This Black History Month we are celebrating Black culture in Lancaster. We want to highlight local businesses, creatives, and Black individuals that are doing amazing work in Lancaster.
Excerpt from their website:
WE&Company strives to help you share your stories in the most authentic way possible. When you share your stories you give others around you the permission and courage to do the same. As you explore our site, we urge you to think about what story you have to tell. Let us know what’s on your mind and we’ll help you bring it to life.
Jordan and Shelby Wormley are the visionaries behind W.E. & Company. As a married couple in Central Pennsylvania, they love being around family and engaging with their community. With a combined education and background in communications, media studies, and photography, Jordan and Shelby are inspired by storytelling. Shelby’s profession and hobby behind the camera influenced the two of them to capture people and their stories.
They love meeting and connecting with new people. As the “we” in W.E. & Company, they work closely with people to tell their captivating and honest stories, so they’re always in good company.
What does Black History Month mean to you in this current day and age?
"Black History Month is not only a time of celebration in our culture but also a time of reflection and remembrance. We remember those who have carried the mantle and celebrate those who carry it still. Growing up our Parents and Grandparents told us the stories about Sojourner Truth, Harriett Tubman, Martin Luther King Jr., Booker T.Washington, and Crispus Attucks. We were taught to remember their names so that one day, we would pass their stories on like they did to us. We read poems and books by famous black authors like Langston Hughes, Zora Neal Hurston, and Maya Angelou. As storytellers, it is our responsibility to continue to pull these stories forward as we go, so that their names and contributions are never forgotten.
In 2020 sparks were reignited and we were reminded to continue to make sure Black History was not only told but heard among the masses, because our history matters. We must remember these stories so we can guard against the injustices of the past, today. As we do our work in preserving history, we look to be intentional in documenting and recording the stories of not just the famous names most commonly known, but of the everyday people doing the hard work to advance our country. We remember our personal heroes Willie Mae Shell, Elder Robert Cox, Clifton Seaton, Vonnie Grimes, Marie Cooper, Lorretta Powell to name just a few. Never before have we had the widespread ability to not just record our stories but to openly share them with each other. It is imperative that the stories and narratives that will be cemented in history during this space and time are the truth. This renaissance in Black Storytelling has opened the door to new ways of preserving our history and stepping around the barriers that existed before. So while we remember those who have struggled before us we also recognize those who have succeeded, those who have created, and those who have birthed new life into our world. Black History is the legacy of our fathers and mothers.
It is the legacy of our rich culture."