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NAACP Vanguard Award given to Wyclef Jean, Feb. 26 on FOX

By April MacIntyre Feb 16, 2010, 15:57 GMT

Haitian-American musician Wyclef Jean performs at the \'Hope for Haiti Now: A Global Benefit for Earthquake Relief\' concert in New York city, USA, on 22 January 2010. A powerful earthquake hit Haiti on January 12 2010, leaving thousands dead and many displaced. EPA/EVAN AGOSTINI

Grammy Award-winning musician Wyclef Jean will be honored with the Vanguard Award at the 41ST NAACP Image Awards, broadcast live from LA's Shrine Auditorium, Friday, Feb. 26 (8:00-10:00 PM ET live/PT tape-delayed) on FOX.

The NAACP Vanguard Award is presented to a person whose work increases understanding and awareness of racial and social issues.

Previous honorees include Tyler Perry, Russell Simmons, Aretha Franklin, Prince, Stanley Kramer and Steven Spielberg.

“The NAACP is proud to honor Wyclef Jean with this year’s Vanguard Award for his continued activism and dedication,” said NAACP President and CEO Benjamin Todd Jealous.

“His passion for social justice and helping those in need should be applauded. It was Wyclef who was on a plane shortly after the devastating earthquake hit his homeland of Haiti, and it was his dedication to the people of Haiti that helped spur all of us to donate what we could and keep the people of Haiti in our hearts and prayers.”

Wyclef Jean's musical journey began in Haiti where he first sang in his father’s church at age 3. At 10 years old, he moved with his family to the United States, where he formed his first serious musical collaboration, the Tranzlator Crew, with his New Jersey classmates Lauryn Hill and Pras Michel. By 1994, the Tranzlator Crew had become the Fugees, and the group enjoyed its first critical acclaim with its debut album, “Blunted On Reality.”

In 2005, Jean founded Yéle Haiti. The organization’s community service programs include food distribution and mobilizing emergency relief. The term “yéle” was coined by Wyclef in a song and means “a cry for freedom.” After the devastating earthquake in January, all programs now focus on the relief and reconstruction of the island nation.