Damon Young is done explaining shit to white people. “I feel like the ones who need to hear it aren’t listening,” says Young, the editor-in-chief of our colleagues Very Smart Brothas. His new memoir, What Doesn’t Kill You Makes You Blacker, is a testament to just how exhausting it is to be black in America. The collection of essays covers more than 20 years of his life, including being a teen in Pittsburgh. “There might be certain terms, certain dialects, or certain colloquialisms that are unique to black Pittsburgh,” he says. “They’re inserted so I can tell my story the best way I possibly can.” In the video above—that’s definitely not an explainer—Young talks about the power of language, breaks down the terms unique to his life, and shares why avoiding code-switching is a form of resistance. Senior Producer: Jennifer Perry; Creative Producers: Santiago Garcia, Marvin Van Buren, Lisa Fischer
