( ENSPIRE Community Spotlight ) Black Folx – An Instagram Conversation
ENSPIRE Contributor: Amanda Hirsch
While stuck inside our homes, many people with a platform or following have turned to social media to spread awareness and keep the conversation going about current events and important issues. Modern Love actor and Big Mouth writer, Brandon Kyle Goodman, started an Instagram live series three weeks ago called Black Folx where he invited black people of different identities and backgrounds to join him on IGTV every Saturday to have a conversation. Actor Tom Ellis has been giving over his Instagram platform in partnership with Brandon and the series so it gets more exposure.
“There’s something very healing for me to be in conversation with other Black Folx. I hope that for others who are Black, it will also be healing, and for those who are White/Non-Black I hope this can be one of the ways you expose yourself to our experiences, in our words, from our breath.”
The first episode featured Girl Code actress, Alesha Reneé, who shared her experiences in the film industry as a black woman. Thus far, he has welcomed guests such as Lucifer actor D.B. Woodside, pop recording artivist Mila Jam, and head judge of The Big Flower Fight Kristen Griffith VanderYacht.
Common topics of conversation include allyship fatigue, growing up Black and queer, interracial marriages, “tantrums” of whiteness, and being Black in Hollywood, to name a few. Brandon and his guest stars also talk about beneficial ways to go about protesting as both white and Black people.
The messages and topics of conversation that are had on this series are so important to hear, whether you are listening as a source of education and exposure or to feel like your voice and experiences are heard. Brandon hopes that this series will continue after July but has no definite plans as of right now. All episodes are accessible on his Instagram under the story tab titled “Black Folx.” In the meantime, Brandon has been participating in the hashtag challenge #LegendaryLeaders, posting information and links to donation sites promoting Black Trans Women, protecting their rights, and supporting their businesses.
