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City of Philadelphia Engages Innovative Storytelling Organization, First Person
Arts, to Create Platform for Men of Color to Share Stories of
Adversity and Resilience
“Engaging Males of Color” initiative calls on real-life experiences to help inform support systems
for males of color in Philadelphia
Philadelphia, PA – August 27, 2015 - The City of Philadelphia Department of Behavioral Health and
Intellectual disAbility Services and First Person Arts have teamed up for a second time this year to
creatively promote wellness through art in a community that has been hit hard by negative
representation in recent media. Men and boys from Philadelphia’s African American, Latino, Asian and
Pacific Islander communities are invited to submit stories about their own experiences of affliction,
resilience, and ultimate triumph as a vehicle to create social change.
These stories will help the City of Philadelphia inform ideas and strategies for promoting wellness within
this community, and will be considered for ‘BEyond Expectations: Engaging Males of Color,’ the second
event in a three-part series, taking place on November 14, 2015 during the 14th Annual First Person Arts
Festival, presented by PNC Arts Alive. (Nov. 4-15, 2015). Submissions are being accepted from August
28 to September 18, 2015.
Those selected will receive a stipend, and the opportunity to share their narratives alongside every day
storytellers and national, high profile artists at ‘BEyond Expectations: Engaging Males of Color.’ Past
artists include celebrities Tariq 'Black Thought' Trotter of The Roots; Raheem Brock, Philadelphia-born
Super Bowl champion and retired defensive end for the Indianapolis Colts; and noted DJ Rich Medina.
Everyday storytellers included the moving narratives of a United States veteran facing post-traumatic
stress disorder, and a transgender individual experiencing the Black male perspective for the first time
as an adult. For videos from the July BEyond Expectations event, visit
www.youtube.com/firstpersonarts.
Stories can be submitted for consideration orally by calling FPA’s story hotline at 601-568-2435. Written
pieces can be submitted to pitch@firstpersonarts.org with the subject line ‘Engaging Males of Color.’
Envisioned by DBHIDS Commissioner Dr. Arthur C. Evans in 2014, ‘Engaging Males of Color’ was
designed to help DBHIDS better serve Philadelphia’s diverse communities by sharing effective coping
strategies for self-care, strengthening support networks, and improving upon the ways systems address
the needs of males of color. Working with organizations across the city to produce events such as
‘BEyond Expectations,’ Dr. Evans is hearing directly from the audiences who will benefit from the
improved systems his department aims to implement.
“If you are a male of color in Philadelphia, and you need to be heard, the City is listening,” said Dr.
Evans. “Through ongoing initiatives like EMOC, DBHIDS is keeping the door open on conversations
surrounding mental health and wellness in these communities.”
“Real life stories bare out the truth from myth and mystery,” says First Person Arts Executive Director
Jamie J. Brunson. “These are the stories we all need to hear now.”
First Person Arts is Philadelphia’s premiere storytelling organization and the producers of the weekly
First Person Arts Podcast and annual First Person Arts Festival. FPA believes that everyone has a story to
tell, and that sharing our stories connects us with each other and the world. From such artistic
luminaries as novelist Toni Morrison, activist Angela Davis, and celebrity chef Marcus Samuelsson, to
everyday people at twice-monthly StorySlams, FPA presents a diverse array of storytellers in order to
transform the drama of real life into memoir and documentary art.
The City of Philadelphia Department of Behavioral Health and Intellectual disAbility Services (DBHIDS)
provides its services via a network of mental health and intellectual disability provider agencies. The
department also partners with the Philadelphia School District, child welfare systems, and judicial
systems to promote recovery, resilience & self-determination for people in recovery.
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