>> same words? >> just like people. >> oh, i get it. you say in this book, i will attempt to recomplicate blackness, exposing the challenges, the fun and the future of being black in the united states. it's also a convenient way to make you care about my life, sir. why would you want to recomplicate blackness? >> because for too long it's been piped down into a few simple archetypes. you can be the thug, the rapper, the sassy black woman. there's so much more to black people, and we so have so much more to people. the book is ultimately about identity. we have the power to share that a little more. >> you used a think tank of sorts? >> yeah, a panel. >> to ask important questions, it became chapter titles of the book. for example, when did you first realize you were black? >> that was a powerful question. >> it is.