Daily Inspiration: Meet Marcus Ollie

Today we’d like to introduce you to Marcus Ollie.

Marcus, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
At the time, as manager, Mike Ludwick, who is the Co-Founder, this was brought to his attention… “Two women, one college-educated who I will name June, the other a single mother of two I will call Mary for the remainder of the story. Mary was a legal resident but on a work Visa. June and Mary were talking on a break at work. June started to ask Mary why she did not attend college and Mary said that her priority is her children and that she could not afford to go to college. June said, well, you could get some grants. Mary said; “unfortunately, I do not qualify for grant money because of my citizenship.” June said, “well at least you don’t have to pay taxes.” Mary was a bit put off by this statement because she does pay taxes but gets none of the benefits of being a citizen like her.

So June continued with statements that were offensive, such as June offered Mary to “hook her up” with a man to marry so she could become a legal citizen. This was all brought to my attention because I was their manager. So many injustices happened and I may be forgetting some of the details. I was driving home that night after work and was just thinking and was saying to myself, why don’t people just love each other like brothers and sisters. I said out loud, why not love each other like humans, the expression “love you as a brother” came to mind and I said, “Love You Like A Human.” chills ran through me and I knew then it was special. I went home and wrote my mom on Facebook about starting a clothing line called “love you like a human” L.Y.L.A.H. Not too long after that, the vision was shared with Marcus & Aiden… The catalyst!”

I’m sure you wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle free, but so far would you say the journey have been a fairly smooth road?
With starting something new, there will always be challenges and struggles. I’d say the challenge that we’ve come across with L.Y.L.A.H. (Love You Like A Human) is getting people to provide such vulnerable information. Love, race, religion, life preference; are all things that mode us to who we are. With that comes judgment, comes vulnerability, and emotions. However, this is where L.Y.L.A.H. can project its mission, which is to accept and respect every flaw, every color, and all of our differences. We are more alike than we are different. So the “challenges” we will continue to embrace and accept as long as we can change the narrative when it comes to love, especially self-love.

As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
L.Y.L.A.H. is a platform to share stories that captures humanity at its best. L.Y.L.A.H. is an acronym for Love You Like A Human. We are known for our annual photo event that brings all walks of life together to capture and frame that imperfect moment to perfection. Each month L.Y.L.A.H. shares a story of overcoming odds for individuals and success stories of celebrating diversity at its finest.

We also highlight specific hot-button issues affecting minorities and communities needing a voice. With our photo events being a success, which brought different lives as one, I would say seeing genuine joy and happiness of those who take part in the event showed a glowing glimpse of what the world should and seek to be. What sets L.Y.L.A.H. apart is that we welcome and acknowledge the individuality of those we engage with. No life story is “better” or “worse”, it’s that person’s story that has formed them to who they are today. With being able to shine a light on that journey, with understanding, there’s a great appreciation. At the end of the day we are all human beings.

What does success mean to you?
I define success as fulfilling your purpose. Finding out what brings you joy and happiness and sharing that with as many people as possible. Once you’re able to accept value from within, all that comes and goes throughout time, good or bad, will always be a sentence of accomplishments that creates the chapters in your book called life.

Contact Info:

• Email: Lylahuman@gmail.com
• Website: lylahuman.wixsite.com/loveyoulikeahuman
• Instagram: www.instagram.com/l.y.l.a.h
• Facebook: www.facebook.com/L.Y.L.A.H
• Twitter: twitter.com/L_Y_L_A_H
• Other: lylah-2.creator-spring.com/apparel

Image Credits
Krysten Brown- www.instagram.com/kryslynnphotography www.facebook.com/kryslynnphotography Salem Summers- https://www.facebook.com/aiden.summers.5