The Hutchins Center for African & African American Research at Harvard University is awarding Queen Latifah with the highest honor in the field of African and African American studies. On Oct. 22, the prestigious academic institution will be giving Latifah, along with six other recipients, the W.E.B. Du Bois Medal, recognizing the singer and rapper for her contributions to African American culture.
Born Dana Owens, Queen Latifah started her career in entertainment as a rapper out of Newark, New Jersey. Her debut album with Tommy Boy Records All Hail The Queen came out in 1989.
She would follow up with six more studio albums throughout her career. The “Ladies First” rapper would make her TV debut in 1991 on the Will Smith/Quincy Jones collaboration The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air and her film debut as a waitress on Spike Lee’s Jungle Fever.
This would jumpstart a very prosperous career in film, in which she starred in hits Set It Off, Chicago, Bringing Down The House, Ice Age, and Girls Trip. In TV, she is most known for her role in Living Single.
In her personal life, Latifah suffered the loss of her brother who was killed in a motorcycle accident in 1992. Latifah went through a period of depression that nearly derailed her career. In 1995, Latifah was targeted in a carjacking in Harlem, New York. While these experiences were traumatizing, Latifah was able to recover and make a major impact to black culture and history through her career choices and the way she carries herself.
In the past, the W.E.B. Du Bois Medal has been given to power executive Ursula M. Burns, comedian Dave Chappelle, rapper/actor LL Cool J, director Ava DuVernay, actress Pam Grier, politician Eric Holder, rapper Nasir “Nas” Jones and football player Colin Kaepernick.
The award was named after W.E.B. Du Bois, who earned his doctorate from Harvard University in 1895, becoming the first black person to do so.
