Living legend Diahann Carroll, star of stage and screen, deserves every accolade thrown her way. The pioneering actress was honored at the private “House of Flowers” dinner on October 19, at the home of film and TV producer Tracey Edmonds. Also in honor of Cheryl Boone Isaacs—the first African-American president of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences—the event brought a who’s who of Black sisterhood. Among the guests: groundbreaking model Beverly Johnson, Motown impresario Suzanne de Passe, ​actress Anika Noni Rose, ​​Hollywood legend Debbie Allen and Johnson Publishing Company’s own Chairman Linda Johnson Rice and CEO Desirée Rogers.

Emmy-nominated TV and motion picture producer Debra Martin Chase hosted the grand event. “Diahann Carroll and Cheryl Boone Isaacs are both true pioneers—one of the greatest entertainers in history who has transcended racial barriers throughout her career and the first African-American president of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences,” said Martin Chase. “I am so excited to bring together some of the most fabulous and accomplished women in America for an evening to celebrate these two fabulous Black women. They inspire us all to continue to strive for greatness.”

The evening’s theme was based on the 1954 Truman Capote play of the same name that launched Carroll’s acting career. House of Flowers was put together by event producers Shauna Bain Smith and Events by André Wells.