Our Story: LGBTQ Stories of Eastern North Carolina

Our Story: LGBTQ Stories of Eastern North Carolina

The Our Story project is a community engagement project and partnership with the School of Art & Design, the Joyner Libraries Special Collections, and the Pitt County Arts Council at Emerge. The project began as an investigation into the community and university archives to discover and identify less known or unknown stories of Eastern North Carolina, specifically within marginalized and intersectional communities.

The project emerged from the discovery that very few LGBTQ stories exist within our recorded and documented history of Eastern North Carolina. While some LGBTQ stories could be found, there was a clear lack of representation in our available archives, and a need for more.

What’s our goal?

The goal of this project is to recognize and highlight the stories and experiences of the LGBTQ community in Eastern North Carolina by inviting LGBTQ people to share stories through video interviews, written statements, and/or photography.

We seek stories that speak to and reflect the LGBTQ community’s lived experiences in Eastern North Carolina. These stories will be recorded and documented as part of the special collections archives at East Carolina University with the goal to expand on our knowledge of the LGBTQ community in Eastern North Carolina.

With permission, these stories will also be shared in a community exhibition in Greenville, North Carolina, planned for Fall 2025 in partnership with Pitt County Arts Council at Emerge Gallery.

How to participate?

If you’re interested in participating in this project, email us at ourstoryenc@ecu.edu. Include your name, preferred contact information, and a brief overview of your interest in the project. We will reach out to you to discuss the project and answer any questions you may have.

Get more information

Gathering stories now through 2025

We are scheduling interviews and accepting written and photographic submissions now through 2025.

Interested in contributing a story to Joyner Library Collections directly?

Contribute a story here

Team Members