Rapper/actress Queen Latifah will receive the first Rosa Parks Lifetime Achievement award issued by her hometown of Newark, NJ.
Latifah, born Dana Owens, will receive the award at Newark’s annual Black History Month Monday tribute on Monday (Feb. 20).
The Rev. Keith Marshall of Macedonia Baptist Church will give the keynote address at the ceremony, which will also honor the contributions of Civil Rights activists Rosa Parks and Coretta Scott King.
While Queen Latifah will not attend the ceremonies for unspecified reasons, family members will attend to accept the award on her behalf.
The event takes place at George Washington Carver Elementary School from 1-3 pm ET.
In related news, Queen Latifah and actress Eva Longoria have been tapped by the NBA as coaches for McDonald’s NBA All-Star Celebrity Game tonight (Feb. 17).
Longoria and Latifah will coach such rappers as Nelly, Nick Cannon, and Ice Cube during the All-Star Celebrity Game, as part of NBA All-Star 2006 in Houston, Texas.
The game will be televised live on ESPN at 7:00 pm ET.
