“It took some time, but Thurston eventually retrained his classmates to call him Baratunde. People assume there’s a nickname, and they just jump to it, or they say, ‘What do people call you for short?’ And I say ‘Baratunde. Just say it faster. It can save you time and be a little bit more efficient if you’re worried about the time.’ “ nprfreshair: On today’s Fresh Air, Baratunde Thurston explains How To Be Black: “My version of being black adheres as much to the stereotypes as it dramatically breaks from them. And that’s probably true for most of you reading this: if not about blackness itself, then about something related to your identity. Through my story, I hope to expose you to another side of the black experience while offering practical, comedic advice based on my own painful lessons learned.”

“It took some time, but Thurston eventually retrained his classmates to call him Baratunde.

People assume there’s a nickname, and they just jump to it, or they say, ‘What do people call you for short?’ And I say ‘Baratunde. Just say it faster. It can save you time and be a little bit more efficient if you’re worried about the time.’ “

nprfreshair:

On today’s Fresh Air, Baratunde Thurston explains How To Be Black: “My version of being black adheres as much to the stereotypes as it dramatically breaks from them. And that’s probably true for most of you reading this: if not about blackness itself, then about something related to your identity. Through my story, I hope to expose you to another side of the black experience while offering practical, comedic advice based on my own painful lessons learned.”

(via npr)