#UnitedShadesofAmerica: W Kamau Bell's live tweets against White supremacy, Internet calls episode 'powerful'
The new season of Emmy Award-winning CNN docuseries 'United Shades of America' premiered today, July 19, and followed comedian W Kamau Bell as he took deeper dive into the issue of White supremacy. The episode titled ‘Where Do We Even Start With White Supremacy?’ saw Bell’s mother Janet Cheatham Bell talk about him being subjected to prejudices in his childhood.
When the fifth season of the eight-part docuseries premiered tonight, the host Bell took to Twitter to start an official #UnitedShades of American thread, where he was seen live-tweeting the show and interacting with followers, discussing various aspects as shown in the first episode of ‘United Shades of America’. His first tweet touched upon George Floyd and the civil unrest that swept the nation following his tragic death. Bell tweeted, "My 5 1/2 year old recognized #GeorgeFloyd's picture AND asked if the alt-right tiki torch guys were 'voting for Donald Trump'."
In the next tweet, he responded to a viewer who asked how tall Bell is. "Hahaha! I'm a legit 6'4", he wrote. Bell even encouraged his followers to follow fellow Twitter users who were actively live-tweeting quotes from the show and expressing their opinions.
In another tweet, Bell made it clear that the episode was shot much before Floyd’s death, yet it stands relevant in the present day. "This segment with @1hood & my friend @jasiri_x is IMHO one of the most important things the show has ever done. Thank you for having us. And remember this was all recorded BEFORE #GeorgeFloyd's killing. #UnitedShades."
People started trending #Unitedshades on Twitter, sharing Bell’s dialogues and reacting to the latest episode of ‘United Shades of America’. One wrote, “The new #UnitedShades episode is. If you need an explanation of how white supremacy works, watch it. It’s not just about hate it’s about systems. You will hear from inspired black thinkers, young people, jewish people, muslims, former klansmen, @wkamaubell & his mama."
"#UnitedShades dives into tough conversations in a way that encourages understanding. Tonight’s episode in #PGH was powerful. As Kamau’s mom said, ppl cannot hate once they get to know each other. So much goodness is achieved when ppl work together rather than against each other," added another.