You can also listen to this episode on Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts.

My guest today is Baratunde Thurston, a true multi-hyphenate whose journey has taken him from stand-up comedy stages to the heart of political and social activism. He's the author of the critically acclaimed, New York Times Best Seller How to Be Black; an Emmy-nominated host and executive producer of the PBS television series America Outdoors; and the creator and host of the podcast How to Citizen. 

His mission? Tell a better story of us—challenging the status quo and fostering meaningful conversations about the intersections of race, technology, democracy, and climate. The stories we have inherited are too small for us, he tells us, urging us to nurture stories that are bigger, bolder, and better. Our conversation today touches on the concept of citizening—as a verb—as Baratunde suggests that we are capable of more than we have been asked to do and gives us the steps to better citizen. We discuss the great potential and great concerns surrounding AI and the fine line between enhancement and disconnection through mechanization. We can heal people, landscapes, even society as a whole, he tells us—but technology alone will not get us there—we must tap into something that we have known but chosen to forget—how to live. 

Read How to Be Black

Baratunde’s writings at Puck

Listen to his TED Talk: How to Deconstruct Racism, One Headline at a Time

Explore Baratunde’s Website

Listen to the How to Citizen podcast on APPLE and SPOTIFY

Follow him on INSTAGRAM and MASTODON

(Edited slightly for clarity.)

ELISE LOEHNEN: Well, thank you for being here and I'm thrilled to talk to you and know you because you have a fascinating mind and I always enjoy anyone who can talk about anything, truly.