READ MORE: Andre Harrell, founder of Uptown Records, is dead at 59
Foxx continued, describing a throwback story from when he was first starting out in the industry and witnessed actress Charlize Theron from across the room at an event.
Foxx later went on to win the Oscar for Ray, which he says made Harrell proud being that it was a film that celebrated Black excellence.
“But with Harrell’s words ringing in my ears about Black excellence I said ‘I’m not changing my speech,'” Foxx said on Sunday.
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Foxx wasn’t the only Black star who attributed much of their drive to Harrell.
However, Harrell’s Black excellence extended well beyond the music industry as politicians Rep. Barbara Lee and Rep. Maxine Waters provided emotional testimonies about a man who wasn’t in the same industry as them, but who moved them with his passion for voter education.
