MSNBC star hosts and contributors honored at The Root 100 2013 Awards Gala in NYC

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Top MSNBC anchors, guests and contributors were honored at The Root 100 Awards Gala on a recent Thursday at a lavish ball in New York City. The list of influencers focuses on achievers aged 25-45 who have made major contributions and created considerable buzz throughout the year.

TheGrio.com, a division of MSNBC, was on hand to applaud the luminaries saluted in no small part because a number of those feted are affiliated with our parent organization.

The Root 100 2013 honorees affiliated with MSNBC are: Melissa Harris-Perry of the Melissa Harris-Perry show; Touré, co-host of The Cycle; Joy-Ann Reid, MSNBC contributor and managing editor of theGrio.com; Jamil Smith, political writer and segment producer for the Melissa Harris-Perry show; Tamron Hall, host of NewsNation with Tamron Hall; Ohio state senator Nina Turner, who is running for Ohio secretary of state and is a frequent MSNBC guest; and, Angela Rye, Esq., principal at the political consulting firm IMPACT Strategies and frequent MSNBC guest.

The annual fete, which celebrates the 100 most dynamic African-Americans according to the black news web site owned by The Washington Post, attracted hundreds of revelers who applauded the honorees.

Hosted by news personality T.J. Holmes, the event included speeches by Dr. Henry Louis Gates, founder of TheRoot.com, and Donna Byrd, publisher of The Root.

Lyne Pitts, interim managing editor of the property, handed out the awards to the honorees present, which included Benjamin Crump, Esq., for his dedication to sensitive cases involving African-Americans, David J. Johns, executive director of the White House Initiative on Educational Excellence for African Americans, and Black Girls Rock! founder Beverly Bond.

“The Root 100 Awards Gala brought some of the most influential and inspirational African-American leaders together for an exhilarating evening in recognition of their contributions to our community,” Pitts told theGrio. “We look forward to working with all of our 2013 honorees to further amplify their voices and diverse perspectives using The Root as that platform.”

Follow Alexis Garrett Stodgill on Twitter @lexisb.