Black excellence filled the Hollywood Palladium on Monday night as the EBONY Power 100 Gala returned to Los Angeles to honor the leaders shaping culture, business and representation.
The annual gala, held November 9, celebrates the names on EBONY's Power 100 list, the magazine's yearly honor for influential Black leaders and changemakers. EBONY was founded in 1945 by John H. Johnson, and the night carried that history with it. This year theme, "The Stories We Shape," celebrated the leaders driving culture, economic impact and representation across every field.
Gospel singer Kirk Franklin opened the proceedings with a prayer and a musical performance, then stepped into the crowd for a spirited dance with Debbie Allen, one of the night's honorees.
For Allen, the night was personal. She told Reuters on the red carpet that Ebony Magazine was important to her when she was four years old. "I used to drool over the pictures and seeing all the people from my community, learning about ourselves and celebrating our culture," she said. "It means a lot."
EBONY CEO Eden Bridgeman Sklenar encouraged the room to put down their phones and take in the people around them. "There are doctors here, philanthropists, entrepreneurs, titans of the industry, media moguls and mavens, athletes, entertainers across music, stage, film and television," she said. "And tonight, somehow, all of our lives are intersecting."
The Hollywood honorees included Jay Z, Megan Thee Stallion, Alicia Keys, Brandy, Keke Palmer, Questlove and Lena Waithe, a lineup that spanned music, film, television and business. Waithe took the stage during the ceremony and spoke to the theme of the night. "This year's theme is all about stories, and I'm grateful to call myself a storyteller," she said. "All of us have something to say."
The red carpet brought out stars across generations, with Tiffany Haddish, Monica and Tia Mowry among the names photographed on the night. The gala has become one of the biggest rooms in Black Hollywood, a place where music legends, actors, athletes and business leaders share the same stage.
Sklenar said EBONY has spent decades connecting changemakers across generations, including many of those gathered for the gala. On a night built around the stories Black leaders shape, the room itself was the story: a celebration of how far the community has come, and of the people still writing what comes next.
Sources: Reuters via Devdiscourse, Page Six
