Entertainment

NAACP names Opera Singer Jessye Norman as 98th Spingarn Medalist

The NAACP Board of Directors awarded opera singer and honorary UN Ambassador Jessye Norman the 98th Spingarn Medal, the Association’s highest honor. Norman became the 98th recipient of the award, and she was honored during the NAACP National Convention in Orlando July 17 at the annual Spingarn Dinner.

“Jessye Norman is a true inspiration,” stated Chairman Roslyn M. Brock. “Her work embodies the power of music and its ability to serve as the soundtrack to our movement for social justice.”

The Spingarn Medal, first instituted in 1914 by then NAACP Chairman Joel E. Spingarn, is awarded to an American of African descent who has demonstrated outstanding and noble achievement during the preceding years. […]