UPlift Black Needs Your Support Now More Than Ever🖤

Shelly-Ann Skinner
Aug 7
4 min read

Dear Friends and Supporters,

UPlift Black is more than just a community hub — we are a movement, a sanctuary, and a lifeline.

As a Black and 2SLGBTQI+‑led not‑for‑profit, we create safe, inclusive spaces for Black, Indigenous, and People of Colour (BIPOC) — especially those who are queer and trans (QTBIPOC) — in Simcoe County and the surrounding rural areas.

Every day, we fight for a future rooted in equity, justice, and healing. But today, that future is at risk.

What We Do

UPlift Black provides Afrocentric and anti‑colonial programming with a holistic, intersectional approach. Our programs include:

You Belong Here: Support for 2SLGBTQI+ newcomers, asylum seekers, and refugees building home and belonging in Canada.
UPlift Black Centre for Social Justice & Inclusion: A co-working and event space for collaboration, healing, and community building.
UPBeatBox Creative Studio: Makerspace, recording lab, and creative arts hub empowering our Black and queer artists.
Arts Collective: Mentorship, workshops, and pathways into creative employment.
Safe Sanctuary Spaces: A place to gather without code-switching or judgment.
Proud Programming: Peer support, cultural events, and youth programming centred on QTBIPOC experiences.
Education & Training: Workshops on anti-Black racism, 2SLGBTQI+ inclusion, Cultural Competency and artist-led creative learning.
Youth Leadership (16–29): Building pride, confidence, leadership, and belonging.
Community & Advocacy: Cultural celebrations, coalition building, and systems-level change initiatives.

This life‑saving work is now threatened by reduced funding and growing demand.

Why Sanctuary Spaces Like Ours Matter

Black-led and QTBIPOC-led spaces are essential—especially outside urban centres where erasure and isolation are real.

Published by the Enchante Network in 2024, the Back to Our Roots report explores the compounded impact of racism, sexism, homophobia, transphobia, queerphobia, and other forms of discrimination and how they create significant hurdles for 2SLGBTQ+ Black communities and limit access to essential services. The report found that 70%+ of Black 2SLGBTQI+ respondents reported experiencing hate crimes, while over 80% experienced anti-Black racism in 2SLGBTQI+ spaces. This is why spaces specifically designed and curated for Black queer and trans folks are important.

The report also recommends the creation of a national Black 2SLGBTQ+ organization to address the unique needs of our communities. While this organization, called Black Queer Canada, is currently in development, UPLift Black has been working to fill the gap for the last five years, with over 40% of Black 2SLGBTQI+ folks in Canada living in rural settings like ours.

In rural regions, we face:

Invisibility, with our presence questioned due to lack of visibility
Persistent economic barriers rooted in racial inequity
A lack of safe, affirming spaces to heal, celebrate culture, or just exist authentically

Where else can young Black men play dominoes without being policed? Where can queer racialized youth speak openly, without fear? This is why UPlift Black exists.

We’re Not a Trend, We’re a Lifeline

Every June, corporate social media explodes with rainbows. But for many of us, Pride is more than performative; it’s survival. As DEI support fades, QTBIPOC-led organizations like ours are left to uphold community care day after day.

From the Streets: Activism That Shapes Context

Recent reporting from Now Toronto’s Queer & Now column underscores why our fight remains urgent:

At the All Out Rally for 2SLGBTQ+ Freedom, co-organized by UPlift Black earlier this year, thousands rallied to defend queer rights amid rising transphobia, anti-refugee xenophobia, and systemic exclusion. Shelly‑Ann Skinner, CEO of UPlift Black, told Queer & Now, “We can’t be complacent. We have to continue to fight and to bring that awareness to the politicians and the policy makers that we aren’t going to be quiet. We’re not going to let our rights just be taken from us.”
Another edition of Now Toronto’s Queer & Now column, spotlighting the experiences of QTBIPOC newcomers, reaffirmed why safe spaces like that provided by UPlift Black are vital, offering programming that helps with the navigation of migration, identity, and visibility in a new homeland.

These stories amplify UPlift Black’s efforts to create community resiliency in the face of hate and invisibility.

Why Your Support Is Urgent

While one of our main priorities is to focus on the needs of the QTBIPOC community, we understand that the a need for services to support Black communities as a whole, especially in rural communities and smaller cities within Simcoe County, like Barrie, and do not exclude those who are BIPOC but not queer and/or trans.

For five years, we’ve:

✅ Provided culturally safe spaces for BIPOC and QTBIPOC people

✅ Delivered essential services to youth, families, and newcomers

✅ Offered transformative art, education, and advocacy programs

✅ Served as the only organization in our region led by and centring QTBIPOC intersectionality

We’re not asking for charity, we’re asking for solidarity.