SHAUN KING

It's hard to understand a moment in history when you are in it.

There is a movement we call Afro-Futurism, where we imagine a black way of life free of white supremacy and bigotry. 'Black Panther,' I think, is the first blockbuster film centered in the ethos of Afro-Futurism, where the writers and directors and makeup and wardrobe team all imagined a beautiful, thriving black Africa without colonialism.

I reject this idea that who Bernie Sanders was in the 1960s is irrelevant. Who you are and what you do, what you fought for, and who and what you fought against, is always relevant.

It takes guts in this country to refuse to be a Democrat or a Republican.

We loathe mass incarceration. We loathe police brutality. But most of us have absolutely no idea how to address the critical flaws in our justice system.

I grossly underestimated the gravitational pull of America's justice system toward white supremacy.

I've always been a writer and have always loved writing.

I think, when people think of NFL athletes, they forget that they are citizens of this country, that they are bothered by the problems that we all face.

I think what irritates both conservatives and liberals alike is when news outlets pretend that they don't have an agenda but then clearly do, be it in the editorial decisions they make and the guests they have and the material that they cover.

We live in a country where movies, music, and sports are more important than God to a lot of people. It's why Colin Kaepernick's protest rocked the nation and got the whole world talking. Taking a knee is a simple act of defiance. Had Colin done it anywhere other than the football field, it might not have even made the news.

By the time I reached middle school, I fully identified myself not even as biracial but just as black.

In the United States, we've put our elections on Tuesday. That's dumb. In modern life, it makes absolutely no sense.

Some of the most destructive forms of racism - like being denied a home loan or being passed on for a job where you are the most qualified candidate - are hard to measure in real time.

I've always loved technology - not gadgets so much... but I've enjoyed using technology to connect people to people and connect people to opportunities to do good.

I was never a white guy pretending to be black. Not once, ever, did it occur to me that I was being phony or fraudulent or fake. Quite the opposite - I always believed I was living the truest form of my self.

It doesn't matter if I've been wronged - I still have a responsibility to use my influence in a way that never causes harm.

I used to think this notion of preaching to the choir was a problem, and we kind of use it in a bit of a pejorative sense... but I've actually grown to adopt that perspective that the choir needs good preaching - they need good information. They need good tools and insight.

There is kind of this spirit in journalism to tell both sides of the story and to just let the listeners choose what they want to choose, and I understand that, and there's a place for it, but on some issues, we really do need to take a stand.

Trump's America means many things, but this much is clear - it means toxic white masculinity is not just permitted, it's fully empowered - and getting worse.

I was in high school when Bill Clinton was impeached for lying under oath about his relationship with Lewinsky. We didn't have social media back then - hell, we didn't have a computer with the Internet in our home - so the details of it all escaped me.

When the primary people who have influence and power in our communities are not even really allowed to educate you on who to vote for and against, we're in trouble.

Electing radical reformers as district attorneys is huge. It's essential.

We must put an end to the corruption and systemic racism in our justice system, and that starts by electing progressive district attorneys who will fight for real justice across the country.

When 3 million more people vote for a presidential candidate, but that candidate still loses, the system sucks. Period. It's broken. I think it's broken if the candidate loses by one vote and still wins. Losing by 3 million votes, but still winning the election, is preposterous.

I'm most comfortable at the intersection of technology and helping people; that's really what gets me going and gets me excited and what I get most passionate about.