Owner, Innovative Construction and Repairs; co-owner, Millennial Innovations; founder, 2020 Vision Gun Club
Formerly: LSU student; youth advocate specialist, East Baton Rouge Parish Schools
“The [LSU] students marching with the administration [this] summer was a beautiful photo op. But what I would say to those students is: When we marched 15 years ago, we didn’t want any administrators marching with us. We just wanted them to do their jobs.
In a very personal way, all the protesting I did and things that transpired in 2005 and 2006 affected me negatively. It made trust difficult for a long time.
Now, looking back, have things changed in terms of racism in Baton Rouge or at LSU in any significant way? When I’m asked that question, my first thought is ‘Where are the people who were spitting on us, yelling at us on LSU’s campus, because we stood up to that Confederate flag, when we marched because we didn’t want to be demeaned by a piece of cloth?’ What could happen in 15 years to change their minds? Nothing. We have people who do not care in the community, and the people who do care can’t relate to them. It’s difficult to communicate. Obama being elected drew it out. Trump’s shenanigans bring it out.
The biggest blessing came from getting laid off by East Baton Rouge Parish Schools in 2015. I’d been doing handyman stuff on the side. I used my house as a contractor school and renovated everything. I started my own construction company and didn’t look back. Now I’m the builder at Millennial Park, the container park with restaurants and stores at 3817 Florida St., and we’re doing great things with these shipping containers. This might be the life-changing job my dad always talked about. We are working on residential designs, and on pools, too. I’m excited to see where this can go, how far we can push these container designs. We can stack them four high. I like the idea of taking something that’s an afterthought and turning it into something amazing.
Going forward, I hope the wider Baton Rouge community gets more involved with the schools. The workforce needs to be integrated with it, not just grandma. The pandemic showed parents just how detached they’ve been from their own children’s education. My goal eight years from now is to step back from the day-to-day operations, oversee my companies but make time to give back to education in our community.”
AUGUST 2006
What kind of reactions did you get during your first march (on LSU’s campus during game day festivities)?
“People were yelling at us ‘Go back to Africa!’ and ‘Go back to Southern!’ We got a good response.”
Why do you consider that a good response?
“Well, because it’s the truth. It’s honest. That’s the way some people feel, and it’s good to have it out in the open.”
—Taken from a Q&A with Phillips, then an LSU student protesting the purple-and-gold Confederate flag
This article was originally published in the November 2020 issue of 225 Magazine.
Click here to read through the full 15-year anniversary issue.
