Grammy award-winning singer Maxwell was honored Wednesday night by the Congressional Black Caucus for his achievements in the arts.

The CBCF and CBC Spouses Celebration of Leadership in the Fine Arts presented Maxwell with the award that celebrated his 20+ years in the music industry. The “This Woman’s Work” singer graciously accepted his award and got choked up while speaking to the audience.

“To be included and to be recognized by my peers, most of my life, I didn’t really feel Black enough or anything enough. Especially being West Indian, Haitian mother and Puerto Rican father, born in Brooklyn. All you know is 98.7 Kiss, WBLS, and you’re pretty much all of it. I feel like in some ways, my journey is to sort of express to all of us, that no matter variation of what our African is, we are Black and we are beautiful,” Maxwell said.

Maxwell was presented with the Lifetime Achievement Award for his innovative contributions to the music industry as a singer, songwriter, and producer