Shows
Bourbon 'n BrownTownEp. 116 - America: The Last Dance?BrownTown finally talks Trump 2.0, local collective resistance, the election blame game, and the half century of neoliberalism got us here. As the news cycles have been dominated by Trump, tariffs, Musk, and the MAGA mess, BrownTown speaks candidly on the the first few months of the new (yet old) administration, and how to not only resist the re-branded fascist takeover but unapologetically and collectively fight it and win (without relying on the same institutions that made it possible in the first place). BrownTown also reflects on where the podcast and SoapBox at-large was during Trump 1.0, comparing and contrasting both...
2025-03-251h 24
Bourbon 'n BrownTownEp. 100 - It's a BnB Celebration! ft. Samantha Grund-Wickramasekera & Camille WilliamsBrownTown on BrownTown. Join Caullen and David as they celebrate BnB's 100th episode with guest hosts and homies Samantha Grund-Wickramasekera and Camille Williams. Sam is a long-time listener and SoapBox board member while Camille was one of the first podcast guests. As collaborators and friends of BrownTown, they have seen the podcast and SoapBox as a whole grow over the years and detail that as they lead a reflection on where the podcast has been, where it is, and where it's going. Here's to 100 more!Transcriptions available here!GUESTSSamantha Grund-Wickramasekera is a proud...
2023-12-081h 44
Bourbon 'n BrownTownBONUS - #NoCopTOBER ft. Freedom XBrownTown shares space with Chicago Southsider and former #NoCopAcademy organizer Freedom X as they reminisce about the height of the campaign and discuss what the new feature documentary means to them in this moment. Come see the film this #NoCopTOBER and be on the lookout for future screenings at Linktr.ee/NoCopAcademy and SoapBoxPO.com/NoCopAcademy! #NoCopDoc GUESTFreedom X is a Chicago South Side revolutionary who was a youth organizer during the #NoCopAcademy campaign from 2017-2019.--For all things #NoCopAcademy, visit Linktr.ee/NoCopAcademy. Peep NoCopAcademy.com f...
2023-10-0727 min
Bourbon 'n BrownTownEp. 95 - HomeBrownTown on BrownTown. As SoapBox (the film and movement media hub that powers Bourbon 'n BrownTown) moves into its first-ever office, Caullen and David discuss their journeys finding and curating spaces to call home, personally and professionally. BrownTown affirms housing as a human right while examining Chicago and America's dialectical relationships -- the housing crisis and Bring Chicago Home legislation, decades of US imperialism and caring for asylum seekers, Wall Street bailouts and billionaire tax breaks while the working many unionize for better workplaces, etc. While films like SoapBox's Calvin's Story (2016) create empathy, we must balance the interpersonal with...
2023-08-011h 18
Bourbon 'n BrownTownEp. 94 - Police Abolition 2.0 ft. District Councilors David Orlikoff & Ashley VargasBrownTown breaks down the relationship between police abolition and state-sanctioned police accountability measures with newly elected Police District Councilors David Orlikoff and Ashley Vargas. The guests square their PIC abolitionist organizing roots with the new accountability structure, Community Commission for Public Safety and Accountability (CCPSA), for the Chicago Police Department. Three years after the first installment in the midst of the 2020 uprisings, BrownTown and the organizers-turned-electeds re-contextualize the path to abolition with the paradoxes, nuances, benefits, and challenges of this new structure on the foreground of the decades-long demand for community control over the police. Originally recorded June 19, 2023.
2023-07-151h 27
Bourbon 'n BrownTownEp. 89 - The Politics of Dress, Pt. 2 ft. Hannah LinskyBrownTown again invites Hannah Linsky (she/her), vintage stylist, seller, educator, and liver and breather of all things fashion to unpack the politics of dress. In part 2, the friends go macro and discuss fashion within current and historical social movements and its impact on policy and popular culture. From Scottish Resistance to the Black Panthers to Iran's Hijab Protest Movement and everything in between, we understand that dress communicates strong cultural messages. Though often created out of specific contexts, these stylings last generations, travel across cultures, and make us investigate our notions of respectability, autonomy, and mobilization. “If fashion re...
2023-03-181h 35
Bourbon 'n BrownTownEp. 88 - New Years 2023: A Retrospective ft. Kiera BattlesBrownTown on BrownTown. Now-BnB audio engineer Kiera Battles makes her debut bringing in behind-the-scenes insights to the podcast as the gang unpacks the episodes, new series, and various recording environments that made up 2022. For better or worse, here's to 2023!With 11 total full episodes, this shortened year brought 8 guest episodes (3 repeat guests), only 1 with no guests, and 2 new series (1 ongoing; 1 completed). In addition to breaking down 2022 episodes, BrownTown chops it out about episodes from 2021, the unofficial "in the age of spin" framework throughout the tenure of BnB, recording virtually versus in-person and switching locations, unions for creative industries...
2023-01-231h 25
Bourbon 'n BrownTownEp. 87 - Democratizing Philosophy through Identity, Environment, & Ethical Food Pathways ft. Shanti ChuBrownTown listens, learns, and discusses how to make philosophy more accessible, environmental justice through animal rights, and ethical food pathways with Shanti Chu, philosopher, writer, speaker, and creator of ChiVeg, a dynamic food blog that focuses on ethical eating with vegetarian recipes. The team explores the topics' connections to each other through personal experiences and critical pedagogy while unpacking their relation to capitalism and white supremacy.Full Transcription Here!GUEST: Shanti Chu is a published philosopher, writer and speaker on the topics of public philosophy, food, multiracial identity, and intersectionality. She is a philosophy professor...
2022-12-301h 14
Bourbon 'n BrownTownEp. 86 - W.O.R.K. in the Age of SpinBrownTown chops it up about WORK. Building on previous episodes about labor, unions, and trying to do liberatory work within capitalism, BrownTown contextualizes recent inflation hikes, the state of "hustle culture," and the seven-decade growth of corporate profits on the backs of the working class. While the majority of adults WORK, the propaganda that you must "earn" the right to live and be productive constantly in order to have any value has normalized harmful policies, language, and attitudes towards one another. Though COVID, the great resignation, Striketober, and other large phenomena have chipped the armor of capitalist logics and...
2022-12-171h 02
Bourbon 'n BrownTownEp. 85 - The Politics of Dress, Pt. 1 ft. Hannah LinskyBrownTown invites Hannah Linsky (she/her), vintage stylist, seller, educator, and liver and breather of all things fashion to unpack the politics of dress. The friends use their experiences with clothing and fashion growing up to dissect the often overlooked yet important cultural artifact. As an everyday window into individual and collective beliefs and values, the limitless expression of how we adorn our bodies is a site for discussion around gender and patriarchy; sustainability, labor, and capitalism; and much more. The politics of dress communicate praxis of power and hierarchy yet offer an opportunity for resistance and decolonization. Listen...
2022-11-301h 41
Bourbon 'n BrownTownEp. 84 - Whiskey & Watching: "Passing" (2021) ft. Sophie Elizabeth James & Pearl QuickBrownTown again shares space with Sophie Elizabeth James, sociologist and Unpaid Emotional Labor podcast host, and Pearl Quick, farmer, pastor, and poet extraordinaire, in the sophomore episode of our recurring "Whiskey & Watching" series. BrownTown and guests deconstruct, recontextualize, and, dare we say, decolonize popular films, TV shows, books, and more! This time the gang unpacks Passing (2021), the Rebecca Hall directorial debut (for better or worse) and film-adaptation of the Nella Larsen novel of the same name. In 1920s New York City, a light-skinned Black woman finds her world up-ended when her life becomes intertwined with a former childhood friend...
2022-09-302h 08
Bourbon 'n BrownTownEp. 83 - “We Are More” Pt. 3: Re-entry, Combating the "Law & Order" Narrative, & the SAFE-T Act ft. Melvin FarleyBrownTown links up with Melvin Farley, formerly incarcerated friend of Illinois Prison Project. In Part Three of the "We Are More" series, BrownTown and Melvin discuss re-entering society after incarceration, combating the "law and order" narrative and resurgent fear-mongering politics tactics, as well as the much talked about Illinois SAFE-T Act that goes into full effect January 1, 2023. Watch the micro-docs, listen to the series, and take action at SoapBoxPO.com/We-Are-More and IllinoisPrisonProject.org.Melvin's initially shares his experience with incarceration and how the Illinois Prison Project supported in his release. The team then details some of...
2022-09-231h 06
Bourbon 'n BrownTownEp. 82 - “We Are More” Pt. 2: Transforming Systems & Community Organizing after Incarceration ft. Dyanna WinchesterBrownTown sits down with Dyanna Winchester, Decarceration Organizer with Live Free Illinois. In Part Two of the "We Are More" series, BrownTown and Dyanna discuss organizing against and within institutions to disrupt dangerous policy, addressing intracommunal violence with interpersonal relationships, supporting re-entry after being incarcerated, and more. Watch the micro-docs, listen to the series, and take action at SoapBoxPO.com/We-Are-More and IllinoisPrisonProject.org.Dyanna's shares her experience with incarceration before the team delves into policy-driven factors like the Truth in Sentencing Act and the barriers folks formerly incarcerated folks face upon re-integrating into society after being...
2022-08-201h 13
Bourbon 'n BrownTownEp. 81 - “We Are More” Pt. 1: Redefining False Narratives & Disrupting Trajectories of Women in Prison ft. Sandra BrownBrownTown shares virtual space with Sandra Brown, formerly incarcerated survivor and current Senior Advisor and Visiting Scholar with the Women’s Justice Institute (WJI). In Part One of the "We Are More" series, BrownTown and Sandra discuss the four leading criminal legal system trends that have spurred the rise in women's mass incarceration and meet them with five fundamental rights and needs as pathways to justice (WJI). At the intersection of carcerality and patriarchy, the team collectively addresses and assesses root causes and ways to reverse women’s incarceration on the path towards prison abolition. Watch the micro-docs, listen to t...
2022-07-161h 07
Bourbon 'n BrownTownTRAILER - The "We Are More" SeriesBrownTown brings you the "We Are More" campaign series! The podcast extension of SoapBox's micro-doc video series with the Illinois Prison Project centers the experiences of incarcerated and formerly incarcerated people, and pushes back against fear-mongering “tough on crime” rhetoric and policies resurging in the 2022 election season. With the support of directly-impacted guests, BrownTown unpacks the revanchist history of these dangerous policies, recent media sensationalism, and the importance of media literacy through an abolitionist lens. Watch the micro-docs, listen to the series, and take action at SoapBoxPO.com/We-Are-More and IllinoisPrisonProject.org.Full Transcriptions here! ...
2022-07-0208 min
Bourbon 'n BrownTownEp. 80 - Remapping, Electoralism, & Challenging the Border Myth ft. Stephanie SkoraBrownTown chops it up about electoral politics, the remap process post-2020 Census, borders and anti-Zionism, and much more with repeat guest (Ep. 60) Stephanie Skora, movement worker and creator of the popular "Girl, I Guess" Progressive Voter Guide. The gang again takes on the nuances of engaging in electoralism while holding radical politics and the importance international solidarity between colonized peoples. Originally recorded May 16, 2022, before the new Chicago ward map was approved.Spring 2022 marks two years since the most recent Census where the new representational map of our political reality has changed to, so we’re told, better re...
2022-06-181h 40
Bourbon 'n BrownTownEp. 79 - Whiskey & Watching: "The Batman" (2022) ft. Sophie Elizabeth James & Pearl QuickBrownTown is again joined by Sophie Elizabeth James, sociologist and Unpaid Emotional Labor podcast host, and Pearl Quick, farmer, pastor, and poet extraordinaire, in the inaugural episode of our recurring "Whiskey & Watching" series. BrownTown and guests deconstruct, recontextualize, and, dare we say, decolonize popular films, TV shows, books, and more! In our first take, the homies take on The Batman, the 2022 Matt Reeves live-action feature version of the cape crusader's anthology. From analyzing the city of Gotham as a character in-and-of-itself to this new "emo Batman" to the Riddler as a 4Chan influencer ("like and subscribe, guys!"), the squad...
2022-05-271h 20
Bourbon 'n BrownTownEp. 78 - Black Farming & Finding Your Food Story ft. Pearl QuickBrownTown breaks bread with long-time homie Pearl Quick, soil science educator, farmer, and pastor as they discuss the histories of Black, brown, and indigenous farming practices while navigating the relationship and resistance to oppressive institutions, and what it means to decolonize our food systems.Full transcription here!GUESTHailing from the South Bronx, Pearl Quick is an educator in soil science, disease ecology, genetics, and faith formation from Sarah Lawrence & Princeton University. Pearl created Many Soils, a farming space where Black and brown youth come to learn how to decolonize their palates, look at...
2022-05-071h 40
Bourbon 'n BrownTownEp. 77 - Independent Media Creation in the Age of Spin (& Capital) ft. Sophie Elizabeth JamesBrownTown gets meta with return guest Sophie Elizabeth James, sociologist, program manager in the anti-human trafficking sector, and creator of the Unpaid Emotional Labor podcast. The team dissects our current independent media landscape and the digital and socio-political histories that make it up. While they center their own experience in making films and podcasts and using social media, they also lean into noteworthy media events in relation to dominant narratives on "propaganda", media literacy, and the issues of too many dudes with podcasts.Full Transcriptions Here!GUESTSophie Elizabeth James is a political sociologist...
2022-04-301h 40
Bourbon 'n BrownTownEp. 76 - Surveillance Capitalism & Abolitionist Tech, Pt. 2 ft. Alyxandra GoodwinBrownTown spills even more the tea on in part two of the surveillance capitalism and abolitionist tech conversation with Alyx Goodwin, currently a Deputy Campaign Director on Policing and Incarceration at the Action Center on Race and the Economy (ACRE), organizes with BYP100 Chicago, and is a co-founder and writer with LEFT OUT Magazine.Alyx and BrownTown pick up where they left off centering a couple reminders and updates before the dig in. The gang discusses the observations and broader lessons from the October 4th Chicago Police Department budget hearing, then-updates of the #StopShotSpotter campaign (1, 2), and the...
2021-10-231h 55
Bourbon 'n BrownTownEp. 76 - Surveillance Capitalism & Abolitionist Tech, Pt. 1 ft. Alyxandra GoodwinBrownTown spills the tea on surveillance capitalism and talks abolitionist tech with Alyxandra Goodwin, who is recently organizing the #StopShotSpotter campaign in Chicago. In part one of this two-part episode, the gang unpack surveillance in various forms from policing to social media while unpacking the many intricacies and insidious ways it controls our lives from the most intimate to the most systemic.Alyx and the gang quickly digs into the relationship between social media tech surveillance and large corporations, stating that these industries are moving faster than state regulation can keep up with or can even understand...
2021-09-301h 37
Bourbon 'n BrownTownEp. 75 - Youth Radio: Inside & Out ft. Simone St. Pierre Nelson & Stories by Youth Incarcerated in SeattleBrownTown and Simone discuss the power of youth radio in this episode that includes three (3) full audio stories produced by and featuring teens incarcerated in Seattle. In April 2021, Simone, David, and Caullen worked with the teens to create the featured stories in a two-day workshop with KUOW Radioactive Youth Media. They discuss the importance of authentic narratives in media creation, intergenerational youth programming, and uplifting justice-involved youth while navigating inequitable social conditions and the institutions that reinforce them. Collectively, BrownTown and Simone unpack their personal proximity to these themes, the pitfalls of adultism, and zoom out to compare and...
2021-08-311h 33
Bourbon 'n BrownTownBONUS - The Collective Freedom Project: DebriefIn the first recording since the Collective Freedom Project (CFP) series, Caullen and David debrief on the series' conversations, producing the project behind-the-scenes, as well as unpack previously unheard material. Caullen outlines the timeline of SoapBox's journey in the Collective Freedom Project and what it was like pitching the podcast series. David unpacks some of the difficulties and limitations with producing even long-form audio stories, in that there is always more to explore with guests and subjects. BrownTown discusses other campaigns, past episodes, cultural/regional differences in organizing, and issues with the olympics.THE COLLECTIVE FREEDOM PROJECT
2021-08-211h 12
Bourbon 'n BrownTownEp. 74 - The Collective Freedom Project, Pt. 4: California & #Budget2SaveLives ft. Sandy ValencianoBrownTown listens, learns, and breaks down California's state-wide efforts for a just budget, to resist immigrant detention, and advance alternatives to incarceration, especially on the onset of COVID-19 with Sandy Valenciano. Watch the micro-docs, listen to the series, and take action at CollectiveFreedomProject.org/Multimedia.Similar to Part Three of the CFP series with Austin, Texas, Sandy debunks the myth of California as progressive bubble it's often painted from the outside. She breaks down some of the socio-political geography of the state and the reasoning behind putting energy into state-wide legislative battles. Her and BrownTown unpack the...
2021-07-091h 27
Bourbon 'n BrownTownEp. 73 - The Collective Freedom Project, Pt. 3: Texas & #ShutDownHutto ft. Rebecca Sanchez & David JohnsonBrownTown links up with Rebecca Sanchez & David Johnson of Grassroots Leadership in Austin, Texas. In Part Three of the Collective Freedom Project series, they discuss the the socio-political climate in Austin, the #DefundAPD campaign(s); #ShutDownHutto and other campaigns to close or halt construction of new jails; and the intersections of technology, surveillance, and gentrification.BrownTown and guests cover several interrelated topics throughout the course of their time together. After Rebecca and David (or "DJ") share more about their backgrounds, they quickly debunk the myth of Austin as the liberal blue bubble in a sea of red...
2021-07-082h 02
Bourbon 'n BrownTownEp. 72 - The Collective Freedom Project, Pt. 2: Atlanta & #CloseTheJailATL ft. Denise RubenBrownTown chops it up with Denise Ruben as they discuss the #CloseTheJailATL campaign and coalition. The Atlanta City Detention Center (ACDC) was built in preparation for the 1996 Summer Olympics as the "extra jail" in Atlanta and previously was divided into two sides — the "city side" and the ICE side. The campaign won legislation in May 2019 to close and repurpose the jail through a community-led taskforce but is still fighting to repurpose the facility into a Center for Wellness & Freedom, reallocate $32.5 million back into the community, and decriminalize the "broken windows" offenses that populated the jail.Denise shares he...
2021-07-071h 08
Bourbon 'n BrownTownEp. 71 - The Collective Freedom Project, Pt. 1: Chicago & #EraseTheDatabase ft. Xanat SobrevillaBrownTown shares virtual space with Xanat Sobrevilla as they discuss the #EraseTheDatabase campaign to abolish and repair the harm done by the City's gang database as well as breakdown the broader connection between local police and ICE.BrownTown and Xanat set the stage for Chicago as a site with a longstanding tradition of coalition-building nodding to the rainbow coalition of the Fred Hampton era all the way to #NoCopAcademy (1, 2) and of course #EraseTheDatabase. Xanat explains that coalitions are not just about "diversity" of organizations but about shared power that are most effective when the most marginalized people...
2021-07-061h 10
Bourbon 'n BrownTownTRAILER - The Collective Freedom Project: A Four-Part SeriesCaullen and David of BrownTown and organizers across the U.S. discuss fighting for a world away from police and ICE violence and towards a world with life-affirming institutions, respect for our natural environments, collective freedom and liberation. The nuanced conversations in the series allow for a more complex, dynamic, and frank digestion of the varied political terrain in which we wage region-specific efforts as well as introspective dives into the broader lessons we can learn from each other and from this moment, summer 2021, a year after the George Floyd uprisings.THE COLLECTIVE FREEDOM PROJECTThe...
2021-06-2113 min
Bourbon 'n BrownTownEp. 70 - Narratives in Media & Documenting Movements ft. Mateo ZapataBrownTown reflects on the turbulent events of March and April 2021 in Chicago within the context of the community-based media, truth in journalism, and participating in and documenting social movements with Mateo Zapata.Mateo shares his introduction into organizing for immigrants' rights in resistance to the Sensenbrenner bill in 2006 (1, 2). He and BrownTown harp on the importance of organizing and grassroots action regardless of policy promises and often in direct opposition to legislation from the state (i.e. hunger strike during Daley Jr. Administration - 1, 2, 3). BrownTown places Mateo's op-ed for the Chicago Tribune on the police killing of Adam...
2021-05-151h 46
Bourbon 'n BrownTownEp. 69 - Restorative Justice ft. Mashaun Ali HendricksBrownTown shares a virtual circle with Mashaun Ali Hendricks. Together, they listen, learn, share, and unpack restorative justice from its ancestral beginnings to its modern direct opposition the prison-industrial complex and everything in between.Restorative Justice (RJ) has gained in popularity over the decades. We know it to be not only a philosophy and strategy, but a way of life. In an overly punitive country and world, RJ allows a roadmap to healing, communication, relationship-building, and ultimately transformation. As wide critiques of American mass racialized incarceration gained popularity in the 2010s and abolition of police and prisons...
2021-04-291h 36
Bourbon 'n BrownTownEp. 68 - Identity, Power, & the Invention of Race ft. CA DavisBrownTown listens, learns, and breaks down the myths and histories of racial identity with CA Davis, filmmaker, digital storyteller, and creator of a LATTO Thought -- an immersive audio documentary that dismantles post-racial myths about mixed race identities.CA begins this special conversation outlining how he came to create a LATTO Thought and centering many of the misconceptions we commonly associate to race -- both more known biological myths as well as social myths in the way we construct our views on race and in our very language. BrownTown and CA share their experiences growing up creating...
2021-04-031h 47
Bourbon 'n BrownTownEp. 67 - #DefundCPD, Responsive Institutions, & Turning Moments into Movements ft. Bettina JohnsonBrownTown invites Bettina Johnson to talk all things #DefundCPD campaign, nuances and strategies for abolitionist organizing, non-hierarchal structures, building responsive institutions, and training the newly politicized.The gang compares and contrasts their work and thoughts on abolition and broader "defund police" campaigns pre- and post-George Floyd uprisings before digging into the momentum theory of organizing--turning the energy and politicization of highly visible moments into sustainable movements.As Bettina notes, "we need as many people and as many entry points to start that [politicization] process that feels good for people." BrownTown and Bettina discuss various entry...
2021-03-201h 34
Bourbon 'n BrownTownEp. 66 - Advertising in the Activist Resurgence (& Post-George Floyd) 2.0BrownTown reflects on advertising and internet-based media post-COVID lockdown, post-George Floyd uprisings, and post-2020 elections. Building on the first May 2019 installment, BrownTown updates their analysis on the ways in which corporate and independent media co-opt movements and historical events to help their bottom line, improve their public image, and sometimes challenge the status quo.If advertising is the jester of capitalism and we're all forced to watch the show, then let's engage with a critical lens and build the tools to burn down the stage and create anew if it doesn't serve our material needs. Originally recorded F...
2021-03-061h 49
Bourbon 'n BrownTownEp. 65 - Sex & Body Positivity ft. Christina WilbornBrownTown shares virtual space with Christina to discuss sex and body positivity. She opens up to BrownTown as they unpack power, social norms, and patriarchy regarding we construct, present, and navigate sex and our own bodies.Christina (AKA "C-Dub") centers her lived experience as well as her work co-creating Womxnvibe into the conversation as a site of her own learning. She explains what power meant to her in the past and how she empowers womxn now through dance, in her work as an electrolysis, and her everyday life. BrownTown harps on the importance of empowerment and community-building...
2021-02-201h 24
Bourbon 'n BrownTownEp. 64 - Non-Profit Industrial Complex ft. Lizette GarzaBrownTown talks non-profit industrial complex, financial surveillance, drill rap, and everything in between with Lizette Garza, Program Manager at Crossroads Fund. The gang dissects the philanthropic world's inherent root in inequity as well as its changes and challenges from the grassroots over the years. Lizette brings her lived experience as well as work with Crossroads into the conversation around the role of non-profits, funding "radical" initiatives, and the impact coronavirus and the George Floyd uprisings had on them. As summer 2020 brought a racial justice reckoning, everyday people began to distrust institutions, better understand how whiteness and anti-Blackness p...
2021-01-161h 46
Bourbon 'n BrownTownEp. 63 - New Years 2021: A Retrospective ft. Genta TamashiroBrownTown on BrownTown. The gang reflects on 2020, unpacking the episodes that helped us get through a truly unprecedented year. From coronavirus to George Floyd uprisings to national elections to our everyday mental health, BrownTown and audio engineer Genta Tamashiro discuss creating the podcast against the backdrop of a tragic yet powerful year.BrownTown and Genta methodically and chronologically detail the year's episodes with regard to COVID-19, quarantine, and transitioning from in-person to virtual recording. As the behind-the-scenes production changed, so did the episodes themselves, each leaning into how the pandemic and/or uprisings implicated the episode's topic...
2021-01-011h 44
Bourbon 'n BrownTownEp. 62 - Law for Liberation 2.0 ft. Timmy ChâuBrownTown links up with organizer, activist, facilitator, and Fitness Against Fascism alum Timmy Châu to discuss how to work towards an abolitionist future within and outside of the criminal legal system. In this second installment, the fam reflects on legal cases from the summer uprisings and their impact, the current political terrain, and shaping difficult conversations with loved ones. Building upon the first installment, episode 32 with Tia Haywood and Jesús Vargas, BrownTown and Timmy discuss how to work towards an abolitionist future within and outside of the criminal legal system. Originally recorded December 3, 2020. Timmy shares his...
2020-12-201h 44
Bourbon 'n BrownTownEp. 61 - The Real Color in Sports 2.0 ft. Jasson PerezBrownTown chops it up with Jasson Perez, activist, researcher, and sports enthusiast, to talk all things sports post-COVID and post-George Floyd uprisings. In this part two, the team speaks candidly on sports organization's co-opt of Black Lives Matter, the relationship between players and owners, polarization as a strategy, and competing theories of social change. Originally recorded November 2020. Following up on BrownTown's first installment from 2017 focusing on the aftermath of Colin Kaepernick's kneeling to protest police brutality, Jasson joins to talk all things sports in the later half of 2020--post-COVID and post-George Floyd uprisings. With multiple, interrelated crises at the...
2020-12-121h 16
Bourbon 'n BrownTownEp. 60 - Electoral & Radical Politics 3.0 ft. Stephanie SkoraBuilding on the first and second installment of the Electoral & Radical Politics series with activists and alderpeople, BrownTown talks electoral politics, grassroots organizing, and everything in between with Stephanie Skora, creator of the popular "Girl, I Guess" Progressive Voter Guide. With everything that is 2020 as the backdrop, the team breaks down the Cook County General Election ballot, Chicago politics, and the role of and opinions on voting within movement circles. In this third installment, BrownTown leans hard into into the much-loved voter guide, using it as a site to discuss topics ranging from progressive shifts in popular opinion, factions...
2020-10-301h 47
Bourbon 'n BrownTownEp. 59 - Creative Jobs, Life Balance, & Working towards a Liberatory Future within Capitalism (& COVID) 2.0 ft. Genta TamashiroBuilding off of the first installment, episode 39, BrownTown again takes a second to reflect on their own lives in regards to work and struggle under capitalism. In part two, enter COVID-19 and the international uprisings against white supremacy and state violence: As mass consciousness has shifted in understanding how interrelated structures have always failed us, BrownTown and Genta unpack how they’ve personally adapted livelihoods, resistance, and relationships as well as navigated the changes in virtually every industry.The gang details the events of February and March 2020 as COVID-19 and the quarantine that followed in the United St...
2020-10-141h 36
Bourbon 'n BrownTownEp. 58 - Movement Media 2.0 ft. Grace Del VecchioFollowing up from the first installment with Damon Williams and Daniel Kisslinger of AirGo, BrownTown listens, learns, and again converses about movement media. This time leaning into more traditional journalistic structures and academic institutions set to the backdrop of the 2020 uprisings against police brutality and white supremacy.Grace shares some of her background before the gang digs into their definitions of "movement media" and how to be responsible with your platform, using your voice appropriately yet sparingly while amplifying others. Grace talks journalism from an activist, academic, and professional perspective noting that, "the objective narrative is a...
2020-09-191h 49
Bourbon 'n BrownTownEp. 57 - Labor Day: Workers' Rights & Class Solidarity ft. Taylor ManessBrownTown shares virtual space with friend of SoapBox and socialist organizer Taylor Maness as they dissect the origins of Labor Day and May Day, talk labor movement history and the fight for workers' rights, as well as the importance of class and racial solidarity in the fight against racial capitalism then and now.BrownTown starts by reflecting on some August 2020 events in Chicago -- jail support training, recent actions, and give reminders on how to stay safe at protests, especially with heavy police presence. Caullen and Taylor provide background on growing up together and being radicalized during...
2020-09-041h 37
Bourbon 'n BrownTownEp. 56 - Resisting in Place ft. Morgan MaloneBrownTown talks with Morgan Malone, all-around civic leader, strategist, and dedicated resident of the Southside of Chicago, about her project Resisting in Place. The team discusses the meaning of resistance with regard to the movement for Black lives, anti-racist work, and collective and intentional engagement at the intersections of everyday life and societal design. With Morgan's ambitious, nuanced, and powerful project as a site, she and BrownTown discuss what it means to "resist" and what that looks like for different professions, people, industries, etc. (mentioned article: "When Black Women go From Office Pet to Office Threat"). Morgan's project centers...
2020-08-271h 30
Bourbon 'n BrownTownEp. 55 - Organizing against Displacement with the Obama Community Benefits Agreement ft. Ashli Giles-Perkins & Ebonée GreenBrownTown and guests discuss the effects of the future Obama Presidential Center (OPC) on Chicago's South Side, the organizing for a CBA to ensure affordable housing for area residents, as well as its relationship with healthcare, education, and police violence. Ashli and Ebonée share how they came to the Obama CBA coalition via BYP100 and breakdown what exactly a community benefits agreement is as well as its importance to the Woodlawn neighborhood, the South Side, and Chicago as a whole. Ebonée details Chicago's public housing history before David explains why his parents' journeyed from Mexico to Chicago. As...
2020-07-171h 32
Bourbon 'n BrownTownEp. 54 - (Re)Birth of an Uprising: Adultism, Cops Out of Schools, & Organizing a New Mass Consciousness ft. Veronica Rodriguez & Asha EdwardsBrownTown reflects on the first half of 2020 with Veronica Rodriguez and Asha Edwards. The gang shares their experiences since the global uprising against police brutality and white supremacy following the police killing of George Floyd. As the broader movement for Black Lives is re-ignited and police defunding and abolition moves into the mainstream discourse, this conversation serves as a referendum on adultism, the push to get cops out of schools, and how to organize a new mass consciousness amongst the previously apathetic.The team begins by diving into how V and Asha began their movement journey while...
2020-07-111h 44
Bourbon 'n BrownTownEp. 53 - Police Abolition ft. Ariel AtkinsBrownTown finally tackles a much discussed topic on this podcast as well as in recent weeks, police abolition. Ariel Atkins, Lead Organizer of Black Lives Matter Chicago shares her thoughts and experiences since the global uprising against police brutality and white supremacy following the police killing of George Floyd. The gang discusses how we got to this moment, the broader movement for Black lives, coronavirus implications, reforming vs. defunding vs. abolishing police, and much more. All three share their thoughts and experiences since the global uprising against police brutality and white supremacy following the police killing of George Floyd...
2020-06-191h 47
Bourbon 'n BrownTownEp. 52 - Mental Health ft. Abbie Brasch & Dakota SillymanBrownTown shares virtual space with Abbie Brasch and Dakota Sillyman, multi-talented friends of SoapBox and mental health advocates who create resources and media for learning and navigating mental health on all levels. Abbie discusses the impetus of her journal, how it helped her and is now helping others while Dakota discusses how Cope is positioned as a digestible entry-way to various aspects of mental health. The group takes a step back to examine common resources for mental health and issues with how it is often discussed in mainstream circles. With this, Abbie breaks down her recent article on an...
2020-05-301h 31
Bourbon 'n BrownTownEp. 51 - War! What is it good for? ft. Tanvi KapatralBrownTown shares space with Tanvi Kapatral as the team talks anti-militarism organizing, narrative-building, and working towards a world where we actually fund live-giving services, not endless wars. Tanvi explains Dissenters organizing strategy of mobilizing on college campuses and other institutions while critiquing and resisting the military-industrial complex in all its forms. By finding commonalities between other clubs that also are oppressed from war (i.e. environmental club learning the US military is the world's largest institutional green houses gas emitter), they can broaden their coalition.War. What is it good for? Absolutely nothing. Now that that's understood...
2020-04-171h 20
Bourbon 'n BrownTownEp. 50 - Chi DNA: Participatory Filmmaking & Gender Performance within Hip-Hop ft. Tweak’GBrownTown chills out with Tweak'G, Chicago rapper, activist, and Chi DNA feature documentary subject. In Tweak's two-year anniversary in BrownTown (see episode 15), the fam discusses ethics and relationship-building in documentary filmmaking and deconstructs gender roles and sexuality within contemporary hip-hop as well as their everyday lives. Tweak talks about new developments in her personal and professional life as BrownTown details their "on set" and behind-the-scenes experiences getting to know Tweak through creating the Chi DNA feature and beyond. Tweak deconstructs stereotypes about masculine-presenting Lesbians in hip-hop as well as the everyday, while critiquing heteronormative hierarchies within the Lesbian and...
2020-04-031h 20
Bourbon 'n BrownTownEp. 49 - 2020 Census ft. Fernanda Castellanos & Brandon LeeBrownTown invites Fernanda Castellanos of Organized Communities against Deportations (OCAD) and Brandon Lee of Illinois Coalition for Immigration and Refugee Rights (ICIRR) to discuss why you should be counted in the 2020 Census, deportations and sanctuary cities, the importance of trust and showing up for one another within grassroots organizing, and the peculiarity of Illinois politics.The team dives into this year's U.S. Census and all the reasons everyone (yes, everyone) should do it. Fernanda and Brandon inform about their work with OCAD and ICIRR as well as what census outreach looks like for immigrant, undocumented, and...
2020-03-201h 02
Bourbon 'n BrownTownEp. 48 - Democratic Primary Elections 2020BrownTown finally dives head first into the 2020 Democratic Presidential Primary election season. With a 24/7 news cycle, social media frenzy, infighting within established parties, and liberatory movements and rhetoric being reflected in mainstream discourse, how do we makes sense of a flawed state process while fighting for a new world? Originally recorded March 2, 2020...the day before Super Tuesday.The fellas discuss the current state of the presidential race with the (at the time) remaining candidates as well as the original historically large field. As Caullen and David get news of Pete Buttigieg and Amy Klobuchar dropping out of...
2020-03-1650 min
Bourbon 'n BrownTownEp. 47 - Electoral & Radical Politics 2.0 ft. Alderwoman Maria HaddenBrownTown listens, learns, and again converses about electoral and radical politics with sitting 49th Ward Alderwoman Maria Hadden of Chicago. With a changing political landscape on the local, national, and global level, Maria and BrownTown discuss how and why Left and/or "progressive" policies are gaining more mainstream appeal, how movements are shaping platforms, and how to push elected officials to embrace a radical imagination for a more equitable future.Following up from the first installment with activist Camille Williams, BrownTown listens, learns, and again converses about electoral and radical politics with sitting 49th Ward Alderwoman Maria...
2020-02-2849 min
Bourbon 'n BrownTownEp. 46 - Exploring Blackness & Cultural Media ft. Courtney Phillips & Matthew Manning of Gumbo MediaBrownTown shares space with Courtney Phillips and Matthew Manning of Gumbo Media, a versatile entity that curates content, community, and services that expand the narrative of Black life. The fam investigates the importance, struggles, successes, and nuances of making culturally-specific and -relevant media while centering their experiences as Black and Brown creators and full human beings.Courtney and Matthew begin by explaining how they came to create Gumbo: An idea they had thought about and discussed for some time hit a crescendo in July 2016, summer of police killings of Alton Sterling and Philandro Castile as well as...
2020-02-151h 26
Bourbon 'n BrownTownEp. 45 - Prison-Industrial Complex & Fitness Against Fascism 2.0 ft. Coss MarteBrownTown talks abolition, branding, and burpees with Coss Marte, founder of CONBODY, a "prison-style" fully bodyweight fitness studio that hires formerly incarcerated individuals. Using Coss' experiences and SoapBox's Fitness Against Fascism series as models, the team unpacks the connections between healthy communities and the prison-industrial complex.In this follow-up to Ep. 30 - Holistic Health & Fitness Against Fascism ft. Mel Phillips, Coss joins BrownTown from NYC to discuss his journey creating CONBODY, collaborating on SoapBox's Fitness Against Fascism 3 (FAF3) event, and the effect of the prison-industrial complex (PIC) on healthy communities. Similar to the SoapBox event, the gang...
2020-01-2547 min
Bourbon 'n BrownTownEp. 44 - New Years 2020: A Retrospective ft. Genta TamashiroBrownTown on BrownTown. The gang reflects on the events, guests, related SoapBox projects, and topics of 2019. With the help of audio engineer and dearest friend Genta Tamashiro, BrownTown raises a glass with all of you as they look back at some of the realest moments with some of the dopest people around.The fellas discuss leveling up professionally as Genta shares his recent career moves before they talk through the past year's episodes and their general growth (or lack thereof). In addition to sharing thoughts the diverse array of 2019 episodes, Genta and BrownTown chop it out about...
2020-01-101h 10
Bourbon 'n BrownTownEp. 43 - Vulnerable Authenticity within Music Creation & Consumption ft. Rio MutasimBrownTown chops it up with musician and overall creative Rio Mutasim about emotionally-informed music-making, consuming art responsibly, and the vulnerabilities that come with it all. How do we respond to, create, and consume music and other creative art forms? As consumers, we experience and feel only so much of the process and intention. As creators, we can only do so much to see our full vision come to life while battling obstacles of time, money, creative control, compromise in collaboration, trauma, personal life, etc. Rio and BrownTown unpack the emotional responsibility and toll of putting yo...
2019-12-201h 06
Bourbon 'n BrownTownEp. 42 - Thanksgiving: Colonization to LiberationThanksgiving is a colonized holiday based on genocide, white supremacy, and cultural domination in multiple forms. Still, with competing narratives and histories even in 2019, it’s the second biggest holiday in America and the start of the so-called “holiday season.” With that, BrownTown reflects on what they were taught in school, considers how they have celebrated in their own homes, and unpacks the holiday on a macro-level.BrownTown discusses Thanksgiving in conjunction with Columbus’ Day, now recognized by some states/institutions and (more importantly) many people as Indigenous Peoples’ Day. They quickly make the broader argument that traditiona...
2019-11-281h 04
Bourbon 'n BrownTownEp. 41 - Human Trafficking & the Black Body ft. Sophie Elizabeth JamesBrownTown invites Sophie Elizabeth James to drop knowledge on the state of human trafficking in the real world, in academia, and in popular culture. The team breaks down dominant narrative tropes and misconceptions, trauma care, carceral feminism, and the human-trafficking research-funding-institutional model that further upholds white supremacy at the stake of the Black, often female, body.Sophie shares how she came to formally study HT and the journey that got her to the "raging Black feminist" point she is now. With that, the gang takes to academia and the issues within both the unrepresentative, non-contextual, and just...
2019-11-011h 43
Bourbon 'n BrownTownEp. 40 - Self Love & Self Care 2.0BrownTown on BrownTown. Once again, David and Caullen take a step back to discuss the importance of self love, self care, and self understanding. This time, with a broader focus on the commodified and co-opted “self care” phenomenon, BrownTown talks access, trauma, dominant narratives, overcompensating, and the issues with a one-size-fits-all approach. As capitalism preys on our every waking desire, we must find our own pathways to prioritize health and happiness. In the second installment, the fellas bring the scope more macro and examine what has become a self care phenomenon of philosophies, strategies, and even...
2019-10-121h 04
Bourbon 'n BrownTownEp. 39 - Creative Jobs, Life Balance, & Working towards a Liberatory Future within CapitalismBrownTown on BrownTown. The fellas take an introspective look at their own lives, analyzing the strategies (for better or worse) for managing time, money, and relationships while running SoapBox, building power with activists, and working in creative fields and other industries under capitalism.BrownTown goes macro before micro, discussing how the Bourbon 'n BrownTown podcast functions within SoapBox's larger multimedia framework as well as the outside perspectives of SoapBox's work itself. Caullen quickly explains the importance of language in how we talk about and value work (what is "work?" Is it a "weekend" if you're still working...
2019-09-281h 13
Bourbon 'n BrownTownEp. 38 - Drugs 2.0! (Legal) Reefer Madness ft. Xenon ZeiglerBrownTown chills out with Xenon Zeigler, filmmaker, traveler, and creator, as the gang once again tackles drug policy, this time centering the conversation around the history and current mainstream attitude on marijuana within the context of the racialized "War on Drugs," late capitalism, and the underground economy (listen to part one!).In 2018, former Attorney General Jeff Sessions made comments about allowing federal prosecutors to try marijuana cases in states where it was already legal; in 2019 year Illinois Governor JB Pritzker solidified Illinois as the 11th State to legalize recreational marijuana. With marijuana usage—both the traditional plant as...
2019-09-141h 11
Bourbon 'n BrownTownEp. 37 - Public Health 2.0 ft. Le Greta HudsonBrownTown listens, learns, and again converses about public health, this time in the education field, with Le Greta Hudson, registered dietitian, certified diabetes educator, and professor in Nutrition and Exercise Physiology at the University of Missouri. The team discusses the nuances, the disconnects, and aspiring symbiotic relationship between academia and the real world in building healthy communities, thus navigating poverty, food policy, access, transportation, and everything in between.Following up from the more geography-based conversation from Public Health 1.0 with Jessica Puri, BrownTown and Le Greta (yes, Caullen’s mom) move into the realm of education with th...
2019-08-271h 40
Bourbon 'n BrownTownEp. 36 - LGBTQ+ Liberation vs. Representation ft. Benji HartBrownTown shares space with Benji Hart, author, artist, and educator to discuss language, movement-building, and artistry created by and for queer, trans, and gender non-binary folks. The gang analyzes the relationships between Pride celebrations and police, media and political representations of LGBTQ+ folks, and the nuanced, complicated ways in which we subvert and reimagine oppressive systems while simultaneously navigating, operating, and living within them. Originally recorded June 2019.As representation for LGBTQ+ folks (especially queer, trans, and non-binary) slowly expands in mainstream media, policy, and other facets of socialized life, BrownTown and Benji chop it up about...
2019-08-091h 27
Bourbon 'n BrownTownEp. 35 - Chi DNA: Youth Trauma-informed Education & Organizing against Gun Violence ft. TreeBrownTown links up with Tree, an activist, artist, and program facilitator with GoodKids MadCity working to end violence in all its forms. The team discusses educating young folks and the intersections of violence in music, policy, and the streets as well as the role white supremacy, capitalism, and toxic masculinity has in it all. BrownTown originally met Tree at the Chicago Urban League’s live podcast recording event Ep. 8 Convening on Youth Violence and at SoapBox’s February 2019 event Chi DNA: Movement, Media, & Municipal Elections. Tree begins by talking about his philosophy of life and comin...
2019-08-021h 27
Bourbon 'n BrownTownEp. 34 - Movement Media ft. Damon Williams & Daniel Kisslinger of AirGoBrownTown chops it up with Damon Williams and Daniel Kisslinger of AirGo Podcast about all things independent media-making, humanizing through subject-to-subject dialogue, and making equitable space in Chicago’s creative communities and social movements. Let’s get meta. Originally recorded April 22, 2019. The two duos cover the impetus of both podcasts as well as some emerging strategies and experiences of growth. AirGo elaborates on their humble beginnings, physical/digital platforms they’ve traversed, and their fake-to-real beef with the FCC while BrownTown breaks down episode 8.3 and their working relationships. The gang unpacks the power dynamics inherent in our...
2019-06-071h 46
Bourbon 'n BrownTownEp. 33 - Advertising in the Activist ResurgenceBrownTown reflects on the recent turn in the advertising industry to co-opting social movement optics, messages, and dialogues. As this industry has always run monetized media and the digital age has made media literacy ever-more important, BrownTown unpacks recent attempts of companies using progressive narrative shifts for their bottom-line. Originally recorded April 2019. Advertising is a pillar of consumerism serving as a jester for a larger capitalist economic structure. However, the last two years have brought a unique wave of commercials using the now-mainstream appeal of social movements to sell their products. BrownTown takes a dive i...
2019-05-2554 min
Bourbon 'n BrownTownEp. 32 - Law for Liberation ft. Tia Haywood & Jesús VargasBrownTown kicks back with Tia Haywood and Jesús Vargas of the Haywood Monte Law Offices to discuss the role of the legal system, public opinion, and grassroots activism in holding the criminal justice system accountable while working within its very framework. The gang examines recent Chicago cases and breaks down how narratives and precedents can shape the path for future equity, for better or for worse. Originally recorded February 18, 2019. The American political climate has been largely and saliently polarized with the Trump administration’s legal decisions and executive orders while Chicago has also been high...
2019-04-201h 27
Bourbon 'n BrownTownEp. 31 - Black & Brown Representation in Media 2.0 ft. BeezyThe full BrownTown diaspora unites to take on Black and Brown representation in media in the follow-up to the podcast’s inaugural episode. “Beezy” of BrownTown joins us to incorporate a Pakistani perspective and experience into the discussion on Black Panther, Coco, and Hasan Minaj to name a few. Where shallow “diversity” efforts fall short, BrownTown unpacks the nuances of the more representative media landscape and how to hold creators and audiences accountable. Originally recorded January 4, 2019.Since the first ever Bourbon ’n BrownTown recording on the same topic in April 2017, we have witnessed new works in TV, film, mu...
2019-02-261h 07
Bourbon 'n BrownTownEp. 30 - Holistic Health & Fitness Against Fascism ft. Mel PhillipsBrownTown invites trauma-informed yoga teacher Mel Phillips to the discussion around holistic health, access to wellness care, and the ways in which we challenge systems of oppression in seemingly apolitical industries. What does equity and liberation look like in the allied health continuum? Together, using SoapBox's Fitness Against Fascism series as model, we extrapolate the connections between social justice and holistic health at various levels.Mel, a collaborator with SoapBox’s ongoing Fitness Against Fascism series, brings her trauma-informed yoga experience to the discussion around holistic health, access to wellness care, and the ways in which we...
2019-02-1650 min
Bourbon 'n BrownTownEp. 29 - Code Switching ft. Heavy CrownzBrownTown again welcomes Heavy Crownz, rapper and educator, to the conversation around the nuances, personal experiences, and real life implications of code switching.Near the end of episode 25, the podcast’s first live recording at DePaul University, Heavy and Caullen began discussing the nuances of code switching. In this episode, BrownTown welcomes Heavy back to continue that conversation. The gang breaks down their personal experiences with code switching and how it interplays with respectability politics, social mobility, and survival. Code switching is a linguistic phenomenon often described as switching between dialects, or changing the way in which on...
2019-02-011h 04
Bourbon 'n BrownTownEp. 28 - Fighting for Women's Rights through Faith, Policy, & #MeToo ft. Zoe GoodmanBrownTown listens, learns, and sheds light on the ongoing fight for women's rights with Zoe Goodman, social justice advocate, abortion clinic escort, and certified confidential victim advocate for survivors of sexual assault and domestic violence. Through personal experiences in faith, changing public policy, and #MeToo, the friends discuss the nuance and robust process of intersectional movement building for gender equity.Zoe details her experiences as a abortion clinic escort and working with survivors of sexual assault. As Zoe explains, her interfaith upbringing and finding institutional Judaism as a young adult is a large part of why...
2019-01-151h 15
Bourbon 'n BrownTownEp. 27 - New Years 2019: A Retrospective ft. Genta TamashiroBrownTown on BrownTown. The gang reflects on 2018 as well as the very inception the podcast to remember the good, the bad, and the ugly. With the help of audio engineer and dearest friend Genta Tamashiro, BrownTown raises a glass with all of you as they look back at some of the realest moments with some of the dopest people around.Throughout the conversation, the group discusses our amazing guests, Chi DNA (a SoapBox film and multimedia project) branded episodes, past live recording events, the inner-workings of creating the podcast from scratch as well as David, Caullen, and...
2019-01-011h 16
Bourbon 'n BrownTownEp. 26 - Coalition-building & #NoCopAcademy ft. Monica Trinidad & Debbie SouthornGUESTSMonica Trinidad is a visual artist and organizer, born and raised on the southeast side of Chicago. She is a co-founder of For the People Artists Collective, a radical squad of Black artists and artists of color in Chicago who create art for Chicago's most powerful justice movements. Monica creates artwork to cultivate the practice of hope and to spark imagination in both organizers immersed in the day-to-day spadework of movement building and in every resident in Chicago. Her work is currently in permanent collection at DuSable Museum of African American History. You can listen to her...
2018-12-131h 19
Bourbon 'n BrownTownEp. 25 - *LIVE AT DEPAUL* Chi DNA: Exile, Refuge, & Displacement ft. Jessica Puri & Heavy CrownzThis is the sixth Chicago Drill and Activism (AKA "Chi DNA") installment of Bourbon ’n BrownTown. Chi DNA is an ongoing documentary and multimedia project, which also features interviews, micro-documentaries, and editorial pieces on drill rap and the activist resurgence in Chicago.LIVE AT DEPAULThe DePaul University Honors Program hosted Bourbon ’n BrownTown in this live podcast event as part of their ongoing Speaker Series. In conjunction with the Chi DNA Speaker Series, this event tackled the Honors Program’s themes of the year, exile and refuge, as well as local/global displacement as a whole...
2018-12-0456 min
Bourbon 'n BrownTownEp. 24 - International Privilege & Resisting with Comedy ft. Quinn WilsonGUESTQuinn Wilson is a Chicago-based award-winning filmmaker/comedian with a focus on comedy and social justice-related work. He is the founder of What Matters Productions, where he takes his gift of filmmaking and passion for global equity to focus on telling stories that MATTER. Wilson is formerly the Creative Director for the iO Comedy Network (Improv Olympics), of the famous iO Improv Theater where he lead a team pitching TV pilots, creating comedy web videos, teaching video production classes, and doing branded work all along-side the legendary comedic talent produced by the iO Theater. Commercially, he is...
2018-11-0650 min
Bourbon 'n BrownTownEp. 23 - Hip-Hop 2.0 ft. FiendshGUESTIn the second take on the world of hip-hop, BrownTown goes international by inviting the podcast’s first featured music artist Fiendish AKA Junior AKA Kaiphobthawiphong to chop it up all the way from Bangkok, Thailand. Originally a DJ in high school, Fiendsh transitioned to creating his own content while at Columbia College Chicago. With similar stylings to J. Dilla, Madlib, Kanye West, and Mf Doom, Fiendsh has since released two EPs, Al Capone and Gold Pope.OVERVIEWFiendsh and BrownTown discuss current mainstream releases, the cultural and media pieces they impact, and the br...
2018-10-011h 05
Bourbon 'n BrownTownEp. 22 - Anti-oppressive Librarianship & Access to Information ft. Kristyn CaragherGUESTKristyn Caragher is a public librarian and a two-time graduate of the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign's School of Information Sciences. She is the creator of Infollectuals, a discussion series that focuses on pressing societal issues and their relationship to libraries and social justice.OVERVIEWBrownTown and Kristyn discuss the role public libraries, other institutions, and the people that populate them play in providing community access to information and resources. Enter Infollectuals: Kristyn’s discussion series and graduate/professional work that started it furthers this dialogue by challenging her field through programming and workshops, as...
2018-08-1549 min
Bourbon 'n BrownTownEp. 21 - Welcome to the Gun ShowIn light of all-too-frequent mass shootings across the country, another political gun control debate, and the broad swath of youth activism surrounding these issues, BrownTown turns a previous organic conversation into an episode. As gun violence in America is sadly nothing new, the youth mobilization after the Parkland, Florida school shooting sparked a lasting conversation around gun violence, the NRA, and public policy. However, as the March For Our Lives movement picks up steam and funding, the mainstream narrative often forgets or obscures the work of primarily Black and Brown individuals and organizations (insert: Good Kids Mad City; the 4...
2018-07-041h 09
Bourbon 'n BrownTownEp. 20 - JuneteenthJuneteenth (June 19th) is the oldest known celebration commemorating the end of American enslavement dating back to 1865. However, though the Emancipation Proclamation may have been the law of the land when signed, it took two years for news to reach the entire country. This is just one example of public policy or government apologies failing to be fulfilled by the state. As we unpack Juneteenth and its importance in recognizing the trials and tribulations of African ancestors and elders we celebrate (even noting the TV show Atlanta's Juneteenth episode), we cannot ignore the generations after enslavement that sustained new...
2018-06-1938 min
Bourbon 'n BrownTownEp. 19 - Happy Father's Day ft. Larone EllisonGUESTLarone Ellison is a scholar, researcher, and father with a background in women’s and gender studies. He is a recent graduate of DePaul University’s sociology masters program where he researched cyber-harassment of Black women.OVERALLLarone discusses his experiences co-parenting and raising his daughter while in graduate school and beyond with (childless) BrownTown. He leads the conversation on the involved, hands-on role of fathers versus strictly the financial provider, as is often recognized and championed in heteropatriachy. We unravel this problematic model of fatherhood and explain the ramifications of how toxic masculinity and...
2018-06-171h 03
Bourbon 'n BrownTownEp. 18 - Mental Health, Criminal Justice, & I-Positivity ft. Miles FountainGUESTMiles Fountain works as an educator at Positive Mental Health (PMH) which emerged out of a pursuit to inspire people with disabilities to be more, do more, an achieve greater goals. Today, they design programs, projects, and activities that nurture positive mental health by training participants for employment as workers and entrepreneurs. PMH promotes mental, physical, emotional, and economic health in the Oak Park Chicago suburb and the broader area. Miles' work focuses on improving self above all else and getting clients sustainable work opportunities. PMH conducts this work on an interpersonal level within the broader mission...
2018-05-3147 min
Bourbon 'n BrownTownEp. 17 - Happy Mother's Day ft. Jamie NesbittGUESTJamie Nesbitt is a wife, mother, and freelance journalist hailing from Chicago's Southside. Her work can be found in Ebony, XO Jane, RedEye Chicago, DNA Info Chicago (RIP), Chicagoist, Salon, her own blog Hood Feminism, and other publications.OVERVIEWJamie gives BrownTown insight on her relationship with her mother growing up, her own entrance to motherhood, and raising her eight-year-old son. Using her experience as a springboard, the group delves into issues in the healthcare system's treatment of Black women, the benefits of prenatal yoga, as well as the community aspect of child rearing.
2018-05-1343 min
Bourbon 'n BrownTownEp. 16 - Environmental Justice & Faith-based Organizing against White Supremacy ft. Rev. Brian SauderGUESTAs the Faith in Place President and Executive Director, Rev. Sauder’s passion is empowering faith communities across Illinois to take measurable steps to connect the dots between faith, environmental justice, poverty, mass incarceration, race, violence, class, and health. He grew up in Illinois in rural Tazewell County and received his B.S. from the University of Illinois in Natural Resources and Environmental Sciences, M.A. in Religion from Urbana Theological Seminary, and M.B.A. from the University of Illinois. Rev. Sauder is ordained by the Mennonite Church U.S.A. and worships with Chicago Community Me...
2018-04-2149 min
Bourbon 'n BrownTownEp. 15 - Chi DNA: #RealTalk with a Veteran Raptivist ft. Tweak'GThis is the fifth Chicago Drill and Activism (AKA "Chi DNA") installment of Bourbon ’n BrownTown. Chi DNA is an ongoing documentary and multimedia project, which also features interviews, micro-documentaries, and editorial pieces on drill rap and the activist resurgence in Chicago.GUESTTweak’G is a rapper and activist who has been on the front lines of the two successful grassroots campaigns in Chicago--#ByeAnita and #TraumaCenterNow at the U of Chicago. Her aggressive and truthful lyrics have been incorporated in the movement, most notably in the now infamous #RealTalk which targets Rahm’s administration after...
2018-04-041h 02
Bourbon 'n BrownTownEp. 14 - Chi DNA: Electoral & Radical Politics ft. Camille WilliamsThis is the fourth Chicago Drill and Activism (AKA "Chi DNA") installment of Bourbon ’n BrownTown. Chi DNA is an ongoing documentary and multimedia project, which also features interviews, micro-documentaries, and editorial pieces on drill rap and the activist resurgence in Chicago.GUESTCamille Williams is a Chicago activist who believes in grassroots organizing to bridge the gap between cultures and communities, and utilizing restorative justice practices. She has organized with both local and national campaigns as well as advocated for legislation and policy. When she’s not organizing, she practices radical self care and love by u...
2018-03-201h 05
Bourbon 'n BrownTownEp. 13 - Chi DNA: Black History & Resistance in Chicago ft. Kofi AdemolaThis is the third Chicago Drill and Activism (AKA "Chi DNA") installment of Bourbon ’n BrownTown. Chi DNA is an ongoing documentary and multimedia project, which also features interviews, micro-documentaries, and editorial pieces on drill rap and the activist resurgence in Chicago.Full Transcriptions Here!GUESTKofi Ademola is a leader in Black Lives Matter - Chicago who has dedicated his life to the struggle for Black liberation, and against systematically and intentionally targeted discrimination. At age 18, Kofi started his life long career in social services, working in homeless shelters, advocating for LGBTQ+ rights, co...
2018-02-281h 03
Bourbon 'n BrownTownEp. 12 - Self Love & Self CareIn a complex and turbulent world, everyday folks, BrownTown included, find it increasingly difficult to take a step back and find time for themselves. BrownTown discusses techniques, introspective questions, and personal experiences dealing with self care and self love. In order to put quality work and positive energy out into the world, we must find ways to put these into practice in our daily lives. As always, they tie broader models for understanding and caring for oneself to macro-level systems of oppression and privilege. While acknowledging that self care and mental health are now in the mainstream conversation, BrownTown...
2018-02-2245 min
Bourbon 'n BrownTownEp. 11 - Chi DNA: Intersectionality, #NoCopAcademy, Activist Art, & Organizing the Newly Radicalized ft. Ruby PintoThis is the second Chicago Drill and Activism (AKA "Chi DNA") installment of Bourbon ’n BrownTown. Chi DNA is an ongoing documentary and multimedia project, which also features interviews, micro-documentaries, and editorial pieces on drill rap and the activist resurgence in Chicago.GUESTRuby Pinto, is an artist and activist based in Chicago. She’s a member of For the People Artist Collective (FTP), a group that integrates art and activism to amplify struggles and uplift marginalized voices. She also makes jewelry out of copper and other scrap metal, inspired by the cityscape and human ingenuity. Ruby...
2018-02-151h 08
Bourbon 'n BrownTownEp. 10 - Drugs! Treatment, Criminalization, & Racial Framing in the Opioid & Crack EpidemicsBrownTown takes a look at the current opioid crisis and the “War on Drugs”, particularly its exacerbation with crack cocaine in the 1980s. Black and Brown communities and bodies have been criminalized for decades under drug laws and mass racialized incarceration for their trauma, addiction, and underground economy. However, when a similar problem affects a largely white population, the narratives flips to treatment, medicalization, understanding, and humanity. The larger history regarding the criminalization of drugs has always incorporated a systemically racist tie to policy and a hegemonic control of framing problematic narratives. From opium to marijuana, the crack “epidemic” was yet...
2018-02-0332 min
Bourbon 'n BrownTownEp. 9 - Chi DNA: Art in Activism ft. Charles PrestonThis is the first Chicago Drill and Activism (AKA "Chi DNA") installment of Bourbon ’n BrownTown. Chi DNA is an ongoing documentary and multimedia project, which also features interviews, micro-documentaries, and editorial pieces on drill rap and the activist resurgence in Chicago.GUESTCharles Preston is a Southside Chicago activist, journalist, and creator of Church on the 9, a glorified corner cypher series for Chicago artists and the Chatham community. Charles played a pivotal role as an organizer during the #SaveCSU campaign, and has worked with BYP100, BLM Chicago, and is a member of TEMBO.OV...
2018-01-0853 min
Bourbon 'n BrownTownEp. 8.3 - Sexism in Mixed CompanyFor part 3, BrownTown grows in size as we dissect the issues of previous episodes firsthand with all Episode 8 guests--Jamie Nesbitt, Madison Zielinski, Joanna Preston, and Larone Ellison. Due to the chaotic nature of the original recording, we chose not to release the raw episode in its entirety. Instead, Caullen and David look back at their unexpected interruption and highlight key points of that night in an effort to find the larger themes at play. What results is an attempt to take as much away from a real life experience as possible. Originally recorded in August 2017.--
2017-12-2848 min
Bourbon 'n BrownTownEp. 8.2 - Everyday Feminism & Fighting the Patriarchy ft. Jamie Nesbitt, Madison Zielinksi, & Joanna PrestonBrownTown invites Jamie Nesbitt, Madison Zielinski, and Joanna Preston to continue the conversation had on 8.1 and break down the role toxic masculinity has played in their lives. By sharing personal experiences and insights, each gives their findings on navigating womanhood, feminism, and surviving in a world dominated by men... as well as a few other things. Originally recorded August 2017.--CREDITS: Intro music by Fiendsh and soundbite from Angel Davis' discussing "the revolutionary." Outro song Doves in the Wind ft. Kenrick Lamar. Audio engineered by Genta Tamashiro. Episode art and Bourbon 'n BrownTown logo by...
2017-12-2740 min
Bourbon 'n BrownTownEp. 8.1 - Toxic Masculinity & Resisting with Privilege ft. Larone EllisonLarone Ellison joins BrownTown to discuss the ramifications of toxic masculinity and how men are implicated in systemic patriarchy. Mr. Ellison has a background in women’s and gender studies and is a recent masters graduate of DePaul University researching cyber-harassment of Black women. But really, he’s just a guy who is sick of watching assholes pretend to represent masculinity (see Lil' Duval on the Breakfast Club and your everyday life). With his new found fame (active twitter account, 313 followers), he's working with great people like Man Up Man Down to offer a new insight for male youth in C...
2017-12-2645 min
Bourbon 'n BrownTownEp. 7 - Public Health & The Death Gap ft. Jessica PuriGUESTJessica Puri is a Nigerian-born Public Health professional with years of experience in scientific writing, health research and public health communication on the Bachelor’s and Master’s level. She currently works with Executives at MATTER, an incubator that bridges the communication gap between innovators in every aspect of healthcare.OVERVIEWBrownTown talks #ChiHealth, the social determinants of health, and how policy affects an individual's environment. Jessica leads the conversation by sharing experiences both on the job at MATTER, in her education, and as a fellow Chicagoan using the tools she's acquired as a...
2017-10-2343 min
Bourbon 'n BrownTownEp. 6 - The Real Color in SportsBrownTown takes a moment to talk about Colin Kaepernick, the meaning behind his movement and the underlining dangers that have always existed for athletes who decide to use their platform to speak out about injustice. Using history as a guide, we examine how patriotism often time goes hand-in-hand with racism and capitalism. For example, NFL players didn’t have to stand for the national anthem until 2009 when the Department of Defense paid 5.4 million dollars to make the NFL players seem more patriotic. In identifying this co-opt of language (freedom, democracy, etc.), BrownTown looks deeper into politics within the realm of...
2017-09-0542 min
Bourbon 'n BrownTownEp. 5 - Hip-Hop in the Age of Spin ft. Genta TamashiroGUESTBorn and raised in Denver, Colorado, Genta is a creative devotee of the artistic community. He attended the specialized magnet school Denver School of the Arts for middle and high school, which gave him a solid foundation in musical performance and theory as well as an introduction into audio engineering. After spending some time at the University of Hawai’i at Manoa, Genta moved to Chicago to pursue a career in audio engineering where he received a Bachelor of Arts in Audio Design and Production from Columbia College in 2015. Through his freelance audio work, he has traveled ar...
2017-08-231h 07
Bourbon 'n BrownTownEp. 4 - Decoding TrumpismThe 2016 political campaign and popularity of Donald Trump as the Republican Party candidate for President of the United States has aligned the idea of “Trumpism” with the construction of “whiteness”. Similar to the current socio-political climate, the notion of whiteness was propagated by the 1980's Republican Party as a mechanism to re-establish white racial solidarity across economic lines. This obscures neoliberalism’s effects on the working-class and serves to rally behind nationalist, populist, xenophobic, protectionist and anti-establishment sentiments. The popularity of his rhetoric, message, and general path to the presidency indicates the growing (and/or previously more silent) beliefs of the ele...
2017-06-2536 min
Bourbon 'n BrownTownEp. 3 - Happy Birthday, Malcolm XMalcolm X is commonly propped up as the more aggressive leader in the civil rights movement as compared to Martin Luther King, Jr. His well-known quote, “by any means necessary” is misconstrued and co-opted to advocate violence, which bastardizes the perception of him. After reading his autobiography and understanding his perspective through his eyes rather than a public school textbook, it is clear that his main objective is that everyone should have basic human rights and those rights should be fought for by any means necessary. To be perfectly clear: there is nothing inherently violent or aggressive about demanding basi...
2017-05-1928 min
Bourbon 'n BrownTownEp. 2 - Trump's First 100 DaysOn January 20th, Donald Trump was sworn into office with the message of carnage, destruction, and fear-mongering for the American people who found themselves officially in a new era of politics and discourse. From day one, he proclaimed to be the hero but on day two protests erupted all over the nation and different parts of the world in opposition to the sexist, white supremacist, xenophobic rhetoric used by the newest leader of the free world. BrownTown pours a drink and toasts to the resurgence of activism that has culminated since his election recalling their time in Washington for...
2017-04-2934 min
Bourbon 'n BrownTownEp. 1 - Black & Brown Representation in MediaPODCAST OVERVIEWSoapBox Productions and Organizing's affiliate podcast pairs critical analyses of media, culture, politics, and everyday happenings with the tastiest of spirits. With a Chicago focus, BrownTown (friends and colleagues Caullen Hudson and David A. Moran) unpacks current events, social issues, and gives personal insight into various topics with the occasional help of the most talented and creative activists, artists, filmmakers, academics, and social entrepreneurs. Find more at SoapBoxPO.com/Podcast. Follow @BourbonnBrownTown on Facebook/Instagram, @BourbonnBrwnTwn on Twitter; and @SoapBoxPO on all social media.EPISODE OVERVIEWIn the inaugural episode of...
2017-04-1441 min