The Root, the "premiere news, opinion and culture site for African-American influencers," today released their annual ranking "The Root 100" honoring the most influential black leaders in 2013. This year's list includes trans advocate, writer and filmmaker Dr. Kortney Ryan Ziegler, out Broadway star Billy Porter and LGBT advocates Danielle Moodie-Mills and former GLAAD staff member Rashad Robinson.
Dr. Kortney Ryan Ziegler is a filmmaker and blogger at blac(k)ademic.com, which was nominated for a GLAAD Media Award. His film STILL BLACK: A Portrait of Black Transmen won Audience Choice Best Documentary at the 2009 Reelout Film Festival and the Isaac Julien Experimental Award at the 2008 Queer Black Cinema festival.
Billy Porter currently stars in the Broadway hit Kinky Boots where he won the 2013 Tony and Drama Desk Awards for Best Actor. Rashad Robinson is the Executive Director of Color of Change, a group dedicated to giving voice to black politics and is currently pushing for the repeal of so-called "stand your ground" gun laws. Robinson was formerly GLAAD's Senior Director of Programs. Danielle Moodie-Mills along with her wife Aisha serves as an advisor for LGBT Policy & Racial Justice at the Center for American Progress. The couple also co-host a politics and pop culture radio show Politini.
Ziegler teamed up with Orange is the New Black star Laverne Cox this May at the 24th Annual GLAAD Media Awards in San Francisco where the duo presented Dr. Marc Lamont Hill with the award for Outstanding Digital Journalism Article for his Ebony.com piece "Why Aren't We Fighting for CeCe McDonald?" Check out the video below.
