Kamau Bell’s New TV Series Tackles Uncomfortable Conversations

United Shades of America with W. Kamau Bell – an Emmy award-winning show on CNN – has just debuted its third season and we think everyone should watch it. In this docu-series, Kamau Bell deftly wields his razor sharp humor to bring up issues that divide us – like, say, race, immigration, religion, and history. “I think that Americans are tired of manufactured conflict,” Bell told raceAhead. “This is not going to be a season of my sitting down with an evil villain or ‘bait and switches’ – the kind of drama television likes to provide. This is going to be me talking to interesting people whose voices aren’t heard enough.” While the previous seasons were often about challenging people over hot button issues, Bell took a softer approach in the most recent season.  

  “I don’t think we always need to be crossing the divide in the way that I’ve even done or certainly what we see on cable news,” Bell told NPR. It’s not about seeking out folks with opposite world views – there are no KKK members or self proclaimed white supremacists. This time, he just wanted to highlight stories that would otherwise not be told. For example, in a country where many folks of Sikh faith have been the victim of hate crimes, he invites Sikhs of all stripes and colors to share their stories, including a rapper, a soldier, and a girl scout. Bell also visits the US-Mexico border and talks to people on both sides of the great divide. “If you’ve read the news,there is injustice EVERYWHERE! And we all have to work harder to turn the tide against it,” Bell wrote on CNN. “If we aren’t doing that actively and continually then we are the enemy we have been looking for. Collectively, we – everyone in America – are the enemy. But we don’t have to be.”