NEW YORK — Former Vice President Kamala Harris is to receive the NAACP ‘s Chairman’s Award during the civil rights organization’s Image Awards ceremony this weekend.

Harris, defeated by Donald Trump in last year’s presidential election, was the first woman and the first person of color to serve as vice president. She had previously been a U.S. senator from California and the state’s attorney general.

“Vice President Kamala Harris is more than a leader — she is a force of change, driven by an unwavering passion to shape a brighter, more equitable future. It is with great honor that we present her with the Chairman’s Award at this year’s NAACP Image Awards, celebrating her relentless dedication to justice, equality, and the betterment of our society,” Leon W. Russell, chair of the NAACP’s national board of directors, said in a statement Monday.

Other winners of the Chairman’s prize have included former President Barack Obama, the late Rep. John Lewis and the late actor Ruby Dee.

The Image Awards, co-presented by the NAACP and BET, will take place Saturday at the Pasadena Civic Auditorium in California. Categories range from entertainer of the year to best movie to outstanding work of poetry.