Activist protests ‘Barbershop’

The controversy over “Barbershop,” the film about a black barbershop released in September, continues to simmer. Community activist Najee Ali, the head of Project Islamic Hope, is holding a news conference today to protest the NAACP Image Award nominations given to “Barbershop” last week. Ali said he was opposed to irreverent remarks made in the movie about civil rights icons Rosa Parks and Martin Luther King Jr.

The remarks were made by a character played by Cedric the Entertainer, who received an Image Award nomination for outstanding supporting actor.

“The NAACP Image Awards has delivered a slap in the face to the legacy of Dr. King and Rosa Parks,” Ali said in a statement released Monday. “Cedric the Entertainer should not be awarded with an Image Award nomination for his disparaging remarks about Dr. King and Rosa Parks. We should not reward buffoonery, cooning or disparaging remarks against civil rights icons for a two-second laugh.”

Executives with the NAACP could not be reached for comment.