Rev. Dr. Jamal-Harrison Bryant, Senior Pastor of New Birth Missionary Baptist Church, will be honored with the prestigious Mildred Bond Roxborough Social Justice Impact Award at the 57th NAACP Image Awards Creative Honors on February 26, 2026, in Los Angeles, celebrating his leadership in social justice advocacy, economic accountability, and community empowerment.
The Mildred Bond Roxborough Social Justice Impact Award recognizes individuals whose courage, advocacy, and public influence advance the NAACP's ongoing mission of civil rights and social equity. The honor places Bryant alongside previous recipients including Stacey Abrams, Benjamin Crump, and Nikole Hannah-Jones, highlighting his growing influence as both a faith leader and national voice for justice-centered activism.
Bryant has been recognized for his work challenging systemic inequities and mobilizing communities around economic and social change, including his widely discussed #TargetFast campaign, which emphasized consumer accountability and corporate responsibility. Organizers of the awards describe his leadership as rooted in action, moral conviction, and grassroots organizing - qualities that reflect the long-standing intersection between faith communities and civil rights movements in the United States.
A third-generation minister, Bryant has served as Senior Pastor of New Birth Missionary Baptist Church since 2018, helping guide the influential congregation through a season of renewed growth, expanded cultural relevance, and increased civic engagement. Prior to his pastorate, he served as national youth and college director for the NAACP, where he led large-scale initiatives focused on civic participation and social justice advocacy.
The NAACP Image Awards Creative Honors ceremony will recognize recipients in non-televised categories during Image Awards Week, leading into the main awards broadcast scheduled for February 28. The event continues the organization's tradition of celebrating individuals whose work inspires equality, justice, and progressive change across culture, media, and community leadership.
For many observers, Bryant's recognition signals a broader acknowledgment of faith-based leadership's evolving role in public discourse - particularly at the intersection of spirituality, economics, and social activism - and underscores the continuing relevance of church voices in national conversations about justice and accountability.
