Color Commentary

In this episode of Color Commentary, Dr. Charles Cole interviews his friend and collaborator, Dr. Shanté Jackson-Barnes, to discuss the literacy crisis in America. We’d love to hear from you! Email Charles at colorcommentarypod@gmail.com And check out our merch here !

Welcome to Color Commentary, where the stories shaping our world start in black and white and then come into full color. In this episode, Charles opens with a homecoming in New Orleans: the A Black Hands crew reunited at the National Charter Schools Conference, where a packed room, a custom podcast space, and real chemistry made the night feel bigger than a reunion. He reflects on why the show mat...

What’s really happening behind the scenes of Memphis’ education upheaval? Dr. Cole dissects the recent law that replaces elected school boards with a shady, unchecked, state-appointed oversight board—who controls the district’s $1.7 billion budget—and what that means for local voices. You’ll discover how this law, rooted in a governance crisis, reveals the entrenched disparities and political mach...

In this episode of Color Commentary, Dr. Charles Cole, III delves into the intricate dynamics between Black America and the diaspora, exploring how cultural identity and political maneuvers shape our communities. From dissecting controversial comments on accents to exposing the strategic defunding of Black educational programs, this conversation highlights the critical need for unity, understandin...

In this episode of Color Commentary, Dr. Charles Cole, III explores the profound connections between literacy, hip-hop artistry, and cultural expression, while also diving into the excitement of the NBA Finals and the rise of Victor Wembanyama. From uncovering Jay-Z's intricate wordplay to analyzing basketball phenoms, this conversation emphasizes the importance of education, authenticity, and res...

Join Dr. Charles Cole and Educator Barnes as they explore innovative strategies for keeping kids engaged during the summer without turning it into a mini school session. Discover how library programs, cultural festivals, and meaningful conversations can transform summer into a time of growth and connection. Learn about the importance of autonomy for older kids and how simple activities can enhance...

She's been on The Breakfast Club, gone viral with Cam Newton, coached celebrities on live streams, and built a platform as 'Dr. Cheyenne Bryant.' But can she prove the doctorate? This week, Dr. Cole breaks down the full story — the Argosy University collapse, the empty ProQuest record, the licensure debate, and what this moment actually reveals about credibility, accountability, and mental health...

In 1965, the Voting Rights Act was the federal government's answer to a century of voter suppression against Black Americans. In 2013, the Supreme Court gutted its most powerful provision. On April 29, 2026, the Court finished what it started — and within days, states across the South began redrawing maps to strip Black communities of their congressional representation before November's midterm el...

This week on Color Commentary, Dr. Cole opens up Office Hours, a new lane on the show where he takes a real situation and works it live using the A.N.D. framework. This one is a composite drawn from more than ten real cases he's seen over the years as a social worker, scholar, organizer, and entrepreneur. A middle school teacher is fighting to keep a brilliant 12-year-old Black boy out of an alter...

  In 2020, American philanthropy made a lot of noise about supporting Black-led nonprofits. New research from Candid and ABFE just dropped — and it shows that for most Black-led organizations, those promises amounted to a brief surge and a hard landing. The money was temporary. The relationships never formed. The structural gap never closed. And now, with the Trump administration rolling back DEI...

This week on Color Commentary, Dr. Charles Cole is joined by education activist, Brightbeam CEO, and fellow 8 Black Hands host Chris Stewart to break down the Netflix documentary Louis Theroux: Inside the Manosphere. The film — which hit number one on Netflix — takes viewers inside a growing world of online male influencers who profit from messages about masculinity, dominance, and distrust. But C...

This week on Color Commentary, Dr. Cole gets personal. From sleeping in a Tenderloin shelter at nine years old to earning a doctorate, speaking across the country, and helping more than a thousand kids get to college — he traces the origins of an ambition that has driven everything and cost him plenty. This is not a success story. This is an honest reckoning with the most faithful and most dangero...

Today I want to make an argument. It is one I believe in deeply — both because of the work I do every day and because of the evidence that history gives us when we bother to look. The argument is simple: do not underestimate young people. Do not put a ceiling on what they are capable of creating. Because the next time someone tells you that youth is a limitation, I want you to think about two name...

We have two things today. First — the Oscars happened Sunday...and I need to say a few words. Then we're going deep on something I watched this weekend that I haven't been able to stop thinking about. Louis Theroux just dropped a documentary on Netflix called Inside the Manosphere . I watched it. I have thoughts. And I think you need to watch it too — especially if you have a son, a nephew, a litt...

I want to revisit the BAFTA conversation one more time — because the comments have not stopped coming in and there is one more thing I need to say. Then we are going to walk through all ten Best Picture nominees ahead of the Oscars this Sunday — what they are, whether I've seen them, what I actually think. I'll be honest about which ones I've seen, which ones I haven't, and which one I started and...

Last week we talked about the BAFTAs — Ryan Coogler's historic win, and what Michael B. Jordan and Delroy Lindo had to endure on that stage. Well, this week MBJ went and won the Actor Award — formerly the SAGs — in one of the biggest upsets of the awards season. And the Oscars are twelve days away. We're going to celebrate that. But I also need to address some of the comments from last episode — b...

This week on Color Commentary, Dr. Charles Cole III breaks down the 2026 BAFTAs — Ryan Coogler's historic Best Original Screenplay win for Sinners , what Tourette syndrome and Coprolalia actually are, and why the real story isn't John Davidson. It's what BAFTA and the BBC chose to do — and chose not to do — while Michael B. Jordan and Delroy Lindo were standing on that stage. -- We'd love to hear...

Today we’ve got two stories: Eulogizing Rev. Jesse Louis Jackson Sr. Tyler Perry's Joe's College Road Trip Let’s get into it. --- We’d love to hear from you! Email Charles at colorcommentarypod@gmail.com And check out our merch here !

This week, we're talking about proxy wars. And I don't mean the kind where countries fight each other through intermediaries — though we'll get to that. I'm talking about how almost every cultural fight you're seeing right now is a proxy war for something deeper. Something people can't or won't say out loud. Bad Bunny's Super Bowl halftime show? That's not really about the performance. J. Cole's n...

Today, we're talking about something that doesn't get enough attention: the high price of poverty. How it costs more to be poor in America. How the system doesn't just ignore poverty—it profits from it. -- We’d love to hear from you! Email Charles at colorcommentarypod@gmail.com And check out our merch here !

In this episode of Color Commentary, Dr. Charles Cole, III discusses the recent Oscar nominations for the film 'Sinners', the public apology from Ye regarding his past comments, and the premiere of Marvel's 'Wonder Man'. He reflects on the significance of these events in the context of the film industry, mental health, and the evolving landscape of superhero narratives. - We’d love to hear from yo...

Today's story is about a question schools don't ask out loud enough: What is a grade actually supposed to mean? We're looking at two connected developments out of California—one focused on grade inflation and the incentives driving it, and another focused on grading reform that's spreading across high-performing districts, even when they avoid naming it directly. Don’t blame California’s teachers...

Ryan Coogler made a $368 million vampire thriller with a nearly all-Black cast. Michael B. Jordan delivered a career-defining dual performance. Warner Bros. had the biggest original Black film of the year. And the Golden Globes gave it two awards - one of which wasn't even televised. Meanwhile, a table tennis movie made $79 million and won Best Actor. A 2 hour 41 minute PTA film about anarchists m...

Today we're talking about a book that's shaped how I think about activism, sacrifice, and what it really means to fight for change: " The Spook Who Sat by the Door " by Sam Greenlee. -- We’d love to hear from you! Email Charles at colorcommentarypod@gmail.com

A recent study examined three Black men who earned doctoral degrees despite growing up during the crack epidemic. Despite meaningful cultural differences—two African American, one Caribbean diaspora—all three demonstrated remarkably similar patterns of development across three dimensions Awareness: Navigation Duty Let's talk about it. -- Thank you for listening to Color Commentary. We’d love to he...