Kerry Washington is celebrating a “bucket list” moment by receiving a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame

Kerry Washington’s star status was cemented for generations to return. On December 2, Washington was inducted into the Hollywood Walk of Fame and honored along with his own terrazzo and brass star for his television achievements. As she said People Magazine immediately following the induction ceremony, the coveted tribute had special meaning for her father, Earl Washington.

“For my dad, it was kind of a bucket list achievement,” she explained. “I think it was something my dad always dreamed about and asked me about, so it was really special to be here today to share this moment with my parents and have them here with me.”

“Here we are, Mom, Dad; can you believe it? A true star,” Washington, 47, said during her award acceptance speech. “You made a wish and it came true.”

Joined by Washington’s parents, Earl and Valerie Washington, and husband, actor and producer Nnamdi Asomugha, Shonda Rhimes, Tyler Perry, Morris Chestnut, Yvette Lee Bowser and several other other stars Washington in Perry’s latest Netflix film “The Six Triple Eight” , were on hand to honor the memory of their colleague and friend.

“(And) when I think about the life she has lived as an activist, as a woman, as a person, as a person of color, the character that she represents for all to see, I am incredibly proud of her.” Perry said at the podium.

In her remarks, Washington shared a special anecdote about the importance that the Hollywood Walk of Fame has in her family, not just for her father, but additionally for her uncle, Cliff Moss, who was one of several members of her maternal family who emigrated from Jamaica to New York. Decades later, he captured his own moment on the Hollywood Walk of Fame while vacationing in Los Angeles.

“…(H)e found a star with his name on it somewhere on the Walk of Fame,” recalls Washington. “Maybe it was Jerry Moss or Elizabeth Moss. We don’t actually know who it was because he used his body and camera angle to obscure the name or the real recipient… all that was visible was his proud smile and the “Mech” surrounded by a star. “

“He got here all the way from Simpson Street (in the Bronx, New York) to Hollywood because, like his parents, he had the courage to dream. Mom and pa also taught me to dream,” she added.

As the recipient of the 2,796th star on the Walk of Fame, Washington now wants to meet the dreams of those that might follow the same path

“Now I’m spinning in a galaxy of other stars, all encouraging each other to shine brightly and light the way for others’ dreams,” she said in her speech. “It’s cool for me to imagine a kid named Washington — or maybe named Kerry — using his selfie pose to cover half of my name to make room for his legacy.”