The Best Moments from The Root 100

After a powerful performance from Nicholas Ryan Grant, the evening kicked off with opening remarks from one of the show’s hosts, Roy Wood Jr. In classic Roy Wood Jr.-fashion, he got the crowd roaring with laughter while also emphasizing the importance of a night like the Root 100. Promising to have a “good-ass” time on the stage, Wood Jr. shouted out some of the big honorees of the evening, while also giving love to Vice President Kamala Harris. “If there is anybody who has earned a rest, it is the number one person on The Root 100 list Vice President Kamala Harris,” he said. “Black people did everything. I know the election didn’t go the way that a lot of us wanted the election to go, but we’re still gonna be here and we’re gonna fight … because some of us can’t afford to leave the country.”