The Million Mask Movement

Ashanti is the founder and executive director of the Ever Forward Club a nonprofit organization that ensures that underserved students graduate high school By providing grassroots solutions like mentorship safe spaces emotional tools. The million mask movement was started in 2004 by Ashanti to help young men who were struggling with their masculinity. "What they realized in these lunches these meetings was that we're all going through stuff Mr. Branch"

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Young boys need guidance. Activist, speaker and mentor Ashanti Branch talks about his journey from teacher to full time mentor, being vulnerable with your emotions, the challenges facing young men and the importance of leading by example. Through his work with his nationwide #MillionMaskMovement Ashanti is helping young boys, and particularly black young men remove their “masks” and reveal the emotions that reside inside.

Content warning: this episode discusses sexual assault

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The Man Enough Podcast is produced by Wayfarer Studios and presented by Procter and Gamble, in partnership with Cadence13, an Audacy company.

Show Notes

00:00 Content Warning

00:08 Episode Starts

02:28 Introducing Ashanti Branch

03:46 How Did You Get Into Activism?

08:55 When Is The Last Time You Didn’t Feel Enough?

16:44 Working On Accountability

21:27 Ashanti’s Childhood & Introduction to Porn

27:42 Sexual Assault, Adultification and Addictions

36:12 The Pressure of Masculinity and Young Men

46:15 Black Boys Aren’t Allowed To Play

47:47 Creating A Culture of Care For Black Boys

55:12 Young Men Don’t Need To Be Shamed

1:00:20 Live Mask Workshop With Our Hosts

01:12:28 What Does It Mean to be Man Enough

About Ever Forward Club and The Million Mask Movement

EFC is a non-profit organization that ensures underserved students graduate high school by addressing the underlying causes of dropout rates and youth violence, and providing grassroots solutions like mentorship, safe spaces and emotional tools.

EFC’s #millionmaskmovement provides a free, youth-friendly, hands-on emotional tool, with an online gallery of over 65,000 masks from around the world, searchable by age, so youth feel less alone.

About Ashanti Branch

Ashanti Branch is an accomplished speaker, non-profit founder and activist whose work with youth has been featured at SXSW, CNN and Sundance Film Festival. Ashanti is the Founder and Executive Director of the Ever Forward Club (EFC), a non-profit organization that ensures underserved students graduate high school by providing grassroots solutions like mentorship, safe spaces and emotional tools.

Guest Social Links:

ASHANTI BRANCH

Instagram @brancspeaks

Twitter: @BranchSpeaks

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Justin Baldoni