the root 100
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The Root 100 No. 1s: Melissa Harris-Perry Lets the World Know She Is Not Your Mammy
The indomitable Melissa Harris-Perry, once the voice of the weekends through her two-hour show on MSNBC—at once ritual before brunch or church or work and a much-needed respite from the unceasing whiteness of political punditry—gave us #Nerdland, that delicious slice of TV that wasn’t white-centered, wasn’t male-centered and was here for all the blerds who…
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The Root 100: Time to Nominate Your Picks for Our Annual List of the Most Influential African Americans
Every year The Root pays tribute to black innovators, leaders and world changers with The Root 100, our annual list of the most influential African Americans, ages 25 to 45. And now it’s time for you, the public, to help shape this list by nominating the people you think represent the best and brightest in…
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Started From the Blog, Now We’re Here: When Shonda Rhimes Wants to Turn Your Book Into a TV Show, Let Her
We’re living in a DIY culture, and there’s no one more do-it-yourself than bloggers. Blogging is a means of communication, self-expression, culture, news and so much more. And the people who create blogs are typically ridiculously talented and effortlessly wear the responsibility of being a voice for their culture. Bloggers are inspiring, to say the…
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Watch: Get to Know Many of Our Incredible 2016 #TheRoot100 Honorees
The Root 100 celebrates the best and brightest of those in the black community who constantly give back to the community. Each year The Root compiles a list of the most influential African Americans in the fields of business, science, politics, technology, social justice, sports and entertainment. Our 2016 list was topped by the great…
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Symone Sanders: 'Black Women Have Been Holding Up the Mantle for America Since We Can Remember'
Symone Sanders is a force to be reckoned with, which is why she was named to The Root 100, our annual list of the most influential African Americans ages 25-45. The 26-year-old was formerly the national press secretary for Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) and was No. 65 on our list. Like her ex-boss, Symone Sanders has…
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The Blackest Moments of the 2016 The Root 100 Gala
Ain’t no party like The Root 100 gala! To quote the great prophet Joanne the Scammer, “Honestly, truly … ” The Root 100 gala fills a sprawling, well-decorated room with black philanthropic celebrities, passionate activists, truth-telling artists, hardworking sports stars and more who all have one common goal: sharing their vision to help shift and…
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Watch: Melanin on Fleek at The Root 100
OK, so I’ll admit that maybe “on fleek” is over, but it just felt right describing a celebration of melanin in the room at The Root 100 Gala Monday night. So let me have this, OK? At this point, you may have seen the epic (read: turnt) party photos showing some of the brightest thought leaders…
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What Pain Has to Teach in the Advent of a Trump Presidency
“Pain is important: how we evade it, how we succumb to it, how we deal with it, how we transcend it.” —Audre Lorde I’ll never forget Valentine’s Day my sophomore year in high school. My social status had been uplifted from chubby black kid to chubby black kid who does sports. And with my freshly…
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Bomani Jones to Host The Root 100 2016 Gala
The Root 100 is one of the biggest parties with a purpose that celebrates black excellence, activism and contributions to the world. This year’s list includes influential black people who have been responsible for some of the year’s most significant cultural moments, social movements and big ideas. Infiniti will serve as the presenting sponsor of…