We have been podcasting The Robert Wesley Branch Show since 2010.
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Cosmos-conceived. Earth-incarnated. District of Columbia-born. Maryland-raised. Storyteller. Taurus. Writer. Podcaster. Television producer. Foodie. Filmmaker.
Telling our stories.
All we really have is our story. And it (our story) is ours to tell: when we want to tell it, how we want to tell it, if we want to tell it. Ms. Maya Angelou (1928-2014) taught that lesson very well.
By Robert Wesley Branch We are responsible for what we know and how we live. There are people who you see every day who don’t have a clue as to their purpose for being. They don’t know why they came here. These family members, friends, co-workers and complete strangers can more easily tell you what Read More ...
“This text, one of the undisputed masterpieces of ancient Egyptian literature, dates possibly from as early as the late Sixth Dynasty of the Old Kingdom…The text was composed under the guise of an elderly vizier who was on the verge of retirement and desirous of handing his position on to his son who also bore Read More ...
My favorite writer – ever!
These are the most watched videos on the RWB YouTube Channel.
WASHINGTON – September 6, 1992. My first (and so far, only!) published opinion piece in The Washington Post.
From Chicago, Brother Kwesi talks about the spiritual power of a Black male educator in the classroom, particularly the impact of having a Black male teacher on young Black boys.
From Atlanta, Brother Clea shares his experiences educating young Black boys in the classroom, and how he has learned to reach and teach them as they move from boys to men.
BETHESDA – September 10, 2001. Ms. Iyanla Vanzant left a voice-mail message at my office. At that time, I was an executive producer in Primetime Programming at Discovery Networks. About a week earlier, on a Monday morning, in that very office, I watched the premiere of Iyanla, the Barbara Walters-produced national talk show featuring Iyanla Read More ...
WASHINGTON – October 16, 1995. In the Company of My Brothers. Words and Images by Robert Wesley Branch. My father reached into his briefcase and pulled out a red-black-and-green button: Million Man March, Day of Atonement, I Want to be in THAT Number!, October 16, 1995, it read. “It’s for you,” he told me. “I saw them Read More ...
This is the story of the discovery of the writings collectively known as The Essene Gospel of Peace.
Reflections on the fishers of men and women – and the souls we catch in the doing of our ministry, also known as our Higher Life Purpose. When and how do we release the souls we catch? In other words, people come into your life for a reason, a season or a lifetime. Now, how Read More ...
Excerpts from some of the books I’ve read, studied and recorded. Timeless. Sacred. Wisdom.
Let me tell you about a gentleman who was born nearly 100 years ago (in Framingham, Massachusetts) to Italian immigrant parents. He was the editor of his high school newspaper and had plans to study journalism in college, only his mother died of a heart attack and his college plans were sidetracked. Instead, he went Read More ...
On February 22, 2020, we lost B. Smith (Barbara Elaine Smith 1949-2020) to early-onset Alzheimer’s disease. The author of three lifestyle-cookbooks, B. Smith was a wife, stepmother, former model, actress, singer, restauranteur, TV host, entrepreneur and lifestyle brand. She took to another level the time-honored domestic work that Black women have done from their beginnings Read More ...
We all need somebody to lean on.
Ms. Judy and I met in the summer of 1986, when we were both party animals on the nightclub circuit in Washington, D.C. and Baltimore. These are some of our stories from that time. Having now both reached so-called “mid-life,” we reflect on whether or not the aging process has sent us into crisis.
Many people knew her as the “First Lady of Go-Go” music. I knew her as a jazz singer, spiritual teacher, a sister and my very good friend of 29 years. There are those rare and unique people who come into your life and teach you things you didn’t even know were important for your evolution; Read More ...
Season 5. Show #181. Said the Prince to the King.
February 1 – the birthdate of Langston Hughes (1901-1967) – traditionally marks the kickoff of “Black-History-is-American-History-is-World-History Month” – which is, perhaps, a good time to reflect on the life, work and words of a brother who, rightfully so, enjoys such high esteem within the culture. So, let us, brothers and sisters, reflect on a piece Read More ...
“The Rise, Fall and Recipes of American Beach: Part 1: Relief in Distress.” Over the summer, my brother and podcast partner, Mr. Darren Dante Bonner, turned me on to Ms. Marsha Dean Phelts, a celebrated librarian, author and historian out of Jacksonville, Florida — and he also hipped me to American Beach, on Amelia Island. Ms. Phelts is the author of three books — all on American Beach. As a foodie, her second book, The American Beach Cookbook (University Press of Florida, 2008), seductively captured my heart; as a filmmaker, her first book, An American Beach for African Americans (University Press of Florida, 1997), completely captivated my soul. Her third book, on American Beach Homes, had a limited print run and I have yet to get my hands on a copy, although this is an active and ongoing pursuit. Ms. Phelts’ work on American Beach led me, first, to Ms. Annette McCollough Myers’ book, The Shrinking Sands of an African American Beach (2008); then to Mr. Russ Rymer’s book, American Beach: A Saga of Race, Wealth and Memory (HarperCollins, 1998). The more I read and cook from these books, the more I hear the Ancestors speaking to my soul, the more inspired I become to create something beautiful from their ashes, and the more strengthened I Am to continue the Unfinished Work of their souls.
In this first hour of an ongoing series, we are cooking our way through the roots, history, culinary heritage and spiritual legacy of American Beach, Florida’s first Black-owned and Black-populated coastal resort, created by Abraham Lincoln Lewis (1865-1947). These are the stories and life lessons, memories and milestones, and the recipes and reminiscences of those pioneers and trailblazers whose paths we venerate and emulate.