Peabody Jurors Honor Beyoncé’s ‘Lemonade, Donald Glover’s ‘Atlanta’

By Sameer Rao Apr 21, 2017

Two award-winning television projects from Black creators exploring contemporary Black culture, identity and art in the South earned Peabody Awards yesterday (April 20).

Per a blog post on PeabodyAwards.com, the board of jurors recognized Beyoncé‘s HBO-aired visual album, "Lemonade," and Donald Glover‘s FX series, "Atlanta," with honors in the entertainment category.

The announcement included the following descriptions for "Atlanta" and "Lemonade," respectively:

Donald Glover’s enchanting series on the struggles of two young Black men trying to make it in Atlanta’s rap scene blends vibrant character study and rich socio-political commentary in delivering a detailed and textured exploration of a Southern city.

"Lemonade" draws from the prolific literary, musical, cinematic and aesthetic sensibilities of Black cultural producers to create a rich tapestry of poetic innovation. The audacity of its reach and fierceness of its vision challenges our cultural imagination, while crafting a stunning and sublime masterpiece about the lives of women of color and the bonds of friendship seldom seen or heard in American popular culture.

Both projects received other high-profile awards this year; Beyoncé won the Grammy for "Best Urban Contemporary Album," while Glover earned "Best Television Series—Musical or Comedy" and "Best Performance by an Actor in a Television Series—Musical or Comedy" Golden Globes. 

The Peabody Awards’ jurors previously named 12 documentary winners, including Ava DuVernay‘s “13th” and Ezra Edelman‘s "O.J.: Made in America," and two institutional and individual honorees. They will reveal journalism winners on April 25.

The 76th Annual Peabody Awards Ceremony, hosted by actress and director Rashida Jones ("Angie Tribeca"), will highlight winners across all of the aforementioned categories. The telecast airs May 20 on PBS and Fusion.