On Tuesday, the Peabody Awards announced the nominees for its upcoming 81st awards ceremony.
The winners are set to be announced virtually in June, according to a press release sent to The Root, and will recognize the most compelling and empowering stories and across a variety of programming. Per usual, we like to give major shouts to the Blackity-black nominees, so without further ado—here we go!
On the documentary front, Stacey Abram’s All In: The Fight for Democracy secured a nomination alongside Atlanta Missing & Murdered: The Lost Children from HBO Documentary Film, Roc Nation and John Legend’s Get Lifted Film Company. Softie, the story of Kenyan political activist Boniface “Softie” Mwangi, also gained a nomination, as did The Sit-In: Harry Belafonte Hosts The Tonight Show and Amazon Studios’ Time.
When it comes to entertainment, Michaela Coel’s I May Destroy You, Steve McQueen’s Small Axe, and HBO’s Euphoria Special Part 1: Rue were all recognized.
“Congratulations to my partners in crime, Sam, Zendaya, Marsha and Marcel and the crew, producers, HBO, A24 et all on our Peabody Award Nomination for Rue Part 1,” Euphoria and Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom star Colman Domingo said in a tweet. “That special episode with so much heart and soul. A tremendous honor.”
The news, while arguably increasingly traumatic over the last year, also brought some moving stories to light, and as such, provided programming that really spoke to the turmoil of the times. Nominees for news include: ABC News 20/20 in collaboration with The Courier Journal: Say Her Name: Breonna Taylor; CBS’ Bravery and Hope: 7 Days on the Front Line, which took a look at emergency physicians and critical care specialists at Montefiore Medical Center in the Bronx as they made complex ethical decisions of who lives and who dies at the height of the coronavirus pandemic; PBS’ Policing the Police 2020 and VICE on Showtime: Losing Ground—which gave viewers an in-depth look at a little known concept called “heirs’ property” and examined how black landowners lose their homesteads due to legal loopholes often exploited by white developers.
Switching gears to podcast and radio, The Washington Post was recognized for Post Reports: The Life of George Floyd, which “tells the story of Floyd’s family, his upbringing and how racism hobbled his ambition.”
Lastly, Netflix’ Cops and Robbers, KING-TV’s Facing Race, and LeBron James’ Springhill Entertainment’s Graduate Together: America Honors the High School Class of 2020 were recognized for the category of public service.
To view the full list of 60 nominees, head on over to thepeabodyawards.com