The Root 100 Awards Celebrates Ashley Allison

By: Bill Allen

This year's edition of The Root 100 Awards Gala was a double celebration on December 3, 2025. The annual event took place at Gotham Hall in Manhattan, New York.

The Root 100 has long recognized authors, educators, inventors, media professionals, sports heroes, politicians, and others who have enriched our lives. Ashley Allison, owner of Watering Hole Media, a well-respected advisor, journalist, and political commentator for CNN, assumed leadership of The Root in October 2025.

Allison has stated that her goal is to energize the online media platform with new partnerships and to increase reader engagement. “There will be changes, but the changes will make us stronger and better,” she said.

The addition of new features and increased published content over the past few months is evidence of that positive change.

The Root is part of our legacy of media that provides a platform for emerging writers. It tells our stories and offers a perspective that is diverse. We are not all the same, but we all deserve to be heard and respected. Inclusion and distinguishing myth from fact will always be vital. We may not be the seed, but we are the root—what grows from that seed. We are the groove, the vibe, that pinch of flavor that makes everything better.

Many individuals included in The Root 100 for 2025 are well-known, while others are names you should become more familiar with. The awards ceremony had the warm, inviting atmosphere of a family dinner—a good Sunday service— that special moment you wish could never end.