When HUDSY offered us the opportunity to create a documentary about Upstate Color, we wanted to find a way that all of our 675+ members could be invoalved from wherever they are this summer.

We’re inviting you to participate in a community message project, responding to the prompt, BECAUSE OF UPCO…

What brought you to Upstate Color, and what keeps you coming back?  Because of UPCO what have you been able to do, feel or find in your community that you might not have been able to before? Because of UPCO what have you learned, who have you met, how has your experience of the Hudson valley changed? 

There’s of course no one way to answer this and we’re excited to hear your story, perspective or fun fact in anyway you want to share! Videos, audio messages, images, etc are welcome.  While not all will make the film (it’s only so long of course), we hope to find a way to share all with the community virtually and IRL in a future event.  

To submit a BECUSE OF UPCO… response, go to www.upstatecolor.com/because-of-upco

Having any upload issue? Email info@upstatecolor.com

This year, Upstate Color was honored to receive the HUDSY Community Award. As the recipients, HUDSY will be producing a documentary about UPCO and our community.

The film will explore how we build connection across the Hudson Valley through gathering, sharing resources, supporting one another, and creating spaces where BIPOC community can thrive.

We hope you’ll join us in bringing this story to life and consider participating!

Filming will begin this Summer, you find more information on our HUDSY Documentary FAQs sheet here.

IRL, we host happy hours around the Hudson Valley and in between we try to stay busy—check our events calendar for upcoming gatherings! Virtually, we’re chatting on WhatsApp 365 days a year and spreading the word on Instagram.

Our WhatsApp community acts as a chill BIPOC-centered forum to meet your upstate neighbors through conversation, resource exchange and recommendation sharing, local event promotion, and question-asking. This is a public space, we cannot say that we personally know everyone that chooses to join this community. At all times, we ask our members to use common sense and good judgment for anything that’s contributed.  

Our number one rule: Treat all members with respect and curiosity.

We are a group diverse in so many ways, from POLITICS to CIRCUS (those are two separate things), we host 46 groups and growing:

• UPCO 25 AND UNDER

• UPCO 40+

• UPCO 40+ Lovebirds

• UPCO AAPI

• UPCO ACTION

• UPCO Astrology Nerds

• UPCO BIKES

• UPCO BLK

• UPCO BULLETIN BOARD

• UPCO BUY/SELL/TRADE

• UPCO Camping/Glamping and summer fun

• UPCO Carpool

• UPCO CIRCUS

• UPCO Crafts & Fiber Arts

• UPCO CREATES

• UPCO DnD

• UPCO EN ESPAÑOL

• UPCO Entrepreneurs

• UPCO EVENTS

• UPCO FIREAM SAFETY AND HUNTING

• UPCO Foodstuff Barter

• UPCO FUR BABIES

• UPCO GARDENERS

• UPCO HELP 411

• UPCO Herbalists

• UPCO HIGHER ED

• UPCO HIKES

• UPCO HOMESCHOOLERS

• UPCO Housing 🏡

• UPCO INTRODUCTIONS

• UPCO KAYAKING & ROWING

• UPCO LGBTQIA+

• UPCO Muslim Community

• UPCO MUTUAL AID

• UPCO Music/Dancing/Concerts

• UPCO NERDERY/BLERDERY

• UPCO Neurodivergents

• UPCO POLITICAL

• UPCO POLY

• UPCO RAISING THE NEXT GENERATION

• UPCO RUNS

• UPCO SKILL SHARE

• UPCO SPORTS

• UPCO TECH

• UPCO TENNIS

• UPCO Traveling While…

• UPCO Winter Sports + Activities

• UPCO WRITER’S GROUP

Feel free to say hello and introduce yourself and your business in our WhatsApp group. We’re also building a BIPOC-owned business directory — you can add your details directly to our shared document here:

UPCO Business Directory

Yes! This community is for you and we welcome like-minded people and organizations that support our mission to host and UPCO event. You can submit an event directly to our calendar OR reach out to info@upstatecolor.com to connect with our team about planning an event or accessing our toolkit. 

Submit event here

Our events are designed to create a dedicated space for the BIPOC community of the Hudson Valley to connect, celebrate, and find support.

This intentionality is central to our mission.

While we understand the desire to share this space with trusted allies, we ask that you reflect on whether bringing a guest aligns with the purpose of Upstate Color. If their presence could shift the focus or energy away from centering BIPOC voices and experiences, we encourage you to honor the need for exclusivity.

That said, we are not gatekeepers, nor do we seek to create unnecessary challenges around inclusivity. We trust our members to make decisions that are right for themselves and the community as a whole. We appreciate your care and thoughtfulness in supporting the mission of Upstate Color.

Email us at info@upstatecolor.com