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The opinions expressed in this article are the writer’s own and do not reflect the views of Her Campus.
This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at SBU chapter.

Before the first Trump presidency or the resurgence of the Black Lives Matter movement of 2020, CNN commentator and comedian W. Kamau Bell used his platform and education to travel all over the country to find pockets of diversity in some of America’s most untouched places. 

While Bell’s series, titled “United Shades of America,” highlighted topics and people from all walks of life, including homelessness in Hawaii, college students in different states, Muslims in small-town America, and just about everything in between, my twelve-year-old self was hooked on this series from its first, and arguably most shocking, episode: “The New KKK.” 

As a middle-aged Black man who grew up in Mobile, Alabama, Bell makes it clear to viewers that he is very familiar with both explicit and implicit racism and biases that the majority of non-Black Americans feel towards the Black community. However, with the wave of overt racism that seemed to sweep the country in the mid-2010s (which “coincidentally” lined up with the beginnings of the Trump presidency and MAGA movement…but I digress), Bell decided he wanted to take a look at the “New KKK” that still lives and breathes in this country; a group that hides its hate and fear-mongering under the white cloaks of terror and grips onto the horrors that this country permitted take place against Black individuals since the day the Declaration of Independence was signed. 

While many would probably approach these individuals with disgust (personally, I would not approach them to begin with), Bell met with fully-uniformed members of the KKK, including the local leader of the group, with curiosity and a willingness to listen to what they had to say (even if he was never going to buy in to their grotesque ideologies).

Through his interviews with members of the KKK and non-KKK members that belong to the surrounding communities, Bell shed light on the parts of America that rebuke Black History Month and all the progress that Black individuals have made in this country. 

Instead, this particular episode reminds viewers that Black history is American history, and the only way to move forward from our past is to recognize it, learn from it, and remain vocal about the plans to improve it. 

By engaging in conversation with individuals about race, rights, and the past, Bell showcases the utmost amount of class when discussing a topic that personally impacts him, while also speaking to people who have personal vendettas against him for nothing other than his skin color. 

However difficult his work may have been for him, Bell consistently highlights just how far America has come since its birth – and just how much more work is left in the fight for equal rights.

Black history is American history. This Black History Month, making sure to simultaneously celebrate all the progress and successes of Black Americans, while also recognizing the places where progress is still so desperately necessary, is exactly what W. Kamau Bell aims to do through his series, “United Shades of America.”

Riley Connors is a member of the St. Bonaventure chapter of Her Campus and plans to write about college, careers, movies and just about anything that comes to her mind that week. She is a senior Adolescent Education and English double major. Outside of Her Campus, Riley is a member of the SBU Dance Team and is a part of SBU College Democrats. She also has a radio show with her roommates on St. Bonaventure's radio station, WSBU-FM. In her free time, Riley enjoys hanging out with her friends and girlfriend, spending time outside in the sun and listening to any song by Boygenius, Hozier or Lizzy McAlpine. She cherishes her time spent at home with her family and dog but loves her St. Bonaventure family that she has created in her three years of college.