This isn’t just entertainment—it’s empathy education that transforms how students see themselves and each other.

 

 

I need your help to fund a total of 10 shows so that they’re free to these communities and audiences. With exhibits on the truth of slavery being pulled from the Smithsonian, Confederate generals names restored to government installations and books on the experiences of people of color banned, this project and this show are more important that ever. 

 

 

 

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.