Colors: A Dialogue on Race in America

Did the first Black Union regiment come before the famed 54th Massachusetts?Retired Army officers Chris Allen and Ben Hodges say the 1st South Carolina Volunteers of African Descent were the first Black soldiers to serve in Union uniforms during the Civil War. In this episode of Colors: A Dialogue on Race in America, they discuss their research, the historical evidence, and their effort to secure long-overdue recognition for a forgotten group of American heroes.Tweet us at @podcastcolors. Check out our partner program on international affairs, Global with JJ Green on Substack. Please subscribe.Email us at colors@the colorspodcast.com. 

For nearly 50 years, the Washington Association of Black Journalists has helped shape the future of American journalism through mentorship, advocacy, scholarship, and fearless storytelling. At a time of deep division and disinformation, WABJ continues to elevate voices, strengthen newsrooms, and defend the essential role of a free and representative press. President Phil Lewis joins us.Tweet us at @podcastcolors. Check out our partner program on international affairs, Global with JJ Green on Substack. Please subscribe.Email us at colors@the colorspodcast.com. 

Roxy, who points out that she is Cuban, not Cuban-American, grew up in New York and New Jersey. But she, like most Cubans, she says, ended up in South Florida because she was drawn there. As she's grown and thrived there, she says it's important to remember your roots, those around you, and where you're going. The Senior Services Coordinator in the Village of Key Biscayne is aware of all the divisions around the country. But she chooses to bring people together, every day, in her neck of the woods. Tweet us at @podcastcolors. Check out our partner program on international affairs, Global with JJ Green on Substack. Please subscribe.Email us at colors@the colorspodcast.com. 

In this episode of Colors: A Dialogue on Race in America, Dina Curtis traces her family’s journey from Mound Bayou, Mississippi, the oldest continuously all-Black town in the U.S. and the civil rights legacy of Memphis to her adult life in Washington. She reflects on ancestry, education, migration, resilience, and the uneasy reality that many old battles over race, power, and belonging are returning in new forms. It is a candid, deeply personal conversation about history, democratic backsliding, and what it takes to stay grounded, engaged, and hopeful in a turbulent America.  Tweet us at @podcastcolors. Check out our partner program on international affairs, Global with JJ Green on Substack. Please subscribe.Email us at colors@the colorspodcast.com. 

Naomi Ishisaka, columnist with The Seattle Times breaks down her sit-down with Seattle Mayor Katie Wilson, offering a clear look at how the city’s leadership is navigating public safety, inequality, and community demands.The conversation highlights a more nuanced, listening-driven approach to governance and what it means for communities of color facing real, everyday pressures.Tweet us at @podcastcolors. Check out our partner program on international affairs, Global with JJ Green on Substack. Please subscribe.Email us at colors@the colorspodcast.com. 

In this episode, JJ Green speaks with William H. Lamar IV, pastor of Metropolitan African Methodist Episcopal Church and author of Ancestors, about how the past continues to shape power, identity, and decision-making today.Lamar makes a compelling case that our ancestors are not behind us—they are active, influencing everything from politics to personal belief.Tweet us at @podcastcolors. Check out our partner program on international affairs, Global with JJ Green on Substack. Please subscribe.Email us at colors@the colorspodcast.com. 

Melissa Hellmann, senior reporter on the Guardian US's race and equity team joins us to update us on the top stories related to race in U.S., her travels and her career. And she's give us some thoughts about race in America, right now.Tweet us at @podcastcolors. Check out our partner program on international affairs, Global with JJ Green on Substack. Please subscribe.Email us at colors@the colorspodcast.com. 

Mahogany Books was built on a simple but urgent idea: make Black books accessible—no matter where you live. For Derrick and Ramunda, that mission is personal. From growing up near Tulsa’s historic Black Wall Street without ever being taught its history to witnessing generational change and gentrification in Washington, D.C., their work is about closing gaps—in knowledge, in visibility, and in opportunity. They discuss it all with us. Tweet us at @podcastcolors. Check out our partner program on international affairs, Global with JJ Green on Substack. Please subscribe.Email us at colors@the colorspodcast.com. 

A substitute teacher once told her, “You’re in charge.” Years later, Victoria Sanchez reflects on heritage, newsroom bias, disinformation, and the duty to elevate every voice in America’s story. From a high school broadcast class to anchoring in Washington, she is candid about why the next generation of journalists must get out of their comfort zone to tell America’s full story.Tweet us at @podcastcolors. Check out our partner program on international affairs, Global with JJ Green on Substack. Please subscribe.Email us at colors@the colorspodcast.com. 

We are living through the most aggressive information war in history—and most people don’t even know they’re in it. It impacts people of all races, ages, identities and persuasions.The Noise War Handbook, written by Colors host J.J. Green. It is a frontline guide to surviving an era of disinformation, manipulation, and engineered chaos. Drawing on decades of national security reporting and real-world case studies, he breaks down how false narratives spread, why they work, and—most importantly—how to stop them from hijacking your judgment.You can get the book at Amazon https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0GBY6SHGJTweet us at @podcastcolors. Check out our partner program on international affairs, Global with JJ Green on Substack. Please subscribe.Email us at colors@the colorspodcast.com. 

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

He was adopted as a baby—his roots, a mystery. Years later, a search began… And what he found changed everything. Darren Brown’s journey into his Native American heritage is raw, real, and unforgettable. And he's back with part two of his story. This is Colors—where identity isn’t just explored, it’s reclaimed. Tweet us at @podcastcolors. Check out our partner program on international affairs, Global with JJ Green on Substack. Please subscribe.Email us at colors@the colorspodcast.com. 

 In this compelling episode, we sit down with literary scholar and author Dana A. Williams to explore her new book, Toni at Random. Best known as a Nobel Prize-winning novelist, Toni Morrison also spent over a decade as a formidable editor at Random House—amplifying Black voices, shaping cultural memory, and changing the face of American publishing. Williams reveals how Morrison championed iconic figures like Angela Davis, Muhammad Ali, and Toni Cade Bambara, and how her behind-the-scenes work helped lay the foundation for a more inclusive literary canon. Tweet us at @podcastcolors. Check out our partner program on international affairs, Global with JJ Green on Substack. Please subscribe.Email us at colors@the colorspodcast.com. 

In this episode we talk with newly inducted SPJ Hall of Fame journalist Richard Prince—a legendary voice in American media and a tireless advocate for diversity, equity, and inclusion. From his groundbreaking column “Journal-isms” to decades of work spotlighting issues of representation in the newsroom and beyond, Prince has shaped the conversation on race and media like few others. Tweet us at @podcastcolors. Check out our partner program on international affairs, Global with JJ Green on Substack. Please subscribe.Email us at colors@the colorspodcast.com. 

 Colors: A Dialogue on Race in America is a fearless, deeply human podcast that cuts through noise and cliché to confront the raw realities of race, identity, and power in America. Hosted by veteran journalist JJ Green, Colors blends investigative depth with emotional resonance—featuring unfiltered conversations with voices often ignored or silenced. Each episode is a mosaic of lived experience, expert insight, and cultural truth, capturing the complex, sometimes painful, always urgent stories that shape our national identity. From the streets of Minneapolis to the halls of national security, Colors doesn’t just document America’s racial landscape—it amplifies it with clarity, compassion, and unflinching honesty. This is storytelling with purpose. Journalism with soul. A call to listen, to learn, and to do better. Tweet us at @podcastcolors. Check out our partner program on international affairs, Global with JJ Green on Substack. Please subscribe.Email us at colors@the colorspodcast.com. 

"Five years ago, America was in anguish. The killing of George Floyd didn’t just break hearts—it broke something deeper. It shattered illusions. It exposed truths that were too often ignored, too easily silenced.Out of that pain, Colors was born.Two friends—one Black, one White—looked each other in the eye and said, We have to talk. Not later. Not when it’s convenient. Now.We launched this podcast not as experts, but as witnesses—witnesses to injustice, to discomfort, and to the urgent need for a real, human dialogue on race in America.Chris Core joins me to talk about where things stand five years after we started this podcast. Tweet us at @podcastcolors. Check out our partner program on international affairs, Global with JJ Green on Substack. Please subscribe.Email us at colors@the colorspodcast.com. 

They say first impressions matter — but they’re not always right. You’ve heard the phrase, “don’t judge a book by its cover,” and it holds true far beyond the pages of a novel. Someone’s appearance, voice, or background might tell part of their story, but never the whole truth. The quietest person in the room may have the loudest courage. The worn-out cover may hold the richest content. In a world quick to label and divide, taking the time to look deeper isn’t just kind — it’s wise. Because beneath the surface, every person carries a story you haven’t heard yet. This is the story of Dr. Wayne Curtis, a man who came up the rough side of the mountain.Tweet us at @podcastcolors. Check out our partner program on international affairs, Global with JJ Green on Substack. Please subscribe.Email us at colors@the colorspodcast.com. 

Susan Goodier, a white female resident of New York and New Mexico is struggling with the resurgence of "racism". So she's taking action. She shares what she's doing to contribute to improving the situation. Tweet us at @podcastcolors. Check out our partner program on international affairs, Global with JJ Green on Substack. Please subscribe.Email us at colors@the colorspodcast.com. 

Gretchen Sorin is distinguished professor and director of the Cooperstown Graduate Program of the State University of New York and the author of Driving While Black. She has some deep concerns about where America's racial scene is today.Tweet us at @podcastcolors. Check out our partner program on international affairs, Global with JJ Green on Substack. Please subscribe.Email us at colors@the colorspodcast.com. 

Larry Pfeiffer, Larry Pfeiffer is the director of the Hayden Center, overseeing its development, operations, and activities. He's a former National Security Agency  Executive and talks to us about a very unfortunate anti-DEI incident at NSA during Black History month of this year. Tweet us at @podcastcolors. Check out our partner program on international affairs, Global with JJ Green on Substack. Please subscribe.Email us at colors@the colorspodcast.com. 

Wade Dugger from the Washington D.C. area, a man of faith, says it's time to put that faith into action as anti-DEI and racist movements and actions spring up. Tweet us at @podcastcolors. Check out our partner program on international affairs, Global with JJ Green on Substack. Please subscribe.Email us at colors@the colorspodcast.com. 

Mike Jakaitis, who like I, knew our colleague, the great WTOP radio news Anchor Dimitri Sotis for more than 30 years, joins us to honor Dimitri. Dimitri was a huge supporter of Colors and appeared on this program. He passed away suddenly on January 25, 2025 at age 55.Tweet us at @podcastcolors. Check out our partner program on international affairs, Global with JJ Green on Substack. Please subscribe.Email us at colors@the colorspodcast.com. 

Guadalupe Correa-Cabrera joins is to put in context the impact the Trump 2.0 deportation efforts is having on people and the country. She is a Professor in the Schar School of Policy and Government at George Mason University. Her areas of expertise are border studies, U.S.-Mexico relations, international security, migration studies and illicit networks. Tweet us at @podcastcolors. Check out our partner program on international affairs, Global with JJ Green on Substack. Please subscribe.Email us at colors@the colorspodcast.com. 

Filmmaker Pablo Miralles, lost his home in the Eaton. He reflects on what he lost, what he's grateful for, the amazing neighborhood he came from in Altadena. He also shares a great story about his film "Can't We All Get Along", about Rodney King, whom he actually went to school with at John Muir High School in Pasadena.Tweet us at @podcastcolors. Check out our partner program on international affairs, Global with JJ Green on Substack. Please subscribe.Email us at colors@the colorspodcast.com. 

Everette Jordan grew up in Altadena, California. He now lives on the east coast, but he's still active in that community and has family there. He talks about the heartbreak, the devastation and the resilience of Altadena. Tweet us at @podcastcolors. Check out our partner program on international affairs, Global with JJ Green on Substack. Please subscribe.Email us at colors@the colorspodcast.com. 

The U.S. is a nation of immigrants. Saadia, founder of Immigrantly media talks to us about why she started the company and what they do. Tweet us at @podcastcolors. Check out our partner program on international affairs, Global with JJ Green on Substack. Please subscribe.Email us at colors@the colorspodcast.com. 

Diane is also known as Diane Britt-Smith. You've seen her on television, in fashion magazines and probably on Instagram. She's an amazing storyteller, actor, model and she's really good at it all. She talks to us about her life experience as a Black woman and how she's made aging a really awesome experience, that literally pays her back. Here's how you can reach Diane.IG: @dianebrittsmithEmail: [email protected] us at @podcastcolors. Check out our partner program on international affairs, Global with JJ Green on Substack. Please subscribe.Email us at colors@the colorspodcast.com. 

Clyde McGrady, National Correspondent on Race with New York Times talks about the impact of the Black church on V.P. Kamala Harris' presidential campaign and vice versa.Tweet us at @podcastcolors. Check out our partner program on international affairs, Global with JJ Green on Substack. Please subscribe.Email us at colors@the colorspodcast.com. 

Jimmy Russell, an amazingly talented musician originally from Washington, DC talks about his life, career, drumming, singing and the healing force of music. Tweet us at @podcastcolors. Check out our partner program on international affairs, Global with JJ Green on Substack. Please subscribe.Email us at colors@the colorspodcast.com. 

John Mills, President and one of the founders of the Alex Breanne Corporation, rejoins us with an update about efforts to honor the man whose bones have had a major impact on American medicine. But some how we still don't know his first name. Tweet us at @podcastcolors. Check out our partner program on international affairs, Global with JJ Green on Substack. Please subscribe.Email us at colors@the colorspodcast.com. 

Charles Kwesi Neblett, President of Community Projects Inc. explains what it is and why it's so important to all Black men and their families and friends.Tweet us at @podcastcolors. Check out our partner program on international affairs, Global with JJ Green on Substack. Please subscribe.Email us at colors@the colorspodcast.com. 

McGee is the daughter of the late Tuskegee Airman, Brigadier General Charles McGee. She talks about his accomplishments and shares how she has made a name for herself in the organization as Co-chair of the Youth in Aviation Program (YIAP) East Coast Chapter, Tuskegee Airmen Inc.Tweet us at @podcastcolors. Check out our partner program on international affairs, Global with JJ Green on Substack. Please subscribe.Email us at colors@the colorspodcast.com. 

Silvia Foster Frau, National Investigative Reporter with the Washington Post joins us to discuss her what she reported recently. Tweet us at @podcastcolors. Check out our partner program on international affairs, Global with JJ Green on Substack. Please subscribe.Email us at colors@the colorspodcast.com. 

101 year old Lt. Col. Shelton "Ivan" Ware, an original member of the famed organization, joins us to discuss his military and Black-American experience. An amazing, funny, very thought provoking interview. Tweet us at @podcastcolors. Check out our partner program on international affairs, Global with JJ Green on Substack. Please subscribe.Email us at colors@the colorspodcast.com. 

Cheyenne Corin, from Philadelphia talks about her challenges as a young female journalist of color and gives some advice to others facing those same challenges. She also talks about family, how she grew up and the impact on her life.Tweet us at @podcastcolors. Check out our partner program on international affairs, Global with JJ Green on Substack. Please subscribe.Email us at colors@the colorspodcast.com. 

Shawn Turner, a former White House staffer and national security professional, discusses race in America during the 2024 Presidential election cycle.Tweet us at @podcastcolors. Check out our partner program on international affairs, Global with JJ Green on Substack. Please subscribe.Email us at colors@the colorspodcast.com. 

I asked Dr. Christopher Paul what to do? He is the Naval Postgraduate School inaugural Chair for Information. He's an expert in countering disinformation and misinformation. He essentially said the first thing to do is meet them where they are. This is a must listen conversation for all of us in these days of doubt and confusion driven by social media.Tweet us at @podcastcolors. Check out our partner program on international affairs, Global with JJ Green on Substack. Please subscribe.Email us at colors@the colorspodcast.com. 

Naomi Ishisaka is The Seattle Times' assistant managing editor for diversity, inclusion and staff development. Her column "One of the biggest myths about racism, revealed" indicates a lot of people think racism is just "history". This is one you don't want to miss.Tweet us at @podcastcolors. Check out our partner program on international affairs, Global with JJ Green on Substack. Please subscribe.Email us at colors@the colorspodcast.com. 

Dr. Auma Obama, the founder and chairwoman of the Auma Obama Foundation Sauti Kuu, joins us to explain what happened and why westerners -especially Americans need to may attention.    Tweet us at @podcastcolors. Check out our partner program on international affairs, Global with JJ Green on Substack. Please subscribe.Email us at colors@the colorspodcast.com. 

Madalene Xuan-Trang Mielke is a nationally recognized civil rights leader and a member of USA Today’s Inaugural Leaders of Change. As President & CEO of the Asian Pacific American Institute for Congressional Studies (APAICS). She joins us to talk about her work preparing AANHPI women for opportunity and challenges in America.Tweet us at @podcastcolors. Check out our partner program on international affairs, Global with JJ Green on Substack. Please subscribe.Email us at colors@the colorspodcast.com. 

Alissa Zhu, of the Baltimore Banner joins us to talk about her and her colleagues story chilling story for the NYT; and why this is happening.https://www.nytimes.com/2024/06/03/us/baltimore-opioid-epidemic-seniors.htmlTweet us at @podcastcolors. Check out our partner program on international affairs, Global with JJ Green on Substack. Please subscribe.Email us at colors@the colorspodcast.com.