Selly Thiam is a Senegalese American journalist and filmmaker who founded None on Record, an African digital media organization dedicated to lifting the voices and stories of African LGBTQIA people. “There’s a level of silence around African LGBT experiences. There’s an idea that we are un-African, that we don’t exist. So, when we started this project, it was very difficult to find queer stories, and we don’t want that to continue to happen. If communities are documented—even through oral histories, audio-based oral histories, small documentaries that they’re making—then there becomes a record, a record of our existence, and that’s why it’s really important to empower communities to basically tell their stories.” –Selly Thiam The Ford Foundation, a social justice philanthropy, presents the #FutureIsHers, an in-depth, multimedia content series celebrating the innovators, risk-takers, and change-makers we proudly support and the impact they’ve had on women and girls everywhere. While the challenges women and girls face are many, they’re rising up around the world—rewriting the rules, redefining power, and reimagining what equality looks like. With their collective action, social change is possible: The future is hers. ____ We want this video to be accessible to the widest possible audience. For a fully accessible version with audio descriptions and a transcript, please visit: https://www.fordfoundation.org/news-and-stories/videos/african-lgbtq-voices-exist-featuring-selly-thiam-founder-none-on-record/ This video series is also available with audio descriptions on YouTube, please click on the following link to access the playlist:    • (Audio Described) The #FutureIsHers   To learn more about inclusive media, please visit https://rootedinrights.org/accessthat/ _______ Subscribe! null Follow Ford Foundation on social media! Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/FordFound Twitter: https://twitter.com/FordFoundation Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/fordfoundation/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/ford-foundation