Sometime-contributor to S&A, Phill Branch, has launched an Indiegogo campaign to fund a feature documentary he’s developing titled Searching For Shaniqua: What’s in a Name?.

With that title, I’m sure you can all guess what subject matter the film will tackle.

If not, as Phill says, it’s about the impact of names, a topic which he believes is very timely.

Here’s more from Phill:

When you hear the name Shaniqua, what usually comes to mind first? I’ve found that in my social and professional circles, the words ghetto and tacky were often associated with that particular name. A few years back, after a conversation about baby names that spiraled into a deconstruction of race and class in America, I began to question why so many people have discomfort with certain names. After having similar conversations with people from all walks of life, I began to realize the importance of naming as it relates to profiling, bullying and self-esteem. As a professor at a HBCU, I ran across every kind of name that you can imagine. In academia, a place where race and class intersect, my awareness of how names impact people’s lives became even more heightened. In classrooms that were diverse, but largely black, students were sometimes surprised by how much of their thinking about themselves was based on negative stereotypes. In rooms filled with people of color, race wasn’t a dividing line, but social class was. 

You can read more about the project on its Indiegogo page HERE, where Phill hopes to raise $25,000 to finance its completion.

It’s a project he’s been working on for sometime and is ready to move deeper into production, with the money raised going towards principal photography costs, as well as launching some interactive elements of the project.

But I’ll say no more. 

Below is a promo video for the project. To contribute to the campaign, click HERE.