The woman Diahann Carroll was speaking about is Diana Sands. She played Sidney Poitier's sister in A Raisin in the Sun. All of the character names in my novel are an combination of names, different first and last names, from Black History.
The protagonist in one of my novels Diana Edwards, is named for Diana Sands and screenwriter Rob Edwards. At the end of my novels there will be a glossary stating The real person behind the name I selected as a way of not letting their legacy die