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Zusammenfassung von How To Be Black

Name: How To Be Black
Rating: 3.8 (18 reviews)
Author: Baratunde Thurston

Baratunde Thurston

Over thirty years of experience in being black

3.8 (18 Bewertungen)

16 Min.

Kurz zusammengefasst

How To Be Black by Baratunde Thurston is a humorous memoir and satirical guide that explores what it means to be Black in America. It challenges stereotypes, examines racial identity, and offers insight into navigating the complexities of race relations.

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What’s in it for me? Gain a new perspective on what it means to be black.

The only black kid in the animated series South Park is named Token – a blatant admission of what most TV series were at pains to hide: black characters were just that, token characters. In South Park, Token is exposed to all sorts of black stereotypes, like when Cartman is sure he owns a bass guitar since his family is black. Baratunde Thurston had a similar experience growing up, but the stereotypes were slightly different.

This is the story of what it’s like to grow up black in a primarily white neighborhood while still trying to maintain contact with the black community. It’s a glimpse into one man’s life, but also into our own prejudices and ideas about what it means to be black.

In these blinks, you’ll learn

how being African-American isn’t black enough for some people;
why a black student union makes sense, but a white one doesn’t; and
how a black guy’s black colleague can be his worst enemy.

Growing up as a black kid in 1970s America wasn’t made any easier by having an African name.

School can be tough for anyone, but if your name is Baratunde, things start going downhill around minute one of the very first day. Imagine the teacher taking roll call, zipping through the Johns and Jennifers and then stumbling to a halt: “Barry Tune? Baritone Dave?”

Simply put, it’s not easy having an African name in America.

The author spent his childhood listening to his name getting butchered by white American teachers. He’s been called “Barracuda” and “Bartender,” while other teachers, panicking in the face of all those syllables, just shortened it to “Brad.” For the record, Baratunde is pronounced: baa-ruh-TOON-day.

After a while, he got used to it. Now, he even takes a certain pleasure in hearing how new acquaintances might mangle it. He’s waiting for the day that someone slips up and says “Beelzebub,” or comes up with a way to inadvertently add a Q.

He’s also discovered that Africans living in the States aren’t necessarily fond of his name, either.

The name Baratunde comes from Nigeria, an offshoot of the more common name, Babatunde.

You might think that a Nigerian would smile after being introduced to an African-American with such a name. But that’s not the case. Once, Baratunde called a Nigerian friend but got stuck talking to the friend’s father instead. The man was outraged to hear that someone who wasn’t Nigerian would be using this name.

His friend’s father asked him if he even knew the meaning of his name. And when the young Baratunde was about to tell him that it means “grandfather returns” or “the chosen one,” the man cut him off and shouted, “No! It means ‘grandfather returns’ or ‘the chosen one!’”

Unfortunately, this wasn’t an isolated event. Many other Nigerians would later react the same way after hearing his name.

Baratunde’s mom defied many of the stereotypes people have of a black woman.

If you were told to envision a guy who loves going camping, listening to Mozart and cooking organic vegan dishes, what kind of image would you have in your head? In the author’s experience, you’re probably not picturing a guy who looks like him.

But black people fit this profile as well.

There were many awkward moments in Baratunde’s introduction to life at private school.

No one thinks twice about that fact that President Obama’s daughters, Malia and Sasha, go to a private school. But rewind 20 years, and it’s a different story.

When the author was growing up, being a black kid in a private school was truly a fish-out-of-water experience.

Black people can be equally proud of their American nationality and their African ancestry.

If you grew up with Mexican, Portuguese or Chinese friends, you might be familiar with them having to run off to another class in the afternoon or even on Saturdays.

Well, African-Americans have those groups, too; they exist to strengthen the bond with their cultural heritage.

If black people are gathered together, it shouldn’t be taken as a threat to white people.

It’s to be expected during lunchtime at a school cafeteria: kids gather together with like-minded friends.

At Sidwell, the few black students grouped together, which caused the white students no small amount of worry. Ironically, they managed to feel excluded by this and questioned whether these gatherings should be seen as a threat to the other students.

Black-white friendships are great, but don’t ask to touch a black person’s hair.

When you were growing up, did you ever have an older relative who liked to playfully mess up your hair? It was kind of annoying right? Well, there’s actually never a good time to go touching anyone’s hair, even if the hairdo seems exotic to you.

Even friends don’t touch a black man’s hair.

Boston can be unfriendly toward black people, but Harvard University offered an accepting environment.

Massachusetts has a reputation for being a pretty liberal state, but Boston is actually not the friendliest of cities for a black person.

The city has a pretty dark past: In the 1970s, there was fierce opposition against busing students from the inner-city to better schools, and it led to violent protests in the streets.

The workplace poses its own set of challenges when dealing with black and white coworkers.

After graduating from Harvard, Baratunde joined the workforce at a local telecommunications firm in Boston. And this is when he started to learn some new lessons about what it’s like being black in the workplace.

First of all, not all black colleagues are willing to help.

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Worum geht es in How To Be Black?

How To Be Black (2012) is the funny, revealing and insightful autobiography of Baratunde Thurston. Thurston attended private schools and Harvard University, and the experience of being black in a predominantly white milieu taught him a great deal about what white and black people have come to expect from one another. These blinks tackle a difficult subject with humor and empathy.

Bestes Zitat aus How To Be Black

Most of the Nigerians Ive met use my name to remind me that Im not that black.

—Baratunde Thurston

Wer How To Be Black lesen sollte

Black people who get nervous around white people
White people who get nervous around black people
Curious readers interested in a fresh perspective

Über den Autor

Baratunde Thurston is a Harvard University graduate, a communications expert, comedian and popular public speaker. Formerly a writer for The Onion, he now blogs for Cultivated Wit and can be followed on Twitter: @baratunde.

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