Viola Davis honored with Jacqueline Avant HollyRod Humanitarian Award

Celebrating a legacy of compassion and philanthropy

Viola Davis was recently honored with the Jacqueline Avant HollyRod Humanitarian Award at the HollyRod Foundation DesignCare 2024 Gala in Los Angeles. The HollyRod Foundation, established by actress Holly Robinson Peete and her husband Rodney Peete in 1997, is dedicated to supporting families affected by Parkinson’s disease and autism.

Remembering Jacqueline Avant

Before presenting the award to Davis, Holly Robinson Peete took a moment to reflect on the legacy of Jacqueline Avant, the wife of former music executive Clarence Avant. Jacqueline was tragically killed in her home at the age of 81 in 2021. Robinson Peete shared, “This award is very special to me because Jacqueline was a founding donor of the HollyRod Foundation at its inception. If you knew her, you knew the definition of grace, joy, philanthropy, and love for family. She loved the arts and was an inspiration to so many.”

A tribute from Kelly Rowland

Kelly Rowland had the honor of presenting the award to Davis, praising her as “someone whose talent, resilience, and heart have touched lives in an immeasurable way.” Rowland continued, “Viola Davis perfectly exemplifies the spirit of this award, named after Jacqueline Avant who was a true champion of generosity, love, and philanthropy. Like Jacqueline, Viola’s kindness and commitment to making the world a better place remind us all of the power we have when we choose to uplift others. Viola, we are beyond grateful for your courage, your brilliance, and your heart.”

Viola Davis’ heartfelt acceptance speech

In her acceptance speech, Davis emphasized the importance of giving back to oneself. “I listen to what people say, that when you go into philanthropy, it’s about making the world a better place; and that’s absolutely what I want, but the two people that you owe the most to are your six-year-old self and your 80-year-old self,” Davis began. “I don’t know my 80-year-old self yet… but I know my six-year-old self because she’s still very much alive to me.”

Davis shared poignant memories of her childhood, describing the challenges she faced. “She had a lot of dreams, but she didn’t have a lot of hopes. She was a bed wetter. She grew up with very little food and in abject poverty. She was probably called a [N-word] more times than she was called Viola — and ugly. But what happened with Viola, she was born into a world where she did not fit in. And if anyone comes to understand the definition of a hero, they are always born into a world that they do not fit in.”

Philanthropy rooted in personal experience

Davis’ philanthropic efforts are deeply rooted in her own experiences. She serves as an ambassador for Hunger Is, an initiative aimed at ending childhood hunger. Additionally, she supports the Children’s Hunger Alliance, the clothing and shoe donation non-profit Soles4Souls, and the women’s addiction rehabilitation organization Friendly House. Davis has also given back to her alma mater, Central Falls High School, and the local library in her hometown.

“It’s love. Good old-fashioned radical, active love. The kind of love that we’re invested in everyone’s spiritual, emotional, physical world. That kind of love that makes people feel less alone,” she said. “I didn’t have that love as Viola. Little Viola was looking for it desperately. That people could get beyond my smell, beyond the poverty, beyond the fact that you thought my nappy hair and my big lips and my wide nose and my dark skin wasn’t pleasing to the eye.”

A commitment to making a difference

In her closing remarks, Davis expressed her commitment to ensuring others do not experience the hardships she faced. “I was reluctant to say this,” Davis said, holding back tears. “But until the last person who has a memory of you dies, you will never be dead, and I want to live forever. I want to honor little Viola, I want to be the hero that she needs next. I want to be that person that came through the dark and said, ‘I see you.’ That’s why I work with hunger. That’s why I work with education. That’s why I work with domestic violence. I see you. And as long as I am breathing, I know that my leg of this race is to pass the baton on to the next great runner who’s gonna get it and put it out into the world and make others feel less alone, like Ms. Avant. I thank her for her life. I thank her for even thinking that I am worthy of this award. And while I’m still breathing, I am going to leave something in people.”

A night of celebration and recognition

The gala, attended by around 500 guests including Magic Johnson and Ted Sarandos, featured a fashion show, an auction to support the organization, and an afterparty with a performance by ‘90s R&B group After 7. Other honorees included artist Morgan Harper Nichols and athlete-professional speaker Jason McElwain, who received HollyRod Hero Awards; Dr. Chantale Branson, a neurologist and movement disorders specialist, who was presented with the Muhammad Ali Trailblazer Award; Camille Proctor and Nadine Wright-Arbubakkr, founders of The Color of Autism and Nassan’s Place, who received the Karen E. Smith Angel on the Path Awards; EMT Eric Aquino, who was recognized with the Matthew Robinson Jr. Award of Courage; and KultureCity founders Dr. Julian Maha and Dr. Michele Kong, who received the HollyRod Corporate Champion Award.

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