Tracee Ellis Ross accepts the Pathbreaker of the Year Award onstage during the EBONY Power 100 Gala at The Beverly Hilton on November 04, 2025 in Beverly Hills, California. Arnold Turner/Getty Images for EBONY Media Group Share on Facebook Share on X Share to Flipboard Send an Email Show additional share options Share on LinkedIn Share on Pinterest Share on Reddit Share on Tumblr Share on Whats App Print the Article Post a Comment Ebony Magazine held its annual Ebony Power 100 Gala, recognizing industry leaders in music, media, business, entertainment, sports and more at the Beverly Hilton in Los Angeles on Nov. 4. Actress and comedian Robin Thede hosted the event, which featured performances by Ari Lennox and Lucky Daye and honored Tracee Ellis Ross, Teyana Taylor, Shaquille O'Neal, Iman, Olandria Carthen and Lonnie Bunch III as distinguished awardees. Ava DuVernay spoke to the current political climate in her presentation of the Humanitarian Award to Bunch III, the fourteenth secretary of the Smithsonian and the first African American and first historian to serve as head of the Institution. Related Stories TV Teyana Taylor Takes Over TV Sarah Paulson Reveals Why Teyana Taylor Calls Her 'All's Fair' Character the "Menace" of the Series "As he leads the Smithsonian, he stands at the center of a storm," the Oscar-nominated director began. "Dark forces are moving against him. People who despise truth because it unmasks their myths. They call history divisive, and they call honesty unpatriotic and they want museums emptied of context and classrooms emptied of complexity and they want want us empty of courage. But Dr. Bunch stands firm. He refuses to let the story of America be stripped of its heart and its struggle and its grace, and it's a hard fight," said DuVernay. "Tonight, I want to thank Ebony for recognizing this hero who doesn't walk red carpets or pose under spotlights, but he fights every day for the soul of our shared story." Ross reunited with Girlfriends co-stars Jill Marie Jones, Persia White and Golden Brooks, who presented her with the Pathbreaker of the Year award, recognizing her longevity onscreen and business savvy as founder of Pattern Beauty. "Earlier this year, I launched Solo Traveling with Tracee Ellis Ross on Roku channel, and I was delighted to find how deeply it resonated with people, like Pattern," Ross said in her acceptance speech. "This show was my way of filling a gap in how we see ourselves in the world. The show is an invitation to experience your life fully on your own terms, and to choose yourself again and again and again. I tell you all of this to say, please do not wait for something, somewhere or someone, in order to experience all that's possible for your life. Dream big and intentionally, and work hard to make those dreams come true. And even when they don't go as you had planned, or hoped or wished, or as the world had prescribed to you, choose to live joyfully. This is my life philosophy. "I refuse to shrink myself or wait for permission to live a meaningful and adventurous life," Ross continued. "And as I've said before, and as my life has proven, you do not have to push out a baby to help push humanity forward. You don't have to be partnered in order to have a fulfilling life. I cultivate pleasure and delight at the same time that I'm staying open for someone's dusty son," she joked. "I'm just kidding about the dusty. I've done enough dust. I'm open and I'm available for my life and my partner and other blessings that might lead me on the path. So Ebony, if by Pathbreaker you mean me joining the ever-expanding forest of Black women owning our legacies and being of service to our communities with the things that we make, then I accept this with great humility on behalf of all of us. And just so you know, I'm just getting started." One Battle After Another star Taylor tearfully accepted the Entertainer of the Year Award presented to her by Taraji P. Henson with a prayer expressing gratitude to God for her daughters with ex-husband Iman Shumpert and her current partner, Aaron Pierre. "Thank you for placing the right people around me, the perfect energy, the perfect village, my babies, my parents, my man, my reps at WME, my reps at my label Def Jam, all my family and friends that I love and respect so much," stated Taylor. "Thank you for loving me the way you do. Thank you for holding me down. I don't take it lightly, and I don't take it for granted. God, in the name of Jesus, gives all the glory. And y'all tonight get all my love." Shaq accepted the Junior Bridgeman Entrepreneur of the Year Award from sports agent and Klutch Sports Group founder Rich Paul, named in honor of the former basketball player who, in 2020, acquired Ebony and Jet magazines. Bridgeman died in March of this year at the age of 71. "I've been fortunate to accomplish a lot in my career," O'Neal began. "These days, my focus is on carrying that same spirit forward, building strong partnerships and