The Root has pulled together another list of 100 individuals who are “impactful, creative, iconoclastic, innovative, committed to community and, in many instances, defiant of any restrictive definitions of what it means to be black in America in 2010.” While the entire list is definitely worth a look, there are a some who made it that specifically influence the technology space. Here, we list a few of them.
Mario Armstrong – Tech and digital lifestyle expert – @marioarmstrong
An award-winning commentator reporting on a range of business and technology issues, Armstrong is also a weekly guest on CNN. His syndicated radio talk and satellite shows have featured guests like Russell Simmons and then Sen. Barrack Obama. He is committed to “sparking the minds of the future” using sites like TechTechBoom.
Angela Benton – Founder and CEO Black Web – @abenton
Benton founded Black Web Media in 2007, which includes BlackWeb 2.0, Young Black Professional Guide, the career-oriented Vocay, and the political site Politic365. She was named one of Fast Company Magazine’s Most Influential Women in Technology for 2010 and Ebony’s Power 150.
Jam Donaldson – Creator of HotGhettoMess.com – @jamdonaldson
In addition to HotGhettoMess.com, Donaldson caught attention with her “We Got To Do Better” BET series and radio segment, and her book Conversate Is Not A Word: Getting Away from Ghetto. With a fearlessness sparked by her father’s death, Donaldson pull no punches when dispensing her ghetto-tough love. She says, “Telling it like I see it may be dirty work, but somebody (other than Bill Cosby) has to do it.”
Marve Frazier – CCO of Moguldom Media Group, CEO of Bossip
Frazier is CCO (chief creative officer) of Moguldom Media Group, parent company of Bossip.com, MadameNoire.com, BossipTwitter.com, HipHopWired.com and The Atlanta Post. Frazier also serves as CEO at Bossip.com. Under her lead, the network generates 20 million to 50 million page views per month.
Carlton Hargro – Editor-in-chief, Creative Loafing – @carltonhargro
Hargro is the leader of the award-winning publication, Creative Loafing (CL). One of the few African-American editors of alternative publications, he is in charge of editorial strategy for print and online versions of CL, which publishes editions in Charlotte, Chicago, Tampa and Sarasota, Fla; Atlanta and Washington, D.C. He hosts CL’s weekly urban culture and music podcast.
Gina McCauley – Founder of Blogging While Brown
With a passion for connecting and educating bloggers, McCauley organizes the annual Blogging While Brown conference. She is also the founder of the blogs Michelle Obama Watch and What About Our Daughters, which bluntly and unapologetically addresses issues affecting women of color.
Isaiah Mustafa – The Old Spice Guy – @isaiahmustafa
“He stole the show during the Superbowl. He’s loved by women and respected by men. Heck, he’s even been on Oprah! You might not know know the name, but you definitely know his work.” Mustafa was the center of one of the best viral ad campaigns ever, run by Old Spice. He is now heading towards a serious acting career.
Malika Saada Saar – Founder, The Rebecca Project for Human Rights
As head of The Rebecca Project for Human Rights, an organization that advocates for vulnerable women and families, she played an instrumental role in the controversial shuttering of the Craigslist adult-services section. The Ford Foundation presented the Rebecca Project with a Leadership for Changing World award. Saar is the founder of Crossing the River, a creative workshop for mothers recovering from substance abuse. She is also founder and former director of Family Rights and Dignity, which helps low-income and homeless families in San Francisco.
Window Snyder – Must-have network security expert – @window
Tech-industry watchers credit Snyder, who started coding at age 5, with forcing Microsoft and Apple to constantly rethink their security applications. She went from creating game-changing security solutions for Firefox, to working for Apple. She is also co-author of Threat Modeling, a guide to application security.
David Sutphen – Internet guru and broadband advocate – @DavidASutphen
After serving as a senior executive at Viacom, among other things, Sutphen became co-chairman of the Internet Innovation Alliance, a coalition of media businesses, nonprofits and other stakeholders committed to establishing America’s rules of the road regarding the Web.
Regina Townsend – Founder and CEO of the Broken Brown Egg, Inc.
Regina is on a mission to improve reproductive health in the black community. Her blog, the Broken Brown Egg, is a 2010 Black Weblog Award finalist. She uses language as a weapon to spark discussion in the silence that surrounds an infertility crisis that disproportionately affects black women, even as stereotypes like the mythological African American single mother who breeds to collect welfare threaten to stifle conversation and strip black women of their dignity.
Tristan Walker – Vice President of Business Development at Foursquare – @tristanwalker
It’s well-known that Foursquare has been largely successful not only because of the technology behind the service, but because of the strategic partnerships they’ve been able to forge with major brands like MTV, Bravo, CNN, The New York Times and Louis Vuitton. Walker began helping to build those partnerships while still working on his MBA at Stanford University.