Sheryl Lee Ralph Proud of National Honour

It was with a sense of pride that actress and cultural ambassador, Sheryl Lee Ralph, accepted the Order of Jamaica (OJ), during the Ceremony of Investiture and Presentation of National Honours and Awards at King’s House on October 17.

She was awarded the national honour for her sterling contribution to the international film industry.

“I thought it was a feeling of elation when I won the Emmy, but to be conferred with the Order of Jamaica [after] my mother [Ivy Ralph] had been conferred with the Order of Distinction… .  I feel so proud,” she told JIS News after the ceremony.

Ms. Ralph was among seven women who received the nation’s fifth highest honour and 10 overall recipients for that category.

The Abbott Elementary star said that receiving the OJ was the “icing on the cake”, coming on the heels of her winning the Emmy Award for Best Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series on September 12.

Mrs. Ralph was only the second Black woman to win the Emmy in that category since 1987.

Noting that she is “thriving in her winning season” Mrs. Ralph said she remains committed to excellence in all her endeavours.

“As a child, [I learned] ‘good, better, best, never let it rest, ‘til your good is better and your better best’. That has been in my mind since I was a little one [and] these things have never left me,” she told JIS News.

She encouraged Jamaicans, whenever they are in a low season of their life, to reflect on the words of the National Anthem, which will help to “take you through anything”.

The annual National Heroes Day ceremony was being held physically for the first time since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic.