By LORETTA FULTON

Growing up, Austin Channing Brown was curious about her first name.

Her mother told her that “Austin” was her grandmother’s maiden name.

Not satisfied, Brown pushed her mom, wanting to know why her mother chose the name, not just family history. Her mother’s answer hit with the force of a sledgehammer. The name  was selected from a conversation between her mother and father.

“We knew people would assume you’re a white man,” her mother explained. “We just had to make sure you made it to the interview.”

That reality stayed with Brown and as an adult led to her writing a popular book, “I’m Still Here: Black Dignity in a World Made for Whiteness.”

Read complete story by Loretta Fulton in the Reporter-News.