In this episode, Dr. Wanda Tucker shares her extraordinary story as a direct descendant of the first African child born in the English colonies. From Hampton University to Angola, she retraces her family’s path from enslavement to resilience—revealing a legacy that reshapes how we understand American history. This is where memory meets movement. 

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The U.S. Coast Guard has walked back a contentious policy change on hate symbols after public reporting revealed an internal draft that softened restrictions on displaying swastikas and nooses. Veterans, Jewish organizations, and members of Congress erupted in protest—forcing the service to reverse course and insist that “nothing ever changed.” Lene Mees de Tricht, Deputy Director for Membership Engagement of Common Defense joins us on this episode to discuss the reaction. 

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We go behind the scenes. In this special episode of Colors: A Dialogue on Race in America, we reflect on an extraordinary milestone—winning the 2025 Belva Davis News and Broadcast Award from SAG-AFTRA's American Scene Awards. Born from heartbreak and driven by truth, Colors has become a platform for real conversations on race, justice, and belonging. Join us as we share the moment, the mission, and the powerful segment that helped earn this national recognition. 

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When veteran international journalist Natasha Ghoneim returned to Iowa City, the town where she grew up as “the little brown girl,” she didn’t expect to be reminded what that label still meant. But at a neighborhood gas station, a simple misunderstanding turned into something more dangerous: a cashier called the police on her for asking for a refund. Weeks later in Chicago, a woman punched her through her car window after a brief exchange in traffic.

In this episode we sit down with Natasha to explore how race, identity, and belonging collide not in far-off places she’s reported from, but in the heart of America she calls home.

It’s a story about fear, grace, and the quiet courage it takes to return and to stay.

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Illinois State Representative Hoan Huynh says on October 21, 2025, he was surrounded by six armed federal agents in Chicago’s Albany Park neighborhood after he tried to warn his community about a possible ICE raid. What happened next has sparked anger, fear, and a new debate over the use of force and the rights of public officials in immigrant communities.

In this episode, we break down the confrontation, the government’s explanation, and the broader question: Was this law enforcement or intimidation?

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For more than two decades, a shadow hung over Chicago’s South Side; a police commander named John Burge and his so-called “midnight crew.” Their legacy: more than 110 Black men tortured into confessions, decades stolen, and a city complicit in silence. In CNN's Tortured Justice: The Burge Legacy, anchor and reporter Omar Jimenez revisits the men, the pain, and the pursuit of justice that refuses to die. From basement interrogation rooms to courtrooms still haunted by the past, this is a story about what happens when power corrodes accountability—and whether America can ever truly reckon with its own cruelty. He joins us to talk about that and his journey to that story.

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We’re joined by Texas State Representative Gene Wu, Minority Leader and Chair of the Democratic Caucus. In his thirteenth year in the House, Wu is sounding the alarm on Texas Senate Bill 17, a new law he says revives “anti‑alien land” restrictions from a century ago. He argues it creates two classes of Americans—one with full rights and another with limited rights—and echoes the path that led to Japanese internment. In this urgent conversation, Wu explains why SB 17 terrifies immigrant communities, why silence is dangerous, and what must be done to fight back.

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In Part 2 of our special Colors: A Dialogue on Race in America series, Jayne Kennedy opens up about the most difficult chapter of her life — a season of heartbreak, isolation, and doubt that nearly silenced her. But what makes her story extraordinary is not the fall, it’s the rise. With courage, faith, and the determination to reinvent herself yet again, Jayne found a way out of the darkness and into the light.

Her new memoir, Plain Jayne, captures that journey with raw honesty — and tomorrow, September 6th, the District of Columbia will honor her with Jayne Kennedy Day. This episode is about triumph over adversity, the power of self-forgiveness, and the unstoppable spirit of a true cultural icon.

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Jayne Kennedy is more than a trailblazer—she’s a cultural force who has broken barriers in beauty, sports, television, and film. From Miss Ohio to Hollywood, from Bob Hope’s world tours to making history on The NFL Today, her journey has been one of courage, reinvention, and what she calls “strategic pivoting.” 

Now, with the release of her long-awaited memoir, Plain Jayne, and a special proclamation from Mayor Muriel Bowser declaring September 6th as Jayne Kennedy Day in Washington, D.C., we sit down with her for an unforgettable conversation. 

In this Colors: A Dialogue on Race in America two-part series, Jayne Kennedy opens up like never before — funny, raw, emotional, and inspiring. 

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On this episode of COLORS, we’re joined by John Echohawk—a citizen of the Pawnee Nation and the co-founder/longtime executive director of the Native American Rights Fund, the legal backbone behind hard-won advances in tribal sovereignty, treaty rights, voting rights, and natural resources for more than five decades. He’s often described as the “Thurgood Marshall of Indian law.”  We'll speak to him about the challenges the Native American community has faced in the new Trump Administration.

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• Check out our partner program on international affairs, Global with JJ Green on Substack. Please subscribe.
• Email us at colors@the colorspodcast.com.