100+ Most Influential Black Americans

Ebony, May, 2000

Rising corps of business, civic and religious leaders extend the global influence of African-Americans

THE individuals selected for the 2000 edition of EBONY's annual listing of the 100+ Most Influential Black Americans are movers and shakers operating at the very pinnacle of the new millennium's global megastructures. They are a dynamic mix of business, civic and religious leaders who are charting new courses for the organizations they lead, extending the reach of African-American entrepreneurs, and providing spiritual sustenance for a wide and multicultural flock.

New to the list this year is a group of corporate executives and business leaders who personify the growing power wielded by a select group of African-Americans in the boardrooms of the nation's largest public and privately held companies. They include A. Barry Rand, the former Xerox Corp. executive who last year was named chairman and CEO of Avis Rent A Car. He is joined by Lloyd D. Ward, who in August was named chairman and CEO of Maytag Corp., the $4 billion home and commercial appliance manufacturer, and Carl Ware, executive vice president for global public affairs and administration for the Coca-Cola Company.

Perhaps no one exemplifies the emerging influence of African-Americans in the world of business and high finance better than Time Warner President and Co-Chief Operating Officer Richard Parsons, who helped guide the proposed $165 billion merger between the media powerhouse and Internet giant America Online, and who in January was named co-chairman of the new company formed by the $20 billion union of British music publishers EMI and Time Warner's music division.

Other corporate leaders listed for the first time are Mel Farr Sr. and Catherine L. Hughes. Farr, a former All-Pro running back for the Detroit Lions, heads the Detroit-area Mel Farr Automotive Group, named the No. 1 Black-owned business by Black Enterprise magazine. Hughes is founder and chair of Radio One (see page 100), a media conglomerate comprised of 29 radio stations in nine of the top 20 Black radio markets in the country.

From the public sector this year, we add Eric Holder, deputy U.S. attorney general, to our list. Holder, who manages the day-to-day operations of the Department of Justice, is the highest-ranking African-American in the history of law enforcement in the United States.

Three high-profile religious leaders also join our list for the first time. Dr. William J. Shaw, president of the 8 million-member National Baptist Convention, USA, Inc., has taken the reins of an organization rocked by scandal and has pledged to restore its integrity. W. Deen Muhammed, chief minister or Imam of the Muslim American Society, heads a movement of 2 million orthodox Muslims and has forged links throughout the Islamic world. The Rev. Al Sharpton of New York has focused national attention on issues of racism, police brutality and governmental abuse of power and played a major role in the protests leading to and following the trial and acquittal of the four White police officers charged in the shooting death of West African immigrant Amadou Diallo. Each of these men has played, and continues to play, a major role in the spiritual, cultural and political dialogue that shapes contemporary society.

But the dialogue that captures much of the public's attention is the one between men and women. And the woman to whom many Black and White Americans are turning for help in navigating the rough waters of romance is Iyanla Vanzant, another newcomer to the 100+ Most Influential list. Her books, lectures and television appearances have made her a multimedia high priestess of healthy relationships.

New entries on the 100+ list include Walter Shervington, president of the National Medical Association, and Franklyn Scott, president of the National Dental Association.

The 2000 list, like the preceding lists, was compiled by the editors of EBONY in consultation with power brokers and opinion leaders.

Being featured on the list does not necessarily constitute an endorsement of any particular individual or ideology.

Two criteria guided the experts and editors who made the final recommendations:

1. Does the individual transcend his or her position and command widespread national influence?

2. Does the individual affect in a decisive and positive way the lives, thinking and actions of large segments of the African-American population, either by his or her position in a key group or by his personal reach and influence?

Three criteria were used in judging nominees for the 100+ List of Organization Leaders:

1. The nominee must be the chief executive officer of an independent organization that commands widespread influence beyond its field.

2. The organization must be a broad-based national group with a mass membership, a national headquarters and a full-time staff.

3. The nominee and his or her organization must transcend a particular field, occupation or specialty and must have an ongoing program affecting the vital interests of African-Americans.