Jason E. Shelton is an associate professor of sociology and anthropology and director of the Center for African American Studies at the University of Texas, Arlington. His primary research interest is the sociology of religion, but he is also well-versed in race, class and political/social attitudes in the post-civil rights era.

Cathy J. Cohen is the David and Mary Winton Green Professor of Political Science at the University of Chicago. Previously she served as the deputy provost for graduate education and the director of the Center for the Study of Race, Politics and Culture.

Amanda Terkel is Washington bureau chief at The Huffington Post. Previously, she was a senior political reporter and the politics managing editor at The Huffington Post. Before that, she was deputy research director at the Center for American Progress (CAP), a progressive research and advocacy organization. She was also the managing editor of ThinkProgress.

Marc Lamont Hill is the Steve Charles Professor of Media, Cities and Solutions at Temple University. He is the host of BET News and has appeared on Fox, CNN and MSNBC as a political and cultural commentator.

Julianne Malveaux is an economist, commentator, author and academic. She has appeared on a wide range of television networks such as CNN, PBS, NBC and Fox News to speak about economics and social issues. She has written several books, including Surviving and Thriving: 365 Facts in Black Economic History (2010).