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From the moment he greets the crowd, Baratunde is unforgettable. “My full name is Baratunde Rafiq Thurston. Baratunde is a Nigerian name meaning ‘one with no nickname.’ Rafiq is an Arabic name meaning ‘really, no nickname.’ And Thurston is a British name meaning ‘property of Massa Thurston.’ It’s ok if you weren’t expecting that last one. Neither were we.”

From here, this Harvard Philosophy graduate takes his audiences on a journey through the absurd world of American politics, media and pop culture, having turned his astute political awareness into a rising career in sharp and entertaining comedy.

When so many Americans get their news from Fox, when someone like Ann Coulter can get published, and when a black man with an afro still can’t walk down the street without white people touching it, it’s time to call on this conscious comic and self-described “vigilante pundit.”

He has been nominated for the Bill Hicks Award for Thought Provoking Comedy, declared a Champion of the First Amendment by Iowa State University and called "someone I need to know" by Barack Obama. He blogs regularly for Jack & Jill Politics and the Huffington Post and has been quoted by the NY Times and appeared on CNN, NPR and the BBC World Service. He performs regularly in New York City where he works by day as Web Editor for The Onion.

If you are a fan of Al Franken, Jon Stewart or the Bill of Rights, you will love Baratunde Thurston. He is not just an alternative to mainstream media. He’s an antidote.