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Kerry Washington Feted With Parade And Roast At Harvard

CAMBRIDGE (CBS/AP) — "Scandal" actress Kerry Washington took home a shiny little pudding pot Thursday after being feted with a raucous parade through Harvard Square and a roast by Harvard University's Hasty Pudding Theatricals.

The nation's oldest collegiate theatrical organization says it named Washington as Woman of the Year because she's the first black woman to headline a network TV drama since 1974.

Kerry Washington
Actress/honoree Kerry Washington attends the Hasty Pudding Theatricals 2016 Woman of the Year Award parade on the streets of Cambridge on January 28, 2016 in Boston, Mass. (Photo by Mike Lawrie/Getty Images)

In a statement, the troupe called her a "talented and socially engaged film, TV and stage actress who keeps breaking barriers in Hollywood."

Previous Hasty Pudding honorees include Meryl Streep, Katharine Hepburn and Elizabeth Taylor. Comedian Amy Poehler won last year.

Kerry Washington
Kerry Washington is presented with the Pudding Pot during the Hasty Pudding Theatricals 2016 Woman of the Year Award. (Photo by Mike Lawrie/Getty Images)

In keeping with tradition, Washington made her way to the theater in style, riding in the back of convertible flanked by actors in colorful drag. Later, she posed with the event's signature golden pudding pot.

Washington stars as crisis management specialist Olivia Pope on the hit show "Scandal," which debuted on ABC in 2012. She's earned Golden Globe, Emmy and Screen Actors Guild nominations for the role.

Washington's character on "Scandal" loves popcorn, so they made her get to the bottom of a big bucket. She was also asked to calm a crying baby, but all she did was rally up the crowd with her excellent singing.

Actor Joseph Gordon-Levitt, this year's Man of the Year, will be feted by Hasty Pudding on Feb. 5.

(TM and © Copyright 2016 CBS Radio Inc. and its relevant subsidiaries. CBS RADIO and EYE Logo TM and Copyright 2016 CBS Broadcasting Inc. Used under license. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)

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