HBCU alum Terrence J leads the Wells Fargo #MyUntold Town Hall at AUC

By Yvette Caslin
Nov 14, 2015
9:52 am

[SUBJECTS] seen at Wells Fargo My Life, My Story, #MyUntold Town Hall at Clark Atlanta University on Tues., Nov. 10, 2015, in Atlanta. (Photo by Donald trail/Invision for Wells Fargo/AP Images) — Actor, philanthropist and HBCU alumni Terrence ‘J’ Jenkins strikes a pose with Atlanta University Center Consortium students at the My Life, My Story, #MyUntold℠ Instameet at Clark Atlanta University on November 10, 2015. on Tues., Nov. 10, 2015, in Atlanta. (Photo by Donald trail/Invision for Wells Fargo/AP Images)

Wells Fargo gathered students from three of the nation’s leading historically black colleges and universities — Clark Atlanta University, Morehouse College and Spelman College — for an interactive town hall event to promote positive images of African American youth. HBCU alumni, Terrence ‘J’ Jenkins, actor and philanthropist, and Natasha Eubanks, founder and CEO of TheYBF.com, joined Wells Fargo and UNCF leaders to inspire students to use social media to share personal experiences that proactively address cultural mischaracterizations.

Seeking to broaden the current social narrative involving the African American community, Wells Fargo launched the #MyUntold^SM campaign to offer a more comprehensive perspective on the African American experience. The social media campaign honors the community tradition of storytelling by creating a platform to share personal stories, history and defining moments– while fostering cultural awareness outside of the community. The official #MyUntold website (wellsfargo.com/MyUntold) aggregates user-generated and company-produced content (photos, videos and written posts) to offer visitors deeper insight into African American culture.

Today’s My Life, My Story, #MyUntold Town Hall event engaged HBCU students by empowering them to lead and take personal accountability for enlightening others on the full cultural identity of African American youth. Students were invited to contribute their stories at an onsite photo/video booth, and during “man on the street” interviews captured across campus. To further encourage community engagement, the Haitian Club of Spelman College and the Minority Association for Pre-Medical Students of Clark Atlanta University were presented with a $1,000 check to develop programs to support local community organizations.

“Wells Fargo’s #MyUntold campaign is valuable because it provides an important vantage point of the community that extends one-dimensional storytelling,” says Jenkins. “It’s my hope that coming out of this event students will be inspired to become the official storytellers of their community.”