“How do you live out your black excellence?” I enjoyed listening to all of the interviewees’ responses to my question as I hosted the green carpet event for the 2019 Root 100 gala. Some furrowed their brows before answering, others took a beat, while my favorites shot back, “great question!” At events like The Root 100, it is so easy to believe “black excellence” only looks like formal wear, full faces of makeup, rubbing elbows with the elite, and being our ancestors’ wildest dreams come true. But fortunately, the notion is much more than that. It looks like training underrepresented communities in tech, leading the Black AIDS Institute, and so much more. Sometimes the most excellent thing of all that we can do as black people living in the United States is to survive. Check out the recap video above where all forms of black excellence were front and center as we celebrated the 10th anniversary of The Root 100.