Comedian and political provocateur W. Kamau Bell visits communities across America to explore race, class, and the unique challenges they face.

Featuring Bell’s signature blend of empathy and humor, the seventh season gives voice to those whose perspectives are too often left out of the conversation.

This summer on United Shades of America, Bell travels to Appalachia, exploring the significant and largely unknown population of Black Americans who call the area home. He visits Boston, examining the mental health issues affecting the sport world. Bell’s home state of California is included. An area plagued by constant wildfires, Bell discovers how communities have learned to coexist with this frequent destruction.

Bell heads to Hawaii, uncovering how the island has been commodified by an exploitative tourism industry following the Covid-19 pandemic. In New York City he discusses Asian American representation in film and media, revealing the commonality between his own experience and theirs.

In the Black Hills of South Dakota, Bell gets a firsthand look at the Landback Campaign organized by Indigenous peoples of the region. In Maricopa County in Arizona he investigates the origins of “wokeness” and how the word “woke” has become politicized and enmeshed in the ideological debate over how the history of the United States is taught in schools.

Using comedy as a conversation starter, Bell explores various ethnic and sub cultures across America.

Watch the seventh season of United Shades of America with W. Kamau Bell on Sundays at 10 p.m. on CNN.