Young Futurists

Nominate the Leaders of Tomorrow for The Root’s Young Futurists

The Root Staff — Mon, 11 Dec 2017 13:30:00 GMT

Who are the young, outspoken activists standing up for their communities and calling out injustice?

Lauren Seroyer

The Root Staff — Thu, 16 Mar 2017 12:30:00 GMT

Lauren Seroyer was eating a quick breakfast at school when she was inspired to start her nonprofit organization. A classmate approached her for some of her meal because he didn’t have enough to eat at home.

Augusta Uwamanzu-Nna

The Root Staff — Thu, 16 Mar 2017 12:30:00 GMT

Augusta Uwamanzu-Nna is dedicated to making sure the world’s infrastructure is solid as a rock.

Jonathan Wynn-Strachan

The Root Staff — Thu, 16 Mar 2017 12:30:00 GMT

Art saved Jonathan Wynn-Strachan’s life. In 2012, when he was a sophomore in high school, he and his family were living out of a one-bedroom motel room. He’d lost hope that his family’s situation would improve. But after hearing Nat King Cole’s “Smile” on the radio one day, Jonathan knew he had to stop focusing on his…

Zendaya

The Root Staff — Thu, 16 Mar 2017 12:30:00 GMT

Whether singing, acting or clapping back on Twitter, Zendaya always finds a way to use her voice for good.

Khareem Oliver

The Root Staff — Thu, 16 Mar 2017 12:30:00 GMT

Pet owners often think of their dogs and cats as their kids. So when Scruffy or Fluffy is lost, it can wreak havoc on owners’ lives. Khareem Oliver has seen this firsthand.

A’Dorian Murray-Thomas

The Root Staff — Thu, 16 Mar 2017 12:30:00 GMT

A’Dorian Murray-Thomas has used her own experience with tragedy to help other young girls triumph over hard times.

Alanna Wall

The Root Staff — Thu, 16 Mar 2017 12:30:00 GMT

Alanna Wall is determined to add a little polish and sparkle to the lives of hospitalized children and girls with special needs. Alanna founded Polished Girlz when she was just 10 years old after being turned down for several volunteer organizations because she was too young.

Isaiah Cooper

The Root Staff — Thu, 16 Mar 2017 12:30:00 GMT

Isaiah Cooper is already aiming to fly to higher heights. In 2016, at 16 years old, he made headlines when he became one of the youngest black pilots to fly around the United States. The next mission? To make the Guinness World Records and become the youngest person to take a solo flight around the globe.

Toluwanimi Obiwole

The Root Staff — Thu, 16 Mar 2017 12:30:00 GMT

Toluwanimi Obiwole lets her poetry show her strength.

Olivia Russo-Hood

The Root Staff — Thu, 16 Mar 2017 12:30:00 GMT

Even after tragedy struck Olivia Russo-Hood’s family, she started looking for ways to help others. After a massive flood in Austell, Ga., destroyed her family’s home, Olivia noticed how many people came to her family’s rescue. So she knew it was time to pay it forward.

Destiny Watford

The Root Staff — Thu, 16 Mar 2017 12:30:00 GMT

Destiny Watford is the accidental environmental activist America needs right now. Her quest for clean air all started when she was a senior in high school after she saw a play about a small community whose lives were at risk because of a polluted hot spring.

Haile Thomas

The Root Staff — Thu, 16 Mar 2017 12:30:00 GMT

There aren’t many kids who can say they’ve met first lady Michelle Obama once—let alone multiple times. For teen chef Haile Thomas, meeting Obama has only empowered her quest to inspire kids to live healthy lifestyles.

Chris Suggs

The Root Staff — Thu, 16 Mar 2017 12:30:00 GMT

Chris Suggs set himself on a path to change the world very early.

Nicole O’Dell

The Root Staff — Thu, 16 Mar 2017 12:30:00 GMT

Nicole O’Dell talks as effortlessly about biotechnology as she would if she were talking about what she ate for dinner.

Dejah Powell

The Root Staff — Thu, 16 Mar 2017 12:30:00 GMT

Dejah Powell is doing everything she can to green up the South Side of Chicago.

Clifton Kinnie

The Root Staff — Thu, 16 Mar 2017 12:30:00 GMT

Clifton Kinnie wasn’t planning to be an activist. It wasn’t until he saw a picture of slain teen Michael Brown on his Twitter timeline that he decided he had to make a change in his St. Louis community—and beyond.

Shemar Coombs

The Root Staff — Thu, 16 Mar 2017 12:30:00 GMT

Shemar Coombs wants to add a few minutes to your day. After getting tired of untangling his headphones, he decided to figure out how to solve the problem.

Anicca Harriot

The Root Staff — Thu, 16 Mar 2017 12:30:00 GMT

Anicca Harriot dabbed her way to internet stardom. But unlike other folks who often just dab to celebrate a moment, Anicca put pencil to paper and calculated the angle of her dab by hand. She posted the angle, 31.70 degrees to be exact, on Twitter, and the tweet has since gained more than 27,000 retweets and 37,000…

Moziah Bridges

The Root Staff — Thu, 16 Mar 2017 12:30:00 GMT

At 15, Moziah Bridges is already the best dressed in the room, brightening up an event with his colorful, handmade bow ties. Moziah, the CEO of Mo’s Bows, has been running his six-figure business with his mom and grandmother in Memphis, Tenn., since 2011.

Grace Dolan-Sandrino

The Root Staff — Thu, 16 Mar 2017 12:30:00 GMT

At 16, Grace Dolan-Sandrino is already leading the charge among young people in resisting Donald Trump’s agenda. In November, she and thousands of other students in Washington, D.C., walked out of their classrooms to protest the then-president elect.

Maya Penn

The Root Staff — Thu, 16 Mar 2017 12:30:00 GMT

At just 16, Maya Penn has already shown the world just a bit of her awesomeness.

Victoria Pannell

The Root Staff — Thu, 16 Mar 2017 12:30:00 GMT

Victoria Pannell has been fighting against child sex trafficking since she was 12 years old. Then, she portrayed “Monica,” a 13-year-old who had been sold into sex slavery by her father, in a public service announcement. That was the moment she realized she needed to speak out.

Michaela DePrince

The Root Staff — Thu, 16 Mar 2017 12:30:00 GMT

Imagine opening your email and seeing Beyoncé’s name in your inbox. That’s what happened to ballerina Michaela DePrince last year. After laughing off the email and sending it to her publicist, the next thing she knew, she was on set in New Orleans, choreographing the music video for “Freedom” on Queen Bey’s epic opus, …

Simone Manuel

The Root Staff — Thu, 16 Mar 2017 12:30:00 GMT

Call her “Swimone,” if you’d like. At 20 years old, Simone Manuel became the first black woman to win Olympic gold in an individual swimming event at the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Summer Olympics, setting an Olympic record. She also won a gold medal in the 4-x-100 meter medley and silver medals in the 50-meter freestyle and…