The Black Scholars Index

Omar Wasow: co-founder of BlackPlanet.com

Posted on 24. Feb, 2010 by Leshell Hatley in African-American Studies, Scholarly Celebrations

Omar Wasow, 39, is a Ph.D. candidate in African American studies and Government at Harvard. In addition to his graduate work, Omar is the co-founder of BlackPlanet.com (now owned by Radio-One) and an on-air technology analyst. Under Omar’s leadership BlackPlanet.com became the leading site for African Americans, reaching over three million people a month. Omar also works to demystify technology issues through regular TV and radio segments on NBC’s Today Show, CNN’s American Morning and public radio’s Tavis Smiley Show. Similarly, Omar tutored Oprah Winfrey in her first exploration of the Net in the 12-part series ‘Oprah Goes Online’.

Omar’s success as a credible and friendly guide to the Internet led Newsweek to name him one of the “fifty most influential people to watch in cyberspace,” and People magazine to call him the “Sexiest Internet Executive.” Successful Meetings Magazine named him one of the “21 Top Speakers for the 21st Century.”

In 1999, as a result of his active participation in a number of social issues, particularly the charter school movement, Omar was selected to be a fellow in the Rockefeller Foundation’s Next Generation Leadership program. In fall 2003, a K-8 charter school that Omar helped found opened in his hometown of Brooklyn. In 2007, in recognition of the promise of his academic research, the National Science Foundation selected him for a Graduate Research Fellowship. Most recently, the Aspen Institute selected him for their Henry Crown Fellowship that recognizes emerging leaders. He received his BA in Race and Ethnic Relations from Stanford University.

To learn more about Omar Wasow, visit his personal website.

More Related posts:

1. Taylor Yarborough: Freshman Spelman Student & Tavis Smiley Foundation Honoree
2. Angela Glover Blackwell: Founder & CEO of PolicyLink
3. Marian Wright Edelman: Activist, NAACP Lawyer, Founder of Children's Defense Fund
4. Robert P. Moses: Civil Rights Activist & Founder of The Algebra Project
5. S. Craig Watkins: Professor, Author, Researcher of Youth & Social Media

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