Earlier this month, with the launch of its new list, The Closers, TIME highlighted the work of 18 influential figures working to close the Black-white racial wealth gap. On Thursday night, several of those leaders were among those who gathered in Midtown Manhattan to celebrate that work—and, at a time when the median wealth of white families in the U.S. remains stubbornly higher than that of Black families, to draw attention to how much remains to be done.
Actor and entrepreneur (and TIME Closers cover star) Issa Rae, Operation Hope founder and CEO John Hope Bryant, Senator Cory Booker, and others joined TIME’s Chief Marketing Officer Sadé Muhammad, editor in chief Sam Jacobs, and CEO Jessica Sibley in delivering remarks. “People are often curious why I have been in traditional media my entire career,” Muhammad said during her welcome remarks. “It’s because I believe so deeply in the power of media and entertainment to make everybody pay attention.”
