Event: I’m From Driftwood

“I feel like the more we understand one another, the more united we all actually are,” says Marquise Lee, one of the creators of an event this week that celebrates the Black LGBT Community. For years, I’m From Driftwood has collected stories from all walks of LGBT life all over the world. But on Feb. 2 (6 p.m.) the William Way hosts a special event that will introduce candid new testimonies into the fold.

“Acknowledging differences in background, experience and perspective doesn’t need to be divisive,” says Lee. “Part of I’m From Driftwood’s mission is to help preserve history so that we can learn more about ourselves within our community. I feel it’s important to give voice and visibility to those within the LGBTQ community that are under-represented.”

Marquise Lee

And in honor of February being Black History Month, one way will be to tell new stories about the black community within the LGBT community. “It is a great opportunity to share stories and reinforce the fact that yes, there are black people in the LGBTQ community, and yes, there are also LGBTQ people in the black community.”

For this spotlight, I’m From Driftwood will present four video stories from Philly residents. “The thing about Philly and many large cities is that you can meet a lot of people from other places,” says Lee. “So in the past couple of years, we’ve filmed about 15 other stories here in total, though many of those people were technically from somewhere else.”

To preview a few of the Philly stories, click here.

“I think it’s our humanity that makes them universal,” says Lee. “We’ve all experienced joy, anxiety, disappointment, grief, etc. So I think it’s through our life experiences and these emotions that we relate and identify with these stories.”