NYX Professional Makeup speaks to PJ about the power of stories for Queer People of Colour
ADVERTORIAL, BY ELLA GAUCI, IMAGE BY TIFFANNIE MERSADES VIA WE ARE SOUL
Poet, educator and LGBTQIA+ human rights activist PJ had a mission: create a supportive, accessible space for QTIPOC writers to share and grow their work. Thus, the Shaded Writers Collective was born, bringing together Queer People of Colour to tell their stories.
Shaded Writers Collective is one of the trailblazing organisations that have been spotlighted by NYX Professional Makeup’s Proudly Pro-You brand initiative. Partnering with UK Black Pride and Stonewall, NYX Professional Makeup’s initiative aims to platform and support LGBTQIA+ people of colour, alongside amplifying the powerful work that LGBTQIA+ people of colour are doing in our community. The initiative was launched in 2022, aiming to uplift, amplify and support LGBTQIA people of colour community in the UK.
Through UK Black Pride’s Community Action Fund supported by NYX Professional Makeup, Shaded Writers Collective has been able to create a space that encourages everyone to tell their story. “It’s an absolute delight to see people lean into themselves,” PJ tells NYX Professional Makeup. “Just being with people who care about your existence. Being able to laugh in the same space without needing to explain your jokes! It’s just so joyful.”
PJ understands the importance of these spaces. “I have been asked to contain who I am. The understanding is: that is not what the audience will want. It’s disrespectful to my very existence,” she adds.
“We want you to understand the joys that we lean into, the ways we show up for each other, the way we hold each other, and the way we do that is by writing it down.”
Together, Shaded Writers Collective is able to ensure accessibility to all, providing writers with the chance to nurture their creativity without financial restrictions.
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