Jean introduces Victor Varnado, a Black man with albinism who has built his life on humor and business acumen.
02:00
Victor discusses his awakening to his difference.
05:43
Victor moves from small town Alabama to Minneapolis to be with his father.
08:80
Learning survival skills as a smart, nerdy kid who’s different. Comedy deflected the bullies.
14:00
Learning economic survival skills. Making money isn’t enough, you have to learn how it works.
19:00
Valuing yourself as an artist. Learning business is essential.
29:10
When jokes aren’t funny.
33:04
Risque jokes depend on the audience. If it lands badly, it’s a bad joke.
36:51
Writing an antiracism book and writing cartoons for The New Yorker.
43:54
Takeaway lesson: Be good to people.
Victor Varnado
Victor Varnado is an American stand-up comedian and actor. He is an African American man with albinism. He was born legally blind due to his albinism. He grew up in Huntsville, Alabama and later moved to Minneapolis, Minnesota. He graduated from the University of Minnesota in 1993.
His LinkedIn About section says: “I think therefore I am... I think.”
Some of his current activities:
Biosciences Venture Participant 2023: Westchester County Biosciences
Accelerator (The Catalyst), an Entrepreneurship Accelerator for Bioscience companies.
Founder: Supreme Robot Pictures
Producer, Host: The Iron Mule: New York Comedy Film Festival
The views and opinions expressed in this or other blog posts at www.leadingconsciously.com are those of the guest author and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of Leading Consciously. Any content provided by our bloggers or authors are of their opinion, and are not intended to malign any religion, ethnic group, organization, company, individual, or anyone or anything.
Questions to ask yourself
What do you know about albinism? Are you surprised that it’s subject to bullying?
What were your coping skills as a kid if you were perceived as different?
Conscious Change skills covered in this blog post
Bridge differences
Address underlying systemic biases
Check for stereotyping tendencies, unconscious bias, and blind spots in your behavior, especially as a dominant group member
We are a leadership development firm that helps people and organizations create resilient, sustainable, multicultural, and inclusive settings. The ability to lead consciously can help you gain true awareness and earn the respect and trust of others.
It’s the assumptions we have about people’s lives that are the biggest obstacles to growth, awareness, and success. We help you understand how those assumptions are preventing you from becoming the best you can be as an organization, an inclusive leader, and a person.
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