Sharon A. Navarro is professor of political science at the University of Texas at San Antonio.

Derrick E. White is a professor of history and African American and Africana studies at the University of Kentucky.

Charlton McIlwain is vice provost for faculty engagement and development and a professor of media, culture and communication at New York University.

Leah Wright Rigueur is an associate professor of Public Policy at the Harvard Kennedy School, and a visiting associate professor/Harry S. Truman Associate Professor of American History at Brandeis University.

Andra Gillespie is an associate professor of political science at Emory University and director of the James Weldon Johnson Institute for the Study of Race and Difference.

Keith Boykin is a CNN political commentator. Previously, he was an MSNBC commentator, CNBC contributor and BET.com columnist.

Karthick Ramakrishnan teaches political science and public policy at the University of California, Riverside, and is the founding director of its Center for Social Innovation.

Vincent Hutchings is a professor of political science and Afroamerican and African studies at the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor.