Since 2015, the Truth Awards have stood as a premier cultural celebration, honoring the achievements and profound influence of Black LGBTQ+ leaders across entertainment, business, politics, and the arts.
Founded by Better Brothers Los Angeles in partnership with Emmy Award-winning actress and activist Sheryl Lee Ralph’s DIVA Foundation, the annual event has grown into a powerful platform for community building, visibility, and philanthropy.
Over the past decade, the organization has awarded more than $350,000 in scholarships to over 50 LGBTQ+ students, ensuring that the next generation of leaders has access to vital educational opportunities.
This coming weekend, Los Angeles will host the 12th annual Truth Awards, spanning three days of programming designed to celebrate culture, leadership, and community impact.
The festivities kick off on Friday, March 20, with the Passing the Torch Awards, an event dedicated to honoring emerging Black queer creators and innovators. The weekend’s flagship event, the Truth Awards Gala and Scholarship Ceremony, takes place on Saturday, March 21, at the Beverly Hilton, where hundreds of guests will gather to celebrate community legends and scholarship recipients. The celebration will conclude on Sunday, March 22, with an intimate Community Brunch focused on faith, family, and conversations around health equity.
This year’s Truth Awards will honor an incredible lineup of trailblazers, including Vivica A. Fox (who is hosting), Don Lemon, Jenifer Lewis, Carlos King, Durand Bernarr, Flame Monroe, Nneka Onuorah, and Dr. Keith Graham. Friday’s Passing the Torch Awards will recognize rising stars such as Dewayne Perkins, Jordan E. Cooper, WNBA player Sidney Colson, Eric Hart Jr., and Willie Green.
Ahead of this weekend, we sat down with BBLA and Truth Awards co-founders V. Scott Hamilton and Vincent Holmes. In this exclusive Q&A, they discuss the origins of Better Brothers Los Angeles, the inspiration behind creating the Truth Awards, and the importance of visibility, allyship, and community support for Black LGBTQ+ individuals.
[Interview has been edited for length and clarity]
The Quintessential Gentleman: What is Better Brothers Los Angeles and why did you create it?
Vincent Holmes: Better Brothers L.A. was created by Scott and I. It’s been a decade ago now. And it was created really to create safe spaces in L.A. for the Black queer community. We did it because at that time, most of the clubs and the gathering spaces were closing. So there just wasn’t very many spaces for us to sort of gather collectively to socialize, to be in community with each other. We decided, just one night, let’s invite some friends to a happy hour. Forty people showed up. The owners of the establishment asked us if we wanted to do this on a regular basis. Better Brothers started doing happy hours, which turned into information sessions, cultural events, scholarship fundraisers, all kinds of events. And then Scott actually came up with the idea for the Truth Awards, and we found ourselves putting on an award show as well, literally within a year.
QG: So Scott, the Truth Awards. Is it the 12th year of the Truth Awards? What was the idea behind starting this award show?
Scott Hamilton: I guess it was around 2014… watching the People’s Choice Awards. There was a known individual who received an award who thanked everybody but their partner. I think in the community, everyone knew they had a partner. I remember talking to Vincent and saying, “It’s weird that all the individuals we see and know have partners, have husbands, have wives… but when they’re acknowledged publicly, they don’t acknowledge them.” I was just like, we should create an award show where people can actually be recognized, live their truth, thank their spouses. And then Vincent added, “Well, we can’t just be giving out awards. We need to be doing something besides just giving out awards. And so that’s how we developed the scholarship fund.”
QG: Tell me more about the philanthropic aspect of the award show.
SH: For the past 11 years, we’ve actually given out $350,000 in scholarships. The very first year, we gave out two $500 scholarships. We were challenged by people who attended the award show, “like y’all have to give out more money.” So we then in turn challenged them that if you want us to give out more scholarship funds, help us raise more scholarship funds. Jason Lee, who was one of our honorees that year, matched our scholars each with five thousand dollars. The following year, Tiffany Haddish’s foundation actually donated forty thousand dollars. Our scholarships range from high school seniors to grad students. Over the course of these 11 years, we’ve given out $350,000 and look to give out another $50,000 on Saturday.
QG: What are you kind of seeing in terms of the representation, as it pertains to the attendance and who is a part of Better Brothers of Los Angeles, as well as attending the Truth Awards?
VH: Better Brothers started out providing services mostly to Black gay men. That expanded as we started offering more workshops and programs. We saw more of an influx of trans individuals, lesbians, etc. So it became more of an inclusive, diverse group. The Truth Awards is really for the entire community. Wherever you fall along the alphabet, there’s a space for you at the Truth Awards.
QG: How did the partnership with Sheryl Lee Ralph’s Diva Foundation come about?
Scott Hamilton: Ten years before Better Brothers L.A… I served as Ms. Ralph’s executive assistant and road manager. When Vincent and I had this idea, she knew we had started Better Brothers L.A. I went to her and said, “Hey, we got this idea for this award show. With the Diva Foundation, can you partner with us?” And her response was, “Sure, just don’t F up my name.” At the end of the first show, she pulled us to the side and literally said, “We got something… Just look at this room. We have something.” From March 28th, 2015, till today, the Diva Foundation and Sheryl Lee Ralph has been a partner.
QG: What do you think Black men can do a better job of to ensure we continue to progress and succeed in America?
VH: We started the Truth Awards because we wanted to increase our visibility. We wanted the larger Black community to see that we’re here. We are your judges, your lawyers, your actors, your stylists. As Black gay men, as Black straight men, we are all in this fight together. Oftentimes, when we get pulled over by the police, they’re not asking about your sexual orientation or your gender identity. They see a Black man in the car. We are way stronger together than we are separate. We’ve gotten tons of support from Black straight men. We want to do as much as we can to strengthen those bonds and those ties, because at the end of the day, we’re all in this together.
Get tickets to The Truth Awards here. Check out the full conversation below.
Photo Credit: Courtesy of Better Brothers Los Angeles
