Queen Latifah To Be Honored With Award From Harvard University

Photo by Nicholas Hunt/Getty Images for Tribeca Film Festival

Latifah is one of seven honorees to receive the award.

Queen Latifah will be honored by Harvard University this month. The entertainer and rapper will be awarded Harvard's W.E.B. Du Bois Medal on October 22 for her contributions to black history and culture, according to the Associated Press.

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Latifah is one of seven honorees that will receive the award. The other honorees include poet and educator Elizabeth Alexander, Secretary of the Smithsonian Institution Lonnie Bunch III, poet Rita Dove, co-founder of Black Entertainment Television Sheila Johnson, artist Kerry James Marshall and Robert Smith, founder, chairman and chief executive of Vista Equity Partners.

Last year, Colin Kaepernick and Dave Chappelle were receipients of Harvard's W.E.B. Du Bois Medal.

Last month, Latifah spoke on Nicki Minaj's retirement. The latter had taken to Twitter to say she was retiring from music to focus on starting a family with her partner, Kenneth Petty.

Latifah voiced her support for Minaj's announcement, telling TMZ that the rapper "must be in love and happy," before adding, "Let her live, she's been grinding for a long time."

Latifah also noted rappers' tendency to continue rapping, saying, "Once you're a rapper, you're always a rapper. She'll be back."

Source: Associated Press