Chaka Khan will receive the Vanguard Award on Friday, June 12, at The Connie Orlando Foundation Presents Black Women in Music Dinner in Los Angeles. The ceremony will take place at the Audrey Irmas Pavilion and returns for its second year with a focus on Black women in music and breast cancer care.
The dinner is the foundation’s annual fundraiser for breast cancer awareness, research and care, and it is built to celebrate Black women who safeguard, preserve and elevate the music industry and their contributions to Black excellence. Zainab Johnson will host the event, while Billboard’s Gail Mitchell and producer Ebonie Smith will be honored with Angel Spotlight.
For Khan, the recognition lands in a year that has already included another major honor. In February 2026, she received a lifetime achievement award from the Recording Academy. The new award keeps her in the center of a season that is already marking her influence across music and culture.
Connie Orlando said the event began with a simple idea: to shine a light on the women who are the lifeblood of music and global culture, and to create a space where they can celebrate themselves on their own terms. She said the foundation is proud to return to honor this year’s women while continuing to raise awareness for breast cancer and invest in the health and well-being of the community.
The event is backed by HarbourView Equity Partners, with support from Amazon Music, BET Media Group, Jesse Collins Entertainment, Universal Music Group and OWN. Orlando said the partnership is intended to build something that goes beyond one night, centered on visibility, ownership and making sure Black women in music are seen, supported and sustained at every level.
HarbourView founder Sherrese Clarke said the firm centers artistry and audiences as the core of global culture, and said women bring a perspective that gives audiences the beauty and artistry they want while proving these creators deserve more than a seat at the table. She said Black Women in Music and The Connie Orlando Foundation are shaping how artistry and leadership are seen, valued and sustained, and added that HarbourView is proud to stand as the founding partner.
The all-Black women-led creative and production team behind the dinner underscores the message onstage. The event is not only honoring a roster of women who have shaped the business and sound of music, but also tying that recognition to a fundraiser aimed at care, research and prevention.
The question now is not whether the dinner can draw attention; it already has. The real test is whether the platform it is building can keep turning celebration into support for the women it says music cannot do without.
