"Crisis Materials" is a short film that features an original poem from Johnny Lee Chapman, III, movement from Anthony Otto Nelson, Jr. and VITAL Health wreaths made by community members. The film unpacks the last year in the nation and all the layers we are all working through as a community.

"Crisis Materials" is only available for special events and screenings. Reach out to us about screening the film via email. Filmed and edited by Julia Wall. Executive Produced by Stacey L. Kirby and Michael S. Williams.

The VITAL Health team performed "Crisis Materials" live on May 21, 2022 at Dix Park Cemetery. See images below by Caroline Cockrell.


Watch: "Crisis Materials" virtual premiere and discussion.

In December 2020, we held a special, one-time virtual premiere of the film with the VITAL Health team discussing coping with COVID-19 and the social unrest of 2020. Guests heard from Kelsey Evans-Amalu, PhD, Simone Jacobs, LCSW-C, Chapman, Nelson, Stacey L. Kirby, film performance coordinator Myra Weise and Grayson Maughan, Senior Planner, for the City of Raleigh. You can watch the discussion in the video above to the right.

VITAL Health is an initiative created by Kirby and Williams that includes mental health panel discussions, installations, video screenings, workshops and a live performance all aimed at de-stigmatizing mental illness, promoting mental health awareness and addressing what’s happening in our communities. #VITALHealthNC