Emotion took over Jennifer Hudson while she accepted an award at VH1’s 2013 Do Something! Awards Wednesday, July 31.
The annual show — a showcase for celebrities and young activists making impacting their communities and abroad — honored the songstress for her work as the co-founder (alongside her sister Julia) of the Julian D. King Foundation. Hudson named the social change agent after her nephew who was murdered in 2008 triple homicide that also claimed the lives of her mother and brother.
Today, her organization provides school supplies to low-income families in the Oscar winner’s native Chicago on King’s birthday.
Fellow singer and friend Ne-Yo presented Hudson with her statue.
“I wasn’t going to cry, but I’m a cry baby so I can’t help it,” she admitted during her acceptance speech. Tears began to roll down her face soon after, but she held it together enough to say, “It’s one thing to be a celebrity, but it means nothing if you can’t help somebody.”
Hudson also took the stage with J. Cole to sing the chorus on the rapper’s new single “Crooked Smile” in place of TLC.
LL Cool J, Kelly Osbourne, and actors Patrick Dempsey and Jesse Tyler Ferguson. The star of the night was Daniel Maree, the founder of the Trayvon Martin-inspired Million Hoodies Movement for Justice — a foundation dedicated to amending Florida’s “stand your ground” law.
Watch the footage of Jennifer Hudson below. See photos from the night on the following pages.
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Photo: WENN, Instagram
