Jordan Casteel Instagram – In January of 2022, I made an Instagram post declaring “People of Color in Catskills, NY – get at me. Looking for community – I know we out here, just trying to find ya” inspiring a Discord channel where the name Hudson Valley BIPOC Block Party was born. The name was a literal reflection of our desire for this community to be a celebratory safe space representative of BIPOC folks calling New York’s Hudson Valley home.
This past summer our Discord channel, which was initially full of enthusiasm, went quiet. It became clear that we needed to pivot. We have since re-crafted our online presence by utilizing WhatsApp and Instagram, creating a fluid space for communication.
We haven’t looked back since. This past July, we hosted our first event at @haranamarket ! We put out surveys and asked the community about their vision and offerings for the group, which allowed us to clarify the group’s future. We gathered business recommendations, hosted Zoom community hangs, and planned for what was to come next. With that, a new name and identity was born. Like a caterpillar that gets its wings, we are embracing change – we have stepped into our truest form and would love to re-introduce ourselves to you all.
We are Upstate Color.
@upstatecolor | Posted on 12/Oct/2023 07:08:00
