I work in comedy, journalism, media, and technology, many of which don’t have a lot of black faces in visible positions. I walk through Brooklyn with a surfboard. It’s fun to challenge and expand people’s expectations.
BARATUNDE THURSTON2010 Foursquare Mayor Of The Year
More Baratunde Thurston Quotes
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I don’t know that I’m post-anything. I’d like to think maybe I’m post-bullshit.
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My family life and early political life – being exposed to the news constantly, being enrolled in an Afrocentric education program, and doing the extracurriculars I did – played a huge role in me finding my path.
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As far as hip-hop is concerned, I’m no expert and rarely think consciously about how I “represent” hip-hop.
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You can call me namastunde or surfatunde. Either works.
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I care about the diversity of the mindset of the people creating our future, and the windows through which we see it, and the tools we use to build it.
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Knowing that “me” is inextricably linked to blackness, [I try to enjoy] the process of expanding beyond the expected boundaries set by existing culture, norms and media.
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There are so many ways to be and to be black at the same time, but we’re finally seeing that full range expressed much more widely than before.
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2010 Foursquare Mayor Of The Year
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There’s certainly a lot of noise in the hip-hop world now [that] I don’t pay active attention to, but to the extent that I represent some flavor of what’s happening in hip-hop – it’s subconscious.
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Mostly I try to be the best example of me that I can be.
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As I’ve submerged myself in news of the revolutions sweeping North Africa and the Middle East, I wanted desperately to feel part of what was going on. And then it hit me: This is what white people were doing to me after Obama was elected!
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Okay, well, if motion is the constant, how can I remain in motion?
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New York has been the best gift, in that the city pushes me to so many next levels.
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Remember something about attention. Yes, it’s possible to buy, grab, or even steal it. But it’s far better to earn it.
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By the time I got to Harvard, I feel like I knew who I was, and my job there was to throw as much against the wall as possible, to see what would stick.
BARATUNDE THURSTON