Black Queer Relocation & Solidarity Fund
Donation protected
Greetings community,
First we'd like to say thank you to everyone who has shared and donated to our crowdfund! We could not have made it this far without all of your support. We have finally found safe and secure housing however we are still raising funds as we’re still in the process of securing stable income. Please continue sharing so we can keep this fund gaining traction. This has been a challenging year for everyone, and we feel the weight of the collective stress on our shoulders. We are sending everyone love and light as we transition through this shift.
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We are two queer Black womxn who are full time artists/freelancers. We run a media platform where we create content and provide digital services for creatives, small business and marginalized folks in Canada & the U.S. We have been doing our very best to stay afloat in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic and have been making the best of our situation by staying connected with folks through Facetime Photoshoots and remote video editing, while also holding space for those who need it.
Support our work on IG: withaseries | shakkadelicphotography | shwntol
We've been blessed with secure and safe housing however we are still dealing with the sinking reality of lost wages due to the COVID-19 pandemic and a depleted savings account. The work we do relies on other folks getting paid in order to pay us and, like many creatives, cancelled events and engagements have left us in a deficit. We need your help.
Our initial plans to move earlier in the year were derailed by the uncertainty and financial drain of a global health pandemic combined with the continued global pandemic of systemic anti-Black racism, misogynoir and state sanctioned violence against womxn and queer folks worldwide. The constant cycle of trauma experienced in a time like this has left us depleted, tired, and afraid of what the future holds for us as we navigate survival in an oppressive system.
We are still waiting out the border situation which will allow Shakkà to return safely to NYC (where she is a resident). The funds raised will go towards relocation costs (moving truck & gas), transportation, fees associated with our creative subscriptions to continue producing work, and fees paid to the GoFundme platform. If you cannot donate monetary funds but have any leads on creative jobs (i.e. photo or video editing, graphic design, social media management, etc.) that are remote or located in the Montreal area, please let us know.
We are calling on all allies and folks of privilege to help in whatever capacity you can. While there are many donation links to corporations that claim to support Black folks, implore you to consider supporting Black Queer and Trans folks directly by asking us what we need and sharing crowdfunds like this, rather than support larges corporations who profit off of the continued exploitation of BIPOC labour. We give so much and ask nothing in return. Year after year corporations exploit and steal from Black and Queer creatives to turn a profit while virtually ignoring Black and LGBTQ+ issues in everyday operations. If you are lacking resources at this time, please share this amongst those who may have the resources to help.
The act of kindness goes a long way and would allow us to continue creating work that continues to uplift and amplify voices within the Black and LGBTQ+ community. There exists many barriers of access in the work that we do which can be anxiety inducing on any given day and we don't believe lack of stable housing should be one. At a time like this, art is our revolution and our capacity to produce life sustaining work is the fire that fuels us to invoke change. Thank you for taking the time to read our story. Continue to fight, advocate, learn, love, and take care of yourself, first.
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Donate Alternatively:
PayPal: www.Paypal.me/shakaas
Venmo: @withaseries
E-Transfer (Canada): [email redacted]
---------
Stay safe and sending love, peace & solidarity to you all,
Shakkà & Shawntol
#AMPLIFYBLACKVOICES
First we'd like to say thank you to everyone who has shared and donated to our crowdfund! We could not have made it this far without all of your support. We have finally found safe and secure housing however we are still raising funds as we’re still in the process of securing stable income. Please continue sharing so we can keep this fund gaining traction. This has been a challenging year for everyone, and we feel the weight of the collective stress on our shoulders. We are sending everyone love and light as we transition through this shift.
------
We are two queer Black womxn who are full time artists/freelancers. We run a media platform where we create content and provide digital services for creatives, small business and marginalized folks in Canada & the U.S. We have been doing our very best to stay afloat in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic and have been making the best of our situation by staying connected with folks through Facetime Photoshoots and remote video editing, while also holding space for those who need it.
Support our work on IG: withaseries | shakkadelicphotography | shwntol We've been blessed with secure and safe housing however we are still dealing with the sinking reality of lost wages due to the COVID-19 pandemic and a depleted savings account. The work we do relies on other folks getting paid in order to pay us and, like many creatives, cancelled events and engagements have left us in a deficit. We need your help.
Our initial plans to move earlier in the year were derailed by the uncertainty and financial drain of a global health pandemic combined with the continued global pandemic of systemic anti-Black racism, misogynoir and state sanctioned violence against womxn and queer folks worldwide. The constant cycle of trauma experienced in a time like this has left us depleted, tired, and afraid of what the future holds for us as we navigate survival in an oppressive system.
We are still waiting out the border situation which will allow Shakkà to return safely to NYC (where she is a resident). The funds raised will go towards relocation costs (moving truck & gas), transportation, fees associated with our creative subscriptions to continue producing work, and fees paid to the GoFundme platform. If you cannot donate monetary funds but have any leads on creative jobs (i.e. photo or video editing, graphic design, social media management, etc.) that are remote or located in the Montreal area, please let us know.
We are calling on all allies and folks of privilege to help in whatever capacity you can. While there are many donation links to corporations that claim to support Black folks, implore you to consider supporting Black Queer and Trans folks directly by asking us what we need and sharing crowdfunds like this, rather than support larges corporations who profit off of the continued exploitation of BIPOC labour. We give so much and ask nothing in return. Year after year corporations exploit and steal from Black and Queer creatives to turn a profit while virtually ignoring Black and LGBTQ+ issues in everyday operations. If you are lacking resources at this time, please share this amongst those who may have the resources to help.
The act of kindness goes a long way and would allow us to continue creating work that continues to uplift and amplify voices within the Black and LGBTQ+ community. There exists many barriers of access in the work that we do which can be anxiety inducing on any given day and we don't believe lack of stable housing should be one. At a time like this, art is our revolution and our capacity to produce life sustaining work is the fire that fuels us to invoke change. Thank you for taking the time to read our story. Continue to fight, advocate, learn, love, and take care of yourself, first.
---------
Donate Alternatively:
PayPal: www.Paypal.me/shakaas
Venmo: @withaseries
E-Transfer (Canada): [email redacted]
---------
Stay safe and sending love, peace & solidarity to you all,
Shakkà & Shawntol
#AMPLIFYBLACKVOICES
Organizer
Shakka Shawntol
Organizer
North York, ON
