Toni Vaz's family funds Hollywood star two years after her death

Toni Vaz, a Harlem native who created the NAACP Image Awards, will receive a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame only if her family can meet a strict financial deadline.

Vaz was selected for the honor in 2024, a process that requires the honoree to pay for their own star. The cost at the time of her selection ranged from $75,000 to $85,000. Vaz died a few months after receiving the selection, leaving her family with a two-year window to secure the funds and schedule the ceremony.

Her great-niece, Cheryl Abbott, is leading the effort through the Toni Vaz Foundation. Abbott, a talent manager and booking agent, stated that Vaz spent her life trying to expand the roles available to actors of color. Abbott said, "She did it not just for herself. She did it for the generations in front of her, for a little girl that might walk by and say, 'Mommy, I want to be an actress.'"

A GoFundMe campaign is currently active to help the family cover the costs. Abbott emphasized that her goal is to ensure Vaz’s name remains in the history books. She added, "I just want to make sure that her name goes down in history, that it stays in the history books, that people know that if you do have a dream and you want to make a difference in a change, you can do it."

Vaz’s career spanned the 1960s and 1970s. She performed stunts for actresses including Dorothy Dandridge, Eartha Kitt, and Cicely Tyson. Her creation of the NAACP Image Awards, which held its first ceremony in 1967, stands as one of her most recognized contributions to the entertainment industry.

Mahalet Dejene, a Black actress who appeared in the 2021 "Gossip Girl" sequel and "New Amsterdam," noted that while opportunities have increased, gaps remain. Dejene described the current state of the industry as needing "meaningful diversity." She observed that people of color are often cast as secondary characters rather than leads in major plotlines.

Dejene credited performers like Vaz with opening doors for later stars such as Viola Davis and Angela Bassett. She acknowledged that public recognition, such as a Walk of Fame star, provides access for the wider community. Dejene remarked on the irony of the institution's cost, stating, "The Hollywood Walk of Fame is a cross-cultural zeitgeist, the thing that suggests you have made it in this career, but you do have to pay for it!"