I wrote this bio for a close friend of mine whose organization - Uplift Kitchen - has been responding to the nutritional and health needs in minority communities created by the overlap of systemic racism and the Covid-19 pandemic.
Uplift Kitchen was born of both necessity and passion. The sudden upheaval that COVID-19 stirred up was enough to disorient anyone, but racialized communities were especially hard hit. The onset of a global pandemic, paired with previously existing obstacles and traumas, left minority communities disproportionately feeling the fear of food insecurity and heightened health risks. Even in self-styled “progressive” places like Toronto, Canada, it quickly became evident that something more than the government's efforts was needed.
This stark necessity met passion in Antonia Lawrence and Emily Carson - two neighbours living in the Beaches community in Toronto. In the early phase of the pandemic, they had already been sharing food and other resources on a small scale with their immediate neighbours. But when the highly-publicised deaths of George Floyd, Regis Korchinski-Paquet, and too many others laid bare the ongoing problems of discrimination and anti-black racism, Lawrence and Carson channeled their respective experience in non-profit work to address the problem head-on.
In June of 2020, they set up an Instagram account for the newly minted Uplift Kitchen, and put out a request for donations to provide food for Black, Indigenous, and other POC families struggling under the weight of the pandemic. An unexpected flood of donations rolled in, signalling to these young activists both the urgency felt in the community around them, and the possibility of carrying this endeavour forward on a more long-term basis. It was a true inversion of the spirit of the time: leveraging social media to step well beyond social media ‘activism.’
The work that Uplift Kitchen has gone on to do has been layered in its approach. They provide people with food, yes, but they also make it a point to keep cultural traditions, dietary restrictions, and preference in mind for the families they serve. In the face of a global crisis that upended so many lives and schedules, and an ever-lingering tide of discimination for marginalised people groups, Uplift Kitchen doesn’t only try to keep people fed and healthy, but also respected. The families they serve know they can expect Indian, Caribbean, or East African dishes according to their needs - not just PB & J sandwiches. In this regard, it’s about maintaining not just a full stomach, but dignity. Again, necessity meets passion here.
While they are by no means a massive organisation, Uplift Kitchen’s significance is monumental. For one thing, their existence signals exactly what is possible when dedicated, conscientious people get organised and address the pressing issues of their time, even in a very localised context. Numerous news outlets and even the Toronto Raptors have recognized and lauded Uplift Kitchen for their work in the community. Moreover though, there are over 30 families in the Toronto area who have been eating healthy, fresh, and culturally relevant meals because of the selfless work of Uplift Kitchen and their volunteers.
And though the threat of COVID-19 may eventually wane away, the systemic issues that it exposed and exacerbated will remain until they are directly dealt with. To that end, Uplift Kitchen and its volunteers (perhaps including you?) continue on with their work, ever driven by necessity and passion.
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