Celebrities Share “Untold Stories” of The Kinsey Collection as Part of Wells Fargo’s Yearlong Celebratory Program

Celebrities Share “Untold Stories” of The Kinsey Collection as Part of

Wells Fargo’s Yearlong Celebratory Program

National art tour in honor of the 150^th anniversary of the Emancipation Proclamation continues with storytelling campaign   

San Francisco, July 17, 2013- Wells Fargo & Company joins forces with a few of the most recognizable faces in entertainment for an interactive campaign to extend its year-long celebratory tour featuring The Kinsey Collection: Shared Treasures of Bernard and Shirley Kinsey – Where Art and History Intersect. The renowned collection features African American art and artifacts chronicling the African American experience from the 1600’s to present. Jordin Sparks, Lauren London, Lance Gross and Talib Kweli serve as featured curators in a four-part short film series, “Untold Stories: Our Inspired History,” that consists of documentary- style narrations taking viewers through specific points in history represented by artifacts in The Kinsey Collection. The series can be viewed online at http://www.youtube.com/wellsfargo. Additionally, fans are encouraged to join in the conversation and share their own untold stories via Twitter using the #KinseyUntold hashtag.

“Wells Fargo’s primary goal in collaborating with the Kinsey family to bring this collection to audiences across the country was to create an opportunity for others to engage in dialogue around the rich history of African Americans.” says Lisa Frison, African American segment manager, “The Untold Stories campaign is an exciting extension of this partnership, and an innovative way to continue the discussion about the significant contributions of African Americans.”

The series is designed to educate viewers about the historical impact of African American history on modern life using the perspective of each celebrity curator. In one video, Lance Gross describes the trials faced by Josiah Walls, an early African American statesmen in the 41^st and 42^nd Congress. Another features Jordin Sparks sharing the accomplishments of a young Phillis Wheatley, the first African American woman poet to be published.

“The Kinsey Collection strives to give our ancestors a voice, name and personality, enabling the viewer to understand the challenges, obstacles, triumphs and extraordinary sacrifice of African Americans who’ve greatly contributed to the success of this country,” said Bernard Kinsey, “We are delighted to join with Wells Fargo in honoring the 150th Anniversary of the Emancipation Proclamation by sharing this collection with national audiences.”

The Wells Fargo “Untold Stories: Our Inspired History” campaign extends into social media with the launch of multiple video vignettes (scheduled for July) featuring prominent lifestyle bloggers sharing their personal stories. The robust social media influencer strategy aims to broaden the reach of the campaign by tapping into the networks of each influencer to emphasize the role of history and its significance to today. Denene Milner —participating influencer and New York Times Bestselling Author named one of the most influential black female writers by Black Voices—  recently shared personal reflections via her popular My Brown Baby blog on the Family First short film featuring Talib Kweli.

For more information or details on the “Untold Stories: Our Inspired History” campaign, please visit http://www.wellsfargo.com/kinseycollection.

An exhibition of the renowned Kinsey Collection is currently on tour in honor of the 150^th Anniversary of the Emancipation Proclamation. Presented by Wells Fargo, the tour officially launched during Black History Month at the Museum of the African Diaspora (MoAD) in San Francisco, CA.  On June 29, the tour kicked off its second stop at the Harvey B. Gantt Center in Charlotte, NC. It will move to Baltimore’s Reginald F. Lewis Museum in November.

For a limited time, customers wishing to “own a piece” of the collection can personalize their Wells Fargo debit and/ or credit card with a select piece of art from The Kinsey Collection. Customers can visit Wells Fargo Card Design Studio^TM  at: http://www.wellsfargo.com/carddesignstudio  and select Kinsey Art in the image library.

About Wells Fargo

Wells Fargo & Company (NYSE: WFC) is a nationwide, diversified, community-based financial services company with $1.4 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 9,000 stores, 12,000 ATMs, and the Internet (wellsfargo.com), and has offices in more than 35 countries to support the bank’s customers who conduct business in the global economy. With more than 270,000 team members, Wells Fargo serves one in three households in the United States.  Wells Fargo & Company was ranked No. 25 on Fortune’s 2013 rankings of America’s largest corporations. Wells Fargo’s vision is to satisfy all our customers’ financial needs and help them succeed financially.  

About The Kinsey Collection
The Kinsey Collection strives to Educate, Motivate & Inspire Americans to learn more about the remarkable contributions of African Americans in building America. The Kinsey Collection has been featured on CBS Sunday Morning and scores of television/radio shows and newspapers/magazines nationally. It has been cited in three national awards including the nation’s highest honor, The President’s Medal for Museum and Library Services, and was selected as one of the “Top Ten exhibits to see in the world”. With their son Khalil, the Kinsey’s have developed a 198-page coffee table book that has been adopted by the State of Florida to teach African American history, and a companion lecture series titled “What You Didn’t Learn in High School History”. The Kinsey Collection exhibition has been on display in eight museums including the Smithsonian National Museum of American History, with an iteration of the collection showing at EPCOT Center, Walt Disney World Resort through 2015.

Editor’s Note: Photos captioned for editorial use. 

 “One decision, one step in the right direction can change the lives of so many.”  Actress, Lauren London and the Kinsey Family reflect on a letter by Carrie Kinsey-whom Bernard Kinsey is a direct descendent of- in Tenacity of Hope. The letter, addressed to President Roosevelt, pleads for his help to find her brother who she believes had been sold by a man of color.

 “What people often forget is African American history is American history.” In The First, actor Lance Gross discusses African American “firsts” within our U.S. Government.

 “As a father and husband I know what it feels like to have to do whatever it takes to ensure that your family has the best possible life.” Family First features hip-hop artist Talib Kweli. He touches upon a letter written by Mary Ann Graham, a slave owner in Washington, granting Henry Butler the opportunity to purchase the freedom of his wife and four children.

“The greatest gift you can give a child is their ability to dream. Whatever they are able to dream will shape the man or women they become.” Genius features, singer/actress Jordin Sparks as she retells the story of a young Phillis Wheatley, a former slave who became the first published African American woman poet.

Deneen Milner will be the first of eight bloggers collaborating with Wells Fargo to share their own personal untold stories as part of a video series, an extension of the Untold Stories campaign. Her video will be available via her blog http://www.mybrownbaby.com and at http://www.youtube.com/wellsfargo in July.

For a limited time, Wells Fargo customers can select 1 of 3 special Kinsey Collection debit/credit card designs featuring art pieces hand selected by the Kinsey Family. Design your card today in the Wells Fargo card design studio at https://www.wellsfargo.com/credit-cards/design/