Lena Waithe to Receive Humanitas’ ‘Voice for Change Award’ (EXCLUSIVE)

Writer/producer/actor Lena Waithe has been named this year’s honoree for Humanitas‘ “Voice for Change Award.” The Humanitas org, which announced Waithe’s selection on Tuesday, noted that the award “honors those who have created or championed visionary and courageous storytelling.”

Waithe will receive the award at the 2025 Humanitas Prizes Award Show & Toast, held on September 7 at Avalon Hollywood. TV producer and writer Mara Brock Akil (“Forever,” “The Game”) will present the honor to Waithe; one of Waithe’s first entertainment jobs was on the set of Akil’s comedy “Girlfriends.”

“Lena Waithe is a singular voice in contemporary screenwriting,” said Humanitas executive director Michelle Franke. “Humanitas has followed and admired her work for years, from the Emmy-winning ‘Master of None’ episode ‘Thanksgiving’ to the creation of ‘The Chi’ and the poetic ‘Queen & Slim’ —Lena has explored the complexities of identity, belonging, love, and resilience. Lena’s commitment to truth, especially right now, makes her work culturally vital, profoundly human, and rare. It’s an honor to present her with The Voice for Change Award at such an important time.”

Past honorees and speakers have included Ava DuVernay, Norman Lear, Kenya Barris, Greta Gerwig, Taika Waititi, Charise Castro Smith, Dee Rees, Mike Nichols, Frank Darabont, Soo Hugh, Robb Chavis, Amy Sherman-Palladino, Lulu Wang and Filmmakers for Ukraine.

Humanitas, a nonprofit that “honors and empowers television and film writers whose work explores the human condition in a nuanced, meaningful way,” will also announce the winners of the 2025 Humanitas Prizes at the event.

Nominations for this year’s Humanitas Prizes, which have been awarded annually since 1974, are expected to be announced in the second week of July. Past projects honored with the Humanitas include “Pachinko,” “All in the Family,” “The Handmaid’s Tale,” “The Last of Us,” “ER,” “Hidden Figures,” “Black-ish,” and more.

The event will also recognize winners of its 2025 New Voices Fellowship and College Screenwriting Awards. Funds raised at the ceremony support The Humanitas Prizes, New Voices Fellowship and College Screenwriting Awards, along with the org’s public programs.