzo Aduba, Ricky Gervais, Sienna Miller, Yvonne Orji, Amy Poehler, Mira Sorvino, and the cast and producers of New Amsterdam. Participants also included Tony winners Audra McDonald and Alan Cumming plus Tim Daly, Jason Dirden, Jason Isaacs, Natasha Lyonne, Seth Meyers, Issa Rae, and Melora Walters.
Rashad, who is the co-chair of the African American Cultural Heritage Action Fund, was honored for her commitment to diversifying American history. The stage and screen star said, “Feeling like I grew up knee-deep in history, the importance, the value, and the necessity of this great work has never been lost to me. Historic preservation honors the past, yes, but it also gives context to the way we live today.”
Six-time Tony winner McDonald introduced fellow Broadway favorite Porter, honored for both his work with Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS and as a founding member of Black Theatre United.
Said the Pose Emmy winner (and nominee this year): "I sort of entered the Broadway market just as [Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS] was building—I think it was maybe the fourth or fifth year. The organization was my teacher. The organization taught me how to be an activist. I'm the kind of activist that knows how to show up. Tell me where to show up, and I can show up and do my thing… Whatever the thing is required, I'm there. Broadway Cares, for all of these years, has been a version of that for me, consistently. I know how to show up by simply showing up for Broadway Cares, and that has also opened up the doors for me in other spaces, other organizations, and in other ways."
