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WASHINGTON — Today, the Human Rights Campaign (HRC), the nation’s largest LGBTQ+ civil rights organization, announced that Tony, Grammy and Emmy award winning and Academy Award nominated star, Cynthia Erivo, will be honored as the recipient of HRC’s National Equality Award at this year’s annual National Dinner. Erivo will be recognized for her incredible work expanding visibility for the LGBTQ+ community, using her powerful voice to advocate for the LGBTQ+ community and inspire the next generation of LGBTQ+ stars on stage and screen.

Presenting Erivo with the award will be acclaimed stage, television, film and music star, Leslie Odom, Jr. There will be a slate of other trailblazing honorees, speakers and presenters that will be announced at a later date. This star-studded event will be held on Saturday, September 7th, at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center in Washington, DC.

“Cynthia Erivo is a generational talent, and her impact on the visibility and celebration of our community is profound. Her powerful voice and her contagious authenticity pave the way for other LGBTQ+ people to be out, loud and proud in every room they’re in,” said Kelley Robinson, Human Rights Campaign President. “We are approaching a pivotal moment in the fight for LGBTQ+ equality. Hate and discrimination are on the ballot this year, so it’s critically important for our community to have this space to gather together and recommit to showing up and showing out at the polls to ensure we can continue the work to achieve full liberation. Just like Cynthia, we must continue using our powerful voices and embracing our authentic selves to cement justice and equality for everyone—without exception.”

“It is an incredible honor to be receiving this year’s National Equality award and to be recognized by some of our country’s most prolific LGBTQ+ advocates fighting for equality,” said Cynthia Erivo. “Being Black and queer and femme, I deeply understand that there is beauty in intersectionality and the more those voices are given the space to grow and thrive, the closer we get to acceptance of one another as we are. LGBTQ+ people need to see themselves reflected on and off the stage and screen, showing that there are no limits to the heights we can ascend to. I want to continue to use my voice, share my story and to help others share theirs too, and I hope I can be an example of what it could look like when you show up everyday as your whole self. The road is not easy, but it is deeply satisfying.”

Cynthia Erivo is an award-winning actress, singer and producer, who launched a successful West End and Broadway career in The Color Purple. Erivo was recognized for her incredible performance in that role, winning a Tony Award for Best Performance by a Leading Actress in a Musical, an Emmy Award for Outstanding Musical Performance in a Daytime Program and a Grammy Award for Best Musical Theater Album. Erivo is set to star as Elphaba opposite Ariana Grande’s Glinda in Universal’s highly anticipated film adaptation of the hit musical Wicked, releasing on November 22nd, 2024.

In 2020, Erivo was nominated for a Golden Globe award for Best Actress in a Motion Picture – Drama for her role in Kasi Lemmons’ film Harriet, where she brought the legacy of Harriet Tubman to the big screen. She lent her voice to the movie’s title song, “Stand Up,” which she co-wrote. “Stand Up” won “Best Original Song” at the Hollywood Music in Media Awards. Two years later, Erivo received another Golden Globe nomination for Best Actress – Miniseries or Television Film for her critically acclaimed portrayal of Aretha Franklin in National Geographic’s Emmy-winning global anthology series Genius:Aretha. Erivo’s production company, Edith’s Daughter, produced the movie Drift, which had its World Premiere at the Sundance Film Festival in 2023 and opened to rave reviews. Edith’s Daughter uplifts stories that center overlooked, intersectional and underrepresented people and communities, amplifying their voices and bringing their experiences on screen.

Leslie Odom, Jr., is a multifaceted artist with a career that spans all performance genres. He is a Tony and Grammy Award-winner and a three-time Emmy and two-time Academy Award-nominee who has won audiences and acclaim on stage, television, film, and in music. Most recently, Odom made his long-awaited return to Broadway, starring in and co-producing the hit revival of Purlie Victorious, for which he was nominated for best lead actor in a play. Onscreen, Odom starred in the 2022 Knives Out sequel, Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery, and played Sam Cooke in the award-winning One Night in Miami… directed by Regina King. Odom is perhaps best known for his breakout role as Aaron Burr in the landmark Broadway musical Hamilton. His first children’s book, I Love You More Than You’ll Ever Know, co-written with Nicolette Robinson, was published in 2023, the same year he released his fifth studio album, When a Crooner Dies.

For media interested in attending the dinner, please RSVP here.

The Human Rights Campaign is America’s largest civil rights organization working to achieve equality for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer people. HRC envisions a world where LGBTQ+ people are embraced as full members of society at home, at work and in every community.