What does it really cost to be yourself in America—and who gets to decide if you're "real" enough? In this class session, Dr. David J. Johns sits down with political strategist, presidential campaign trailblazer, and debut author Maya Rupert to dig into The Real Ones: How to Disrupt the Hidden Ways Racism Makes Us Less Authentic—a book written not just for people who've lived the cost of inauthenticity, but for the people unconsciously sending the bill. From Lisa Turtle to Kamala Harris, Candace Owens to Jasmine Crockett, Maya and Dr. Johns examine the authenticity trap, the machinery of whiteness, and why political authenticity is really just gatekeeping in a blazer—and why it's time to storm the gates.

SHOW NOTES & RESOURCES

Guest: Maya Rupert — Political Strategist | Author | Host, When We Win Podcast (NAACP Image Award Nominee), @MayaRupert. The Book: The Real Ones: How to Disrupt the Hidden Ways Racism Makes Us Less Authentic by Maya Rupert

• Available wherever books are sold
• Order online at bookshop.org (the independent-bookstore-supporting alternative)
• Shoutout to Loyalty Bookstores — Black, Asian, and queer-owned — on 9th Street NW in Petworth, Washington, D.C.

Referenced in This Episode:

• Misogynoir — term coined by Moya Bailey; explored in the "Lisa Versus Jessie" chapter
• Kamala Harris, Jasmine Crockett, Julián Castro, James Heller Rico, Candace Owens, Hasan Minhaj — all examined through the lens of the authenticity trap
• The Black Tax — page 165, The Real Ones
• Being "deputized in your own oppression" — page 86, The Real Ones

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📚 EmpowerED Book Club Giveaway: Look out for our giveaway featuring The Real Ones — details at @NBJCONtheMove

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