New Social Media Movement Curates the African American Experience

CHARLOTTE, March 17, 2015 /3BL Media/ – Wells Fargo & Company (NYSE: WFC) launches, Wells Fargo Presents: The Untold Stories Collection (#MyUntold^sm), a social media movement dedicated  to sharing personal stories that define what it means to be African American today.  The program leverages the reach, power and influence of social media to provide an intimate look into the African American experience. #MyUntold creates a platform for building cultural awareness and promoting healthy dialogue. It is a catalyst for self-expression that celebrates the community by showcasing the broad range of experiences among a common culture.    

Wells Fargo invites people to contribute their inspiring untold stories in video, photo or writing. Users can upload stories to the official website, and share content on their social media sites using #MyUntold.  

As conversation continues around the unique and sometimes challenging experiences of African Americans in America, #MyUntold provides the community an opportunity to capture and share stories that reflect their cultural identity, in their own words.    

“We’ve traveled to events across the country to capture stories and received an overwhelming response,” said Lisa Frison, vice president, African American Segment manager, Wells Fargo. “This demonstrated the community’s desire to be heard, understood and represented in an authentic light. Now many of these powerful videos are featured on the #MyUntold website.”

The company launched the official program website to serve as the central hub to upload, share and view stories. Visitors can view untold stories from unknown and known African Americans across the country, including, influencers, community leaders and celebrities, like:

• President and CEO of the NAACP, Cornell William Brooks who shares how his life is a direct result of the sacrifices made by himself and others that he will never know.
• Actors Niecy Nash and Marcus Scribner, and film director, producer and former President of BET, Reginald Hudlin, who share stories about the challenges they faced as African Americans breaking into the entertainment industry.
• Celebrity makeup artist and social media influencer, Tatiana Ward, who shares her journey from a small town where she and her mother faced isolation from her grandmother due to her mixed-race heritage to becoming a world-renowned makeup artist.
• Award-winning writer, humorist and veteran blogger, Luvvie Ajayi, who shares how the perseverance of past generations bolstered her pride in being a black women.
• Atlanta resident, Terry Gatson, who shares the untold story about the lesson his father taught him about the perception of African American men. 

The program builds off of Wells Fargo’s African American history celebratory tour, featuring the critically acclaimed exhibit, The Kinsey Collection: Shared Treasures of Bernard and Shirley - Where Art and History Intersect. The #MyUntold program continues the dialogue that began during the tour, which focused on uplifting the community by dispelling myths and amplifying triumphs and achievements.  

“#MyUntold seeks to highlight stories of historical significance that paved the way for future generations, while bringing light to modern experiences that are equally important,” said Candace McCullom, vice president, brand and advertising manager, Wells Fargo.“By contributing, individuals are upholding the long-standing African American tradition of storytelling in a way that is relevant today.”

About Wells Fargo
Wells Fargo & Company (NYSE: WFC) is a nationwide, diversified, community-based financial services company with $1.7 trillion in assets. Founded in 1852 and headquartered in San Francisco, Wells Fargo provides banking, insurance, investments, mortgage, and consumer and commercial finance through more than 8,700 locations, 12,500 ATMs, and the internet (wellsfargo.com), 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. 22 on Fortune’s 2014 rankings of America’s largest corporations. Wells Fargo’s vision is to satisfy all our customers’ financial needs and help them succeed financially. Wells Fargo perspectives are also available at Wells Fargo Blogs and Wells Fargo Stories.

# # #

Media: 

Melody Thuston
312-729-4221
MThuston@golin.com

Valerie Williams
704-743-6544
valerie.williams@wellsfargo.com
@ValWilliamsWF