LaTanya Richardson Jackson, LaChanze and Khaila Wilcoxon Named Black Women on Broadway Awards Honorees (EXCLUSIVE)
The Black Women on Broadway Awards will honor Tony nominee LaTanya Richardson Jackson, Tony winner LaChanze and rising star Khaila Wilcoxon during their fourth annual celebration.
The organization, co-founded by Oscar and Tony nominee Danielle Brooks, Tony nominee Amber Iman and Tony nominee Jocelyn Bioh, salutes the accomplishments of Black women who work in theatre. The awards ceremony will take place on June 2 at CURRENT at Chelsea Piers in New York.
“We are delighted to host the fourth annual Black Women on Broadway Awards to honor and celebrate the achievements of Black women in theater,” said Brooks, Iman and Bioh. “This year, we are proud to honor these three incredibly talented and hardworking women, LaTanya Richardson Jackson, LaChanze, and Khaila Wilcoxon, for all that they have accomplished both on and off Broadway.”
Richardson Jackson will receive the Audra McDonald Legacy Award, which recognizes an artist with a storied career and significant theatre achievements. Richardson Jackson is a two-time Tony nominee with decades of contributions to the stage and screen, including “To Kill A Mockingbird,” “Joe Turner’s Come and Gone” and “A Raisin in the Sun.” She currently stars on Broadway in the critically-acclaimed new play “Purpose,” by Branden Jacobs-Jenkins, for which she just received a Drama League Award nomination. As a director, Richardson Jackson made history as the first woman to direct an August Wilson play on Broadway with the Tony-nominated revival of “The Piano Lesson.” Last season, she co-produced the Tony-nominated revival of “Purlie Victorious.”
LaChanze will receive the Kathy A. Perkins Behind The Curtain Award, which recognizes an artist whose work backstage shines brightest on stage. With a career that has spanned nearly 40 Broadway seasons, LaChanze won her first Tony Award in 2006 for her role as Celie in “The Color Purple.” Then, as the founder of LaChanze Productions, she’s subsequently received three more Tony Awards for producing “Kimberly Akimbo,” “Topdog/Underdog” and “The Outsiders,” as well as producing critically acclaimed works including “Here Lies Love” and “Jaja’s African Hair Braiding.” This spring, LaChanze made her New York City directorial debut with Alice Childress’ “Wine in the Wilderness” at Classic Stage Company, while also serving as producer on Broadway’s “Buena Vista Social Club” and “Purpose.”
Wilcoxon will receive the Florence Mills Shining Star Award, which recognizes an early-career talent or a rising artist whose brilliance is just beginning to be widely seen. Wilcoxon is currently starring in “Redwood” on Broadway and has been lauded for her “dynamic” and “undeniable” stage presence, quickly establishing herself as one of the industry’s most captivating young stars.
Since its inception in 2019, Brooks, Iman and Bioh’s Black Women on Broadway has focused on creating community and providing support Black women in the theater industry. What began with an Instagram account celebrating the history of Black women in theater has expanded to include free mentorship and fellowship programs.
In 2022, Black Women on Broadway launched their flagship awards celebration, saluting the accomplishments of three Black women working in the theatre across all creative lines. Lynn Nottage, Qween Jean and Kara Young were the first honorees, followed by Natasha Yvette Williams, Joy Woods and Nikiya Mathis in 2023. Irene Gandy, Aisha Jackson and DeDe Ayite were honored last year. The awards have grown from a modest guest list of 75 women in 2022 to inviting 200 women last year.
Black Women on Broadway also keeps an exhaustive list of every Black woman involved in shows each season, both on stage and behind the scenes. This year, their research expanded to include musicians who play in the orchestras of both Broadway and off-Broadway shows. For the 2024-25 season, their list tallied more than 470 Black women, a record high.
In addition to the awards, Black Women on Broadway also hosts a series of roundtables, released biannually online, and will launch the Black Women on Broadway Reading Series, a weeklong developmental workshop reading for early-career Black womxn playwrights, in the fall.
The organization, co-founded by Oscar and Tony nominee Danielle Brooks, Tony nominee Amber Iman and Tony nominee Jocelyn Bioh, salutes the accomplishments of Black women who work in theatre. The awards ceremony will take place on June 2 at CURRENT at Chelsea Piers in New York.
“We are delighted to host the fourth annual Black Women on Broadway Awards to honor and celebrate the achievements of Black women in theater,” said Brooks, Iman and Bioh. “This year, we are proud to honor these three incredibly talented and hardworking women, LaTanya Richardson Jackson, LaChanze, and Khaila Wilcoxon, for all that they have accomplished both on and off Broadway.”
Richardson Jackson will receive the Audra McDonald Legacy Award, which recognizes an artist with a storied career and significant theatre achievements. Richardson Jackson is a two-time Tony nominee with decades of contributions to the stage and screen, including “To Kill A Mockingbird,” “Joe Turner’s Come and Gone” and “A Raisin in the Sun.” She currently stars on Broadway in the critically-acclaimed new play “Purpose,” by Branden Jacobs-Jenkins, for which she just received a Drama League Award nomination. As a director, Richardson Jackson made history as the first woman to direct an August Wilson play on Broadway with the Tony-nominated revival of “The Piano Lesson.” Last season, she co-produced the Tony-nominated revival of “Purlie Victorious.”
LaChanze will receive the Kathy A. Perkins Behind The Curtain Award, which recognizes an artist whose work backstage shines brightest on stage. With a career that has spanned nearly 40 Broadway seasons, LaChanze won her first Tony Award in 2006 for her role as Celie in “The Color Purple.” Then, as the founder of LaChanze Productions, she’s subsequently received three more Tony Awards for producing “Kimberly Akimbo,” “Topdog/Underdog” and “The Outsiders,” as well as producing critically acclaimed works including “Here Lies Love” and “Jaja’s African Hair Braiding.” This spring, LaChanze made her New York City directorial debut with Alice Childress’ “Wine in the Wilderness” at Classic Stage Company, while also serving as producer on Broadway’s “Buena Vista Social Club” and “Purpose.”
Wilcoxon will receive the Florence Mills Shining Star Award, which recognizes an early-career talent or a rising artist whose brilliance is just beginning to be widely seen. Wilcoxon is currently starring in “Redwood” on Broadway and has been lauded for her “dynamic” and “undeniable” stage presence, quickly establishing herself as one of the industry’s most captivating young stars.
Since its inception in 2019, Brooks, Iman and Bioh’s Black Women on Broadway has focused on creating community and providing support Black women in the theater industry. What began with an Instagram account celebrating the history of Black women in theater has expanded to include free mentorship and fellowship programs.
In 2022, Black Women on Broadway launched their flagship awards celebration, saluting the accomplishments of three Black women working in the theatre across all creative lines. Lynn Nottage, Qween Jean and Kara Young were the first honorees, followed by Natasha Yvette Williams, Joy Woods and Nikiya Mathis in 2023. Irene Gandy, Aisha Jackson and DeDe Ayite were honored last year. The awards have grown from a modest guest list of 75 women in 2022 to inviting 200 women last year.
Black Women on Broadway also keeps an exhaustive list of every Black woman involved in shows each season, both on stage and behind the scenes. This year, their research expanded to include musicians who play in the orchestras of both Broadway and off-Broadway shows. For the 2024-25 season, their list tallied more than 470 Black women, a record high.
In addition to the awards, Black Women on Broadway also hosts a series of roundtables, released biannually online, and will launch the Black Women on Broadway Reading Series, a weeklong developmental workshop reading for early-career Black womxn playwrights, in the fall.