Neil J. Young is a historian, freelance writer, and podcaster. He studied history and English at Duke University and earned his Ph.D. in US history from Columbia University. He writes frequently on religion, politics, and culture for publications including CNN, the New York Times, the Washington Post, the Los Angeles Times, the Atlantic, Slate, Politico, and Vox. Neil previously served as a contributing op-ed columnist for The Week and for HuffPost. He co-hosts the history podcast Past Present, and is the author of two books. He is a Senior Facilitator and has been with the OpEd Project since 2016. 

Jamil Smith is a journalist and editor whose work examines the intersections of race, politics, and culture in American life. Most recently the editor-in-chief of The Emancipator and an essayist at the Los Angeles Times, he has also shaped national coverage as a senior editor at The New Republic, senior correspondent at Vox and MTV News, and senior writer for Rolling Stone. His Time magazine cover story on Black Panther earned the New York City chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists’ 2019 award for arts reporting. He has been a Mentor-Editor the OpEd Project since 2017. 

Michele Weldon is an award-winning author, journalist, TEDx speaker and emerita faculty in journalism at Northwestern University, where she taught for 18 years. An editor and writer for more than four decades, her work has appeared in the NYT, CNN, Washington Post, TIME, Guardian, USA Today, and many more. Her seventh book, The Time We Have, was published in 2024. Michele has led initiatives at more than 50 organizations. She has been a Coach with The OpEd Project since 2011.