Real Ones: How to Disrupt the Hidden Ways Racism Makes Us Less Authentic

Top political strategist Maya Rupert reveals how, for people of color, being real comes at a cost and authenticity is a privilege the marginalized cannot afford—that is, unless we change the system that keeps sending us the bill. . .

One of Maya Rupert’s earliest memories was learning how to be inauthentic. That performance—the ability to make white people feel comfortable about race—has brought her everything from safety to success. As the third Black woman in history to run a presidential campaign, she soon realized that there was no room among society’s expectations for our real selves. In The Real Ones, Rupert reveals that for some, inauthenticity is necessary for survival.

In this deeply relatable book, Rupert weaves together pop culture and politics, workplace advice and personal stories. She shares the off-camera experiences on the presidential campaign trail in a post-Obama political landscape. She sees what Taylor Swift and Beyoncé fans expect from our biggest stars—one is admired as the authentic girl next door, the other is required to be a queen. She exposes the trap too many face in the workplace, when we are asked to bring our full selves to work—but not too much. Rupert sees a world where success is at the expense of our authenticity, not because of it.

The Real Ones offers an entirely fresh take on race—that authenticity is a privilege kept from people of color. When we are constantly confronted with the question, "Who do you think you are?" we cannot begin to ask ourselves "Who am I?" In the end, Rupert upends our understanding of authenticity, so that readers can stop questioning who we are, and finally thrive.

Maya Rupert is a political strategist and the third Black woman in history to run a presidential campaign. She is the Executive Vice President at Blue State, and she hosts the podcast When We Win, an NAACP Image Award nominee. A nationally respected voice on progressive politics and the Democratic party, she has appeared on MSNBC, CNN, and NPR; and in The New York Times and The Atlantic. She lives in Washington, D.C. with her cats.