The Rich Elkins Papers (1994-2002) is a collection of publications and clippings on the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender communities in North Carolina, South Carolina, and New York with some of the materials from the LGBT community in Greenville, N.C. located in Eastern North Carolina. Richard "Rich" Elkins has been active in the Eastern N.C. LGBT community for many years and these materials reflect his involvement.
Richard "Rich" Elkins grew up in Wilson, North Carolina. He graduated from Fike High School in 1989 and went on to N.C. State University to become a meteorologist. He later decided not to pursue meteorology and transferred to East Carolina University to study geography.
Mr. Elkins was active in the LGSU (the Lesbian and Gay Student Union) at N.C. State. When he transferred to ECU, he found that ECU did have a LGBT or LGB group, but it disbanded before his arrival. Mr. Elkins felt that a LGBT group was necessary to serve the social needs of LGBT students especially those who needed help and support in the coming out process. He also wanted this group to be focused on advocacy so that people would be aware of LGBT issues. Thus B-GLAD was created.
The B-GLAD group engaged the ECU campus. The group participated in Pride Week and in organized events where they had speakers, and information tables. They make it a point to have a presence at school events such as freshman orientations and Student Organizations Fairs. The group assisted professors who covered topics that involved sexual orientation by hosting panels and having people come and speak to classes. B-GLAD also engaged the Greenville community. They played a part in starting Down East Pride which was a gay and lesbian bisexual pride festival held yearly in Greenville from 1996 to 1999. Mr. Elkins created a website for B-GLAD to be a source of information for both the ECU campus and for the Greenville community.
Sources
Rich Elkins Papers, #1338, East Carolina Manuscript Collection, J. Y. Joyner Library, East Carolina University, Greenville, North Carolina, USA
Richard Elkins Oral History, UA 95-08, University Archives, J. Y. Joyner Library, East Carolina University, Greenville, North Carolina, USA
Most of the Rich Elkins Papers (1994-2002) contain publications centered on the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender (LGBT) community in Greenville, N.C. and in other parts of North Carolina as well as in South Carolina and New York. There are issues from various North Carolina newspapers that contain clippings of articles on LGBT events and issues that affected LGBT members. The other types of material among the papers include directories, flyers, guides, programs, advertisements of LGBT festivals and events, classified ads, and a poster. Of note is a publication on grassroots organizing that came from a 1997 conference sponsored by Down East Pride and B-GLAD, which is a LGBT group that was founded at East Carolina University. These papers did have material related to B-GLAD's founding at ECU, but that material was taken out and donated to the ECU University Archives.
November 1, 2018, 0.5 cubic feet; Rich Elkins has been active in the LGBT community in Eastern North Carolina for many years and this collection contains materials related to his involvement. Included are publications such as NC Pride Guides (1994-2002), Down East Pride Festival programs for Greenville (1995-1998), The Front Page newspaper issues (1996-1998) and one issue of Q-Notes newspaper which cover North and South Carolina, The Front Page Directory for 1998 (a Business Directory for the Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender Community), newspaper clippings, a poster, and other documents. Material related to the founding of B-Glad at East Carolina University has been donated to the ECU University Archives. Gift of Zachary Dale.
Gift of Zachary Dale
Processed by Nanette Hardison July 2022
Literary rights to specific documents are retained by the authors or their descendants in accordance with U.S. copyright law.
Richard Elkins Oral History (UA 95-08)
Virginia Hardy Oral History (UA 95-04)
Aaron Lucier Oral History (UA 95-06)
Summer Wisdom Oral History (UA 95-05)