With its Dec./Jan. issue—hitting newsstands the week of November 5—EBONY magazine reveals its 2012 Power 100 list of the nation’s most influential African Americans. The annual Power 100 is a broad-range listing of politicians and athletes, entertainers and CEOs, authors and digerati. Top players in the worlds of religion, business, media, the creative arts and more are celebrated based on their impactful ideas and influence. “In this issue, EBONY selects the 100 primary influencers and game changers who have made vital accomplishments during the past year,” say the magazine’s editors.
SEE EBONY POWER 100 GALA PHOTOS!
In celebration, the first annual EBONY Power 100 Gala was held at New York City’s Jazz at Lincoln Center’s Frederick P. Rose Hall on November 2. The invitation-only event featured special performances by Grammy-winning hip-hop band The Roots, classical violinist Brendon Elliott, the Abyssinian Baptist Church Choir, the Black Monks of Mississippi and selected cast from the Broadway musical Fela!
EBONY Power 100 Gala sponsors include Nationwide Insurance, Chevrolet, Georgia-Pacific, Loop Capital, Hennessy and United Airlines, official airline partner of the EBONY Power 100.
The magazine commemorates the following Power 100 luminaries (in no particular order):
- Cornel West, Ph.D
- LeBron James
- Barack Obama
- T. J. Martin
- Eric Holder
- Mary Mary
- Bishop T. D. Jakes
- Jesse Williams
- Michelle Obama
- Susan E. Rice, Ph.D
- Tananarive Due
- The Honorable Minister Louis Farrakhan
- Cee Lo Green
- Beverly Daniel Tatum, Ph.D
- Frederick D. Haynes III, Ph.D
- Robin Roberts
- Toni Morrison
- Natasha Eubanks
- Ava DuVernay
- Mara Brock Akil and Salim Akil
- Zane
- Tracy K. Smith
- Cynthia Hale, D. Min.
- Bonita Stewart
- Beyoncé and Jay-Z
- Django Unchained
- Ashley and JaQuavis
- Gen. Lloyd J. Austin III
- Tyler Perry
- Beverly Bond
- Ronnie and Lamar Tyler
- Amos Winbush III
- Alicia Hall Moran and Jason Moran
- Maurice Marable
- Misty Copeland
- Trayvon Martin
- Stephen DeBerry
- Diann Valentine
- James McLurkin, Ph.D
- Karen Washington
- Norris McDonald
- James Andrews
- Brenda A. and Larry D. Thompson
- Marjorie Harvey
- Janet Emerson Bashen
- Don Thompson
- Wesley Morris
- Gabby Douglas
- Nekesa Mumbi Moody
- Kevin Hart
- Tom Joyner
- Cathy Hughes
- MSNBC
- Cam Newton
- John W. Rogers Jr.
- Vanessa Morrison Murchinson
- Wendy Williams
- Edward T. Welburn Jr.
- Think Like a Man
- Steve Harvey
- Serena Williams
- Shonda Rhimes
- Mark Dean, Ph.D
- Kevin Durant
- Rihanna
- Catherine Brewton
- Karen Civil
- Lorrie Bartlett
- Ken Chenault
- Ellen McClain
- Earvin “Magic” Johnson
- James Reynolds Jr.
- Dick Parsons
- Pearlena Igbokwe
- Trevor Edwards
- Rodney Williams
- John Lewis
- Rosalind Brewer
- Salaam Coleman Smith
- Samuel L. Jackson
- Anthony Hemingway
- Theaster Gates
- Michelle Alexander
- Valentino D. Carlotti
- Oprah Winfrey
- Danny Glover
- Rev. Fred Luter Jr.
- Dr. Dre
- Anthony Davis
- Lisa Jackson
- Jesse E. Russell
- June Ambrose
- Jurnee Smollett
- Henry Louis Gates Jr.
- Tavis Smiley
- Debra Lee
- Joan Smalls
- Nina Shaw
- Nicki Minaj
- Valeisha Butterfield-Jones