TIME has selected Lisa Holder, President of the Equal Justice Society, for its 2nd annual ‘The Closers’ list recognizing 25 Black leaders working to end inequality.
Read TIME’s profile of Lisa at time.com.
TIME’s ‘The Closers’ list for 2025 includes:
- Colman Domingo, actor, director and producer
- Danessa Myricks, founder and CEO of Danessa Myricks Beauty
- David J. Johns, executive director and CEO of the National Black Justice Collective
- Dorothy Roberts, law professor and advocate
- Elaine Welteroth, journalist, author, and founder, birthFUND
- Elise Smith, CEO and co-founder of Praxis Labs
- Elizabeth Yeampierre, executive director of UPROSE
- Emily Anadu, founder and CEO of the Lay Out
- Eugenia Millender, co-founder and co-director of the Center of Population Sciences for Health Equity at Florida State University College of Nursing
- Gabby Thomas, Olympic gold medalist
- Hank Willis Thomas and Rujeko Hockley, artist and curator
- Jotaka Eaddy, founder of Win With Black Women
- LaChanze, actor and producer
- Lisa Holder, president of the Equal Justice Society
- Monique Couvson, president and CEO of Grantmakers for Girls of Color
- Niecy Nash, actor
- Percival Everett, novelist
- Philip Cooper, founder and chief change agent of Operation Gateway
- Rachel Scott, founder and fashion designer of Diotima
- Reverend Raphael Warnock, United States Senator, Georgia
- Sara Sidner, CNN anchor and correspondent
- Tara Duncan, president of Onyx Collective
- Troy Millings and Rashad Bilal, co-founders of Earn Your Leisure
Last year’s inaugural list included Issa Rae and U.S. Senator Cory Booker.
TIME editors write: “For many Black Americans, closing the racial equity gap can feel like an insurmountable task… And while there have been major wins, extensive disparities—embedded in the fabric of the country—persist. Last year, TIME’s inaugural Closers list focused on leaders working to chip away at the Black-white wealth gap. This year TIME has expanded its focus to highlight 25 Black leaders who are working to close racial equity gaps more broadly.”
To recognize the 2025 ‘The Closers’ honorees, TIME will host an invite-only gathering in New York City on February 13. The event will feature remarks by select members of the 2025 ‘The Closers,’ including actor, director and producer Colman Domingo, Olympic gold medalist Gabby Thomas, United States Senator Raphael Warnock, founder of BirthFUND Elaine Welteroth, executive director and CEO of the National Black Justice Collective David J. Johns, CEO and co-founder of Praxis Labs Elise Smith and more.
W.K. Kellogg Foundation is the presenting partner of TIME’s ‘The Closers.’
For more information on the list, visit time.com/closers.