A jumpstart to the week, and a big one to celebrate and contemplate: In its 11th year running, the Root 100 was just published, the annual list of “the most influential African Americans, ages 25 to 45,” selected by The Root’s editorial staff. It’s a powerful lineup.
Go check. It’s here! Share it. Argue over it! Use exclamation marks! Tweet about it! Agree or disagree with the selections, and once you’re done sharing and debating it, learn from it. Discover or rediscover the 100 people honored by the site’s editors, writers, and producers. The team, led by Editor-in-Chief Danielle Belton and Managing Editor Genetta Adams, considered hundreds of publicly submitted nominees and, with the help of a custom-built algorithm, weighed influence by reach—the audiences touched across digital platforms and social media—and substance—the overall impact of work on communities, culture, and society. Winners were picked from the finalists pool by a committee of award-winning, National Association of Black Journalists–honored contributors.
“This year is more important than ever to highlight those making strides to stand up against social injustices, no matter how large or small,” Belton says.
While you’re browsing the list and learning about people on it—and sweating why you yourself, or influencers you cherish, didn’t make it—be sure to follow The Root’s editorial crew for continuing analysis and insight in the runup to the election. Follow Belton, Adams, Michael Harriot, Anne Branigin, Felice León, Terrell Jermaine Starr, and many other staffers, past and present, including, of recent Root glory, Danielle Young and Ashley Velez, two of the premier voices in video journalism and narrative storytelling.
Here’s the full The Root 100. Congrats to the honorees, and the staff behind it.
