Wells Fargo, UNCF, Terrence ‘J’ Jenkins and Natasha Eubanks Team Up to Empower HBCU Students

Company hosts My Life, My Story, #MyUntold Town Hall event for more than 300 Atlanta University Center Consortium (AUCC) students to promote the #MyUntold℠ social media campaign as a platform to affirm positive cultural perceptions.

Today, Wells Fargo & Company (NYSE: WFC) and UNCF (United Negro College Fund) rallied students from three of the nation’s leading Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) —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 #MyUntoldSMcampaign 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 of 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.”

To date, the social media storytelling campaign has generated hundreds of personal stories from across the country. It has become a catalyst for self-expression that showcases diverse experiences among a common culture.

“Wells Fargo is happy to introduce #MyUntold to millennials in this way. We’ve taken the campaign across the country, and people literally wait in line to share their stories. As a company, we appreciate the opportunity to connect directly with the communities we serve in such a personal way,” says Lisa Frison, vice president, African American Segment manager, Wells Fargo. “HBCU students in particular have the power to become the opinion formers of a generation, and #MyUntold is one way they can use their voice to lead.”

Following the event, students were joined by community members for a #MyUntold themed Instameet. Participants traveled to various campus landmarks to capture photo and video content (to share on Instagram®) that reflects their HBCU experiences.

“Since #MyUntold launched, UNCF has been a strong supporter of the campaign,” says Richard Shropshire, Vice President of Communications and Marketing, UNCF. “This platform aligns with our ongoing relationship with Wells Fargo that includes longstanding support of the UNCF Empower Me Tour and UNCF Evening of Stars, engagement platforms which empower the African American community to aspire to higher education.”

Wells Fargo continues to promote the campaign through efforts with Oprah.Com and Interactive One, creating custom content, including stories from actor and HBCU alumni, Lance Gross, and Grammy-nominated singer-songwriter, Elle Varner. Renowned pastor, author and motivational speaker, Bishop T.D. Jakes recently shared his story about how his father’s sacrifice inspired him to strive for success while reaching back to help others. The company continues to encourage the community to share their own stories using #MyUntold.

About Wells Fargo

Wells Fargo & Company (NYSE: WFC) is a nationwide, diversified, community-based financial services company with $1.8 trillion in assets. Founded in 1852 and headquartered in San Francisco, Wells Fargo provides banking, insurance, investments, mortgage, and consumer and commercial finance through 8,700 locations, 12,800 ATMs, the internet (wellsfargo.com) and mobile banking, and has offices in 36 countries to support customers who conduct business in the global economy. With approximately 265,000 team members, Wells Fargo serves one in three households in the United States. Wells Fargo & Company was ranked No. 30 on Fortune’s 2015 rankings of America’s largest corporations. Wells Fargo’s vision is to satisfy our customers’ financial needs and help them succeed financially. Wells Fargo perspectives are also available at Wells Fargo Blogs and Wells Fargo Stories.

Contacts

For Wells Fargo & Company
Media
Melody Thuston
312-729-4221
MThuston@golin.com
or
Valerie Williams
704-743-6544
valerie.williams@wellsfargo.com
@ValWilliamsWF

Georgetown Univ. students protest dormitory named after slave owner.

Georgetown students began a sit-in Friday outside University President John DeGioia’s office, calling for him to change the name of Mulledy Hall, a newly reopened dormitory named for a former university president and slaveholder.

Between 20 and 40 students arrived outside the office at 9 a.m. and intend to stay until the building closes at midnight, returning again Saturday morning.

A group of the demonstrators met with DeGioia within an hour of beginning the sit-in, but plan to continue until the building’s name is changed, according to posts on the event’s Facebook page by organizers.

The sit-in was announced at a solidarity demonstration on Thursday, during which students spoke about their experiences as racial minorities on campus and called for a list of six demands to be fulfilled, including changing the names of three buildings, developing an endowment to hire more black faculty and staff and instituting programs and plaques on campus to recognize the role of African Americans in the University’s history.

A Working Group on Slavery, Memory and Reconciliation, which was convened earlier this year in response to backlash toward the building’s name, met with DeGioia to discuss the protesters’ demands. As of 2:45 p.m., no public statements had been made, and demonstrators have declined to comment.

Read more: Georgetown Univ. sit-in demands building name change

Death threats made against Howard University

Howard University officials say they're increasing security on campus and at nearby Metro stations after an online threat was detected.

The threat was made against the university and its students, Howard officials said Thursday, but did not elaborate further.

One Howard student told reporters the threat was posted on the anonymous website 4Chan. The student, a freshman, said her resident assistant sent students a screenshot of the threat and warned them to be safe.

Howard officials said security has been increased out of an "abundance of caution." Students won't be penalized for not attending classes if they're concerned, the officials said.

Howard asked anyone who sees something suspicious to call the Howard University Department of Public Safety at 202-806-1100 or D.C. police at 202-727-9099.

[SOURCE]

Online threats against blacks lead to arrest at Missouri campus

A white college student suspected of posting online threats to shoot black students and faculty at the University of Missouri was charged Wednesday with making a terrorist threat, adding to the racial tension at the heart of the protests that led two top administrators to resign earlier this week.

Hunter M. Park, a 19-year-old sophomore studying computer science at a sister campus in Rolla, was arrested shortly before 2 a.m. at a residence hall, authorities said. The school said no weapons were found. Boone County prosecutors announced the criminal charge later Wednesday and recommended that he be held without bond.

The author of the posts, which showed up Tuesday on the anonymous location-based messaging app YikYak and other social media, threatened to "shoot every black person I see." The posts followed the resignations on Monday of the University of Missouri system president and the chancellor of its flagship campus in Columbia.

Another threat said: "Some of you are alright. Don't go to campus tomorrow." The message seemed to echo one that appeared on the website 4chan — a forum where racist and misogynistic comments are common — ahead of the deadly campus shooting at an Oregon community college last month.

Read more: Online threats against blacks net arrest at Missouri campus

THE 10 BEST WORKPLACES FOR AFRICAN-AMERICANS

Essence compiled a list of the ten best workplaces for African Americans. Check out that list below and learn more about the ten companies here.

1. QUICKEN LOANS

2. Credit Acceptance

3. ULTIMATE SOFTWARE

4. ALLIANCE DATA

5. NAVY FEDERAL CREDIT UNION

6. CARMAX

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8. QUIKTRIP CORPORATION

9. JM FAMILY ENTERPRISES INC.

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