Issa Rae Awarded Key To Inglewood: ‘I Will Always Put On For My City’

Source: Leon Bennett / Getty

Issa Rae manifested this moment!

The Insecure creator and star was honored with the key to Inglewood during the city’s annual Taste of Inglewood festival on Feb. 12. She’s now the first person in the city’s history to receive the massive award.

Now, remember on the final episode of Insecure when Issa Dee was presented the key to Inglewood by Mayor Tyra Banks? Talk about a full circle moment!

On Saturday, real-life Mayor James T. Butts blessed Issa with the giant key and deemed her the “Queen of Inglewood.” The ceremony took place right across the street from SoFi Stadium, where Super Bowl LVI took place.

“I’m a little emotional, I’m trying to be a thug right now. The mayor really flabbergasted me in that this is the first key in 114 years,” Rae said during her speech. “It’s a huge honor and I just want to thank you all so much for your support. Thank you to the mayor, thank you to the city of Inglewood for making it so easy for us to film here, for helping us to showcase this city that I love so much.”

In Inglewood this afternoon, 24 hours before Super Bowl kickoff at SoFi across the street, as Issa Rae is given the key to the city. It’s the first one given in Inglewood’s 100+ year history pic.twitter.com/AXAVD6RnTl

— Kirsten Chuba (@KirstenChuba) February 12, 2022

Rae continued:

“I have to give love to my grandparents who have lived here, have lived in Briarwood for a long time and who established my first point of view of Inglewood and love the city themselves; my mom and my sister who live here actively and just for being here. I have to give a shout-out to my collaborators and my company members at Hoorae who have come out here to support me. I’m truly honored to receive this. I will always put on for my city: Inglewood, South L.A., stand up.”

The Inglewood native has shown so much love to her hometown on screen in Insecure, which ended its five season long run back in December, and on her new HBO MAX series, Sweet Life: Los Angeles. The actress has also poured back into the city financially by supporting a wealth of black businesses while growing her very own chain of coffee shops called the Hilltop Coffee and Kitchen. Rae previously spoke to PEOPLE about why she’s so comitted to elevating her community.

“Just thinking about shopping small and Black businesses in general, the last couple of years, even in my neighborhood, our businesses have been most affected by the pandemic. And so to be able to just support them genuinely and supporting families feels right and important to me,” she explained.

They don’t call Inglewood “The City Of Champions” for nothing!