Baratunde Thurston facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Baratunde Thurston
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Thurston in 2012
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Baratunde Rafiq Thurston
September 11, 1977 Washington, D.C., U.S.
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| Education | Harvard University (BA) |
| Occupation | Comedian, author |
Baratunde Rafiq Thurston (born September 11, 1977) is an American writer, comedian, and commentator. He is known for his funny observations and thoughtful comments. Baratunde helped start a political blog called Jack and Jill Politics. This blog's reports from the 2008 Democratic National Convention are kept in the Library of Congress. He also worked as the digital director for The Onion, a popular satirical news website. In 2012, his book How to Be Black became a New York Times bestseller, meaning it was very popular.
Contents
Early Life and School
Baratunde Thurston was born in Washington, D.C.. He grew up in the Columbia Heights neighborhood of Washington. When he was young, his father passed away. His mother worked for the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency. He also has an older sister.
When he was in junior high, Baratunde and his mother moved to a neighborhood in Maryland. He attended the Sidwell Friends School. Later, he went to Harvard University. He studied Philosophy there and earned his degree.
His Career Journey
Baratunde Thurston has had an interesting career. He often uses humor to talk about important topics.
Early Comedy and Writing
In 2006, Baratunde was the host for the YearlyKos convention as part of Laughing Liberally. He also appeared at the event in 2007. He has written for popular websites like HuffPost and the Weekly Dig. More recently, he became a regular guest on the podcast This Week in Tech with Leo Laporte.
Television and Digital Work
In August 2009, Baratunde began hosting a TV show called Popular Science's Future Of. This show aired on the Science Channel. He was also the Director of Digital at The Onion until May 2012. He helped create the black political blog JackAndJillPolitics.com. The blog's name was inspired by the children's social group, Jack and Jill of America.
Becoming a Bestselling Author
His fourth book, How to Be Black, was released on February 1, 2012. This date is special because it's the first day of Black History Month. The book mixes funny self-help advice with stories from his own life. It covers many topics, from gardening to computers. It's described as a guide for anyone wanting to understand or work with black people.
Recent Projects
On August 27, 2015, The Daily Show with Trevor Noah announced that Baratunde Thurston was joining their team. He became a supervising producer, in charge of creating digital content for the show.
On June 23, 2020, Baratunde launched his own podcast called We're Having A Moment. In July 2022, he started hosting a six-part travelogue series on PBS. This series is called America Outdoors.
Books by Baratunde Thurston
- Better than Crying: Poking Fun at Politics, the Press & Pop Culture (2004)
- Keep Jerry Falwell Away from My Oreo Cookies (2005)
- Thank You Congressional Pages (...) (2006)
- How to Be Black (2012)
