Oscar-winning musician John Legend has said that people of colour are targeted even today and it is a long way before they achieve "freedom".

While accepting the annual President's Award at the NAACP Image Awards, Legend said, "We know that we stand on the shoulders of giants who risked their lives to bring us closer to true freedom. And of course, we are still fighting for freedom. Today, communities of colour are still being crushed by a criminal justice system that over-polices us, over-arrests us, over-incarcerates us, and disproportionately takes the lives of our young people because of our skin conjures the image of threat and violence." 

Spike Lee, Jada Pinkett-Smith, and Will Smith applauded Legend from the audience. Legend said people might be called out for speaking about racial inequality but that should not deter them from voicing their opinion.