We here at The Root always look forward to The Root 100, our annual list celebrating the best and brightest in the fields of social justice, politics, entertainment, sports, media, the arts, science/technology and business. But we’re really looking forward to this year’s list with an extra level of anticipation.
This year will mark the 10th anniversary of The Root 100 and the celebration is about to be lit! But before we can get to the gala in November, we need your help, as always, with finding the honorees.
The list has always had its fair share of athletes (last year, LeBron James ranked No. 4, and Serena Williams, No. 7) and celebrities (Issa Rae, No. 10; Lena Waithe, No. 8; Donald Glover, No. 15), as well as activists (No. 1 on our list in 2018 was the incomparable Tarana Burke, founder of the Me Too movement) and politicians (Stacey Abrams, No. 3 and Andrew Gillum, No. 19)
But what makes our annual list of the most influential African Americans age 25 to 45 really shine are the unsung heroes who finally get the recognition they so richly deserve. Like scientist Mandë Holford (No. 84), who studies venomous snails to figure out how cancer cell works or Ramunda Young (No. 86), a D.C. bookstore owner who is standing up against the big book chains (and behemoth Amazon) to celebrate and encourage black writers. Or Akbar Cook (No. 55), a Newark, N.J. principal who opened an on-campus laundromat to combat bullying.
You, dear reader, have until June 23 to tell us about all those extraordinary people who personify black excellence and help uplift our community in the past year. To nominate someone for The Root 100, please fill out this form.