Isolation Be Like...

Juneteenth is having the best week ever...and I have some thoughts.

P.S. I recorded this the day before I was given Juneteenth off, as a holiday. So, if my wonderful administrators are listening, this is not a response to your Juneteenth sentiments...it's more of a premonition of a cultural wave. I swear. 

Isolation Be Like is Created, Produced and Hosted by Phill Branch (aka Phill Boogie) This podcast is supported by a 2019 Rubys Artist Grant, which is a program of the Robert W. Deutsch Foundation. Phill Branch is a storyteller working in film, creative nonfiction and theater. He is the 2019 recipient of the Maryland State Arts Council’s Solo Performance Artist Award. He is also a GrandSlam Champion of The Moth in DC. An alumnus of the American Film Institute, Branch recently directed Searching for Shaniqua; his documentary about the impact names have on people's lives.The film won the HBO Best Documentary award at the 2016 Martha's Vineyard African-American Film Festival. Branch has served as a professor at his alma mater Hampton University and recently at Howard University. He is currently a Visiting Professor at Goucher College in Communication and Media Studies, focusing on race and ethnicity in film and media.

Find us at @isolationbelike and @phillbranch on Twitter and IG / phillbranch.com / isolationbelike.com

Edited by Ronald Young Jr. - follow him on Twitter and IG - @ohitsBigRon   

I got to thinking about how it's not extremists whose racism I bump up against in my daily life. My everyday racism comes from liberal colleagues, acquaintances and (former) friends. Racism from these spaces, generally, gets dismissed when addressed and/or buried in a puddle of tears. Many of my Black friends have been approached by white friends since the uprisings began, for advice on how to be an ally. Here's what I think is a good start.

Isolation Be Like is Created, Produced and Hosted by Phill Branch (aka Phill Boogie) This podcast is supported by a 2019 Rubys Artist Grant, which is a program of the Robert W. Deutsch Foundation. Phill Branch is a storyteller working in film, creative nonfiction and theater. He is the 2019 recipient of the Maryland State Arts Council’s Solo Performance Artist Award. He is also a GrandSlam Champion of The Moth in DC. An alumnus of the American Film Institute, Branch recently directed Searching for Shaniqua; his documentary about the impact names have on people's lives.The film won the HBO Best Documentary award at the 2016 Martha's Vineyard African-American Film Festival. Branch has served as a professor at his alma mater Hampton University and recently at Howard University. He is currently a Visiting Professor at Goucher College in Communication and Media Studies, focusing on race and ethnicity in film and media.

Find us at @isolationbelike and @phillbranch on Twitter and IG / phillbranch.com / isolationbelike.com

Edited by Ronald Young Jr. - follow him on Twitter and IG - @ohitsBigRon   

On this episode, I discuss the outrage over Biden deciding who is Black and I also touch on voting even when it doesn't feel so good.

Isolation Be Like is Created, Produced and Hosted by Phill Branch (aka Phill Boogie) This podcast is supported by a 2019 Rubys Artist Grant, which is a program of the Robert W. Deutsch Foundation. Phill Branch is a storyteller working in film, creative nonfiction and theater. He is the 2019 recipient of the Maryland State Arts Council’s Solo Performance Artist Award. He is also a GrandSlam Champion of The Moth in DC. An alumnus of the American Film Institute, Branch recently directed Searching for Shaniqua; his documentary about the impact names have on people's lives.The film won the HBO Best Documentary award at the 2016 Martha's Vineyard African-American Film Festival. Branch has served as a professor at his alma mater Hampton University and recently at Howard University. He is currently a Visiting Professor at Goucher College in Communication and Media Studies, focusing on race and ethnicity in film and media.

Find us at @isolationbelike and @phillbranch on Twitter and IG / phillbranch.com / isolationbelike.com

Edited by Ronald Young Jr. - follow him on Twitter and IG - @ohitsBigRon   

As I celebrate another year of life, I am processing the time in my life when I thought self-harm was the only choice. I read an excerpt from an anthology I contributed to - For Colored Boys Who Have Considered Suicide (Keith Boykin, editor) and talk about gaining perspective....over time.

As places begin to reopen, the real work begins...making decisions for ourselves and getting used to not knowing what’s coming next.

Let Black people be. Rest In Power and Peace Ahmad.

Let's trust our gut a little bit more. It's not rude to make a good choice for yourself...even if someone else might be uncomfortable.

For a brief moment in time, I served as an assistant for a "Dreamgirl." It was fun, messy, exhausting and life-changing.

Demographic data + Stimulus Checks - Unemployment = Reopening Nonessential Businesses