Man I was emotional here, because my heart was full listening to everyone’s powerful speeches, then “My Way” was played as I walked on stage. I was also deeply inspired, because I’m a proud, self respecting Black Samoan man who was surrounded by excellence on this night. THANK YOU to the @ABFF for this inspiring award, and more importantly, thank you for illuminating our cultures, artists and their beautiful souls. When you come up like I did, it creates a fire in your spine, callouses on your hands and forces you to chase greatness and work to achieve excellence. To be that example for my kids and the the next generation who will stand on my/ OUR shoulders. Work hard, take care of your family, protect your aura + energy, lift everyone up around you, run towards the things you LOVE, and a core motivating philosophy I keep very close… just because something’s never been done before, doesn’t mean it can’t be done ~ it just means we haven’t figured out a way to do it. Cheers to always finding a way. 🤎🥂 #AmericanBlackFilmFestival #IconAward “Endurance, commitment, the decision to keep showing up” ~ Queen Angela Basset