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):

  1. Cornel West, Ph.D
  2. LeBron James
  3. Barack Obama
  4. T. J. Martin
  5. Eric Holder
  6. Mary Mary
  7. Bishop T. D. Jakes
  8. Jesse Williams
  9. Michelle Obama
  10. Susan E. Rice, Ph.D
  11. Tananarive Due
  12. The Honorable Minister Louis Farrakhan
  13. Cee Lo Green
  14. Beverly Daniel Tatum, Ph.D
  15. Frederick D. Haynes III, Ph.D
  16. Robin Roberts
  17. Toni Morrison
  18. Natasha Eubanks
  19. Ava DuVernay
  20. Mara Brock Akil and Salim Akil
  21. Zane
  22. Tracy K. Smith
  23. Cynthia Hale, D. Min.
  24. Bonita Stewart
  25. Beyoncé and Jay-Z
  26. Django Unchained
  27. Ashley and JaQuavis
  28. Gen. Lloyd J. Austin III
  29. Tyler Perry
  30. Beverly Bond
  31. Ronnie and Lamar Tyler
  32. Amos Winbush III
  33. Alicia Hall Moran and Jason Moran
  34. Maurice Marable
  35. Misty Copeland
  36. Trayvon Martin
  37. Stephen DeBerry
  38. Diann Valentine
  39. James McLurkin, Ph.D
  40. Karen Washington
  41. Norris McDonald
  42. James Andrews
  43. Brenda A. and Larry D. Thompson
  44. Marjorie Harvey
  45. Janet Emerson Bashen
  46. Don Thompson
  47. Wesley Morris
  48. Gabby Douglas
  49. Nekesa Mumbi Moody
  50. Kevin Hart
  51. Tom Joyner
  52. Cathy Hughes
  53. MSNBC
  54. Cam Newton
  55. John W. Rogers Jr.
  56. Vanessa Morrison Murchinson
  57. Wendy Williams
  58. Edward T. Welburn Jr.
  59. Think Like a Man
  60. Steve Harvey
  61. Serena Williams
  62. Shonda Rhimes
  63. Mark Dean, Ph.D
  64. Kevin Durant
  65. Rihanna
  66. Catherine Brewton
  67. Karen Civil
  68. Lorrie Bartlett
  69. Ken Chenault
  70. Ellen McClain
  71. Earvin “Magic” Johnson
  72. James Reynolds Jr.
  73. Dick Parsons
  74. Pearlena Igbokwe
  75. Trevor Edwards
  76. Rodney Williams
  77. John Lewis
  78. Rosalind Brewer
  79. Salaam Coleman Smith
  80. Samuel L. Jackson
  81. Anthony Hemingway
  82. Theaster Gates
  83. Michelle Alexander
  84. Valentino D. Carlotti
  85. Oprah Winfrey
  86. Danny Glover
  87. Rev. Fred Luter Jr.
  88. Dr. Dre
  89. Anthony Davis
  90. Lisa Jackson
  91. Jesse E. Russell
  92. June Ambrose
  93. Jurnee Smollett
  94. Henry Louis Gates Jr.
  95. Tavis Smiley
  96. Debra Lee
  97. Joan Smalls
  98. Nina Shaw
  99. Nicki Minaj
  100. Valeisha Butterfield-Jones
2012 Ebony Power 100
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