I want to bring my record breaking solo show, NOT A GENUINE BLACK MAN, to Bay Area High School and College communities free of charge to audiences next spring. With the attacks on diversity in America today, I think that it's more important now than ever. I need your help to make it happen.
This isn’t just entertainment—it’s empathy education that transforms how students see themselves and each other.
Why This Matters Now
In an era where school bullying, social isolation, and student mental health challenges are at crisis levels, we need new tools to help young people connect across their
differences. NOT A GENUINE BLACK MAN uses humor, heart, and honest storytelling to build the empathy and understanding that every student deserves.
Your donation doesn’t just fund a performance—it invests in the next generation’s capacity for compassion, understanding, and positive change.
This critically acclaimed play tells the true story of Brian Copeland’s
childhood as one of the only Black families in an overwhelmingly white (and racially hostile) Bay Area suburb. Through laughter, tears and sociology, it explores universal themes everyone faces:
- Finding where you belong
- Dealing with bullying and exclusion
- Standing up for yourself and others
- Building resilience in the face of
adversity
- Understanding that our differences make us stronger
The results speak for themselves. The book version is required reading at high schools and colleges nationwide, and the play (the longest running solo show in San Francisco theatrical history) has been performed over 1,000 times to standing ovations.
For more information and to
donate, please go to https://www.gofundme.com/f/bring-brian-copelands-not-a-genuine-black-man-to-schools
Brian Copeland
