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 at ECU, the Joyner Libraries Special Collections at ECU, the Dr. Jesse R. Peel LGBTQ Center at ECU, 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 Pitt County, 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 there was a need for more.

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

Gathering stories now through 2025

The goal of this project is to recognize and highlight the stories and experiences of the LGBTQ community in Eastern North Carolina by inviting the LGBTQ community to share stories through video interviews, written memoirs, and/or photography. These stories will be recorded and documented as part of the special collection archives at East Carolina University with the aim to expand on our knowledge of the LGBTQ community in Eastern North Carolina.

We seek stories that reflect and respond to the LGBTQ community’s lived experiences in Eastern North Carolina. 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.

How to participate?

If you are interested in participating in this project or have any questions, email one of our team members today for more information! We are scheduling interviews and accepting written and photographic submissions now through 2025.

You can also follow the project by subscribing to our mailing list to receive email announcements and project updates. Sign up for the email mailing list below.

Team Members