Sheryl Lee Ralph reminds the world that "dreams don't have an expiration" during her Hollywood Walk of Fame ceremony

Devine commented, "I’m amazed at her ability to get things done. She was strong in 1979, and she still is strong."

Additionally, Steve Nissen, President and CEO of the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce, announced, "There’s only one, Sheryl Lee Ralph. You have joined the pantheon of greatness. We’re thrilled to name today, Sheryl Lee Ralph Day in Hollywood!"

Ralph herself shared, "I can still feel the determined spirit of that little girl who dared to dream big. Growing up, I felt my big dreams had to be whispered, because that kind of ambition could be mistaken for arrogance. I have been counted out, I have been passed over, I have been told I was too Black, too strong, and too much, and yet, here, I stand."

Naturally, Ralph also took the time to give the Black actresses who came before her their well-deserved flowers: "This star isn’t just mine, it belongs to every performer who made space for me, when there seemed to be no space. Ruby Dee, Rosalind Cash, Cicely Tyson, Virginia Capers, and many more women whose brilliance lit the path for me during my darkest professional moments. This star is for the work still to come, for the legacy I leave, walking in their footsteps and Mr. Poitier’s too. Making the path wider for young artists to follow."

She ended by thanking those who told her, "you're not this, you're not that. You're too Black, you're too short, not Black enough, you're not this, you're not that," adding how some of them were "not kind about it." However, she pointed out that their rejection was really a redirection, all leading to this very moment.

She even offered some advice for those experiencing a similar scenario: "You’re thinking your dreams don't matter. You keep on. Keep doing the work. Dreams don't have an expiration." 

"It is only over when you stop and when you say it is over. But keep showing up. Keep being your authentic self. Keep speaking the truth," continued the actress. "Cause one day, baby, you just might look down and find your name written amongst the stars."

Ralph currently plays Barbara Howard on ABC's Abbott Elementary, which just concluded its fourth season.