During this session we consolidated our team, which will focus on the individual experience of faith and religion in Regent Park. We will address the following question: “How do people experience in-betweenness in Toronto/Regent Park?”
We decided that our team name will be POI: Points of Intersection. We chose this name because it refers to the intersectionality that manifests itself in the combination of two cultures (Islamic and Canadian). Through our conversations with the Diva Girls during class, they explained that they experience points of intersection as they traverse between their neighbourhood community of religious solidarity and the outside world that carries its own prejudice and discrimination.
We had the unique opportunity to receive a personal tour of the neighbourhood with our Diva Girls, Sumeya and Atiya, where they shared their lived experiences and first-hand knowledge. Among many things, they told us about the Regent Park Film festival, and how it has changed over time. Before it would include films that were culturally significant to local residents, but as it has gained widespread public attention and has attracted many attendees from outside of Regent Park, the festival predominately shows classic films in English. The girls explained that the gentrification of the festival is unfortunately not an isolated occurrence, and echoes what has been happening throughout Regent Park as it has become more exclusive following the revitalization.
Because our topic is based around people, it was difficult to gain meaningful information about how their identity as Muslim Canadian women has influenced either how they experience the city or how they feel the city experiences them. However, what was interesting to note was Atiya and Sumeya pointing out a tag on the sidewalk “We Eid Together” that referred to the intra-faith tensions that exist in the community. Their explanation of the tension, the situation, and what the tag meant shows just how in tune with the neighbourhood they both are as a passerby from outside Regent Park or perhaps a new resident would have no idea what the tag meant.
As such, this course is helping us more deeply understand the lived experience of faith within Regent Park by immersing ourselves in the neighbourhood through frequent visits, experiential research, and first-hand conversations with residents. Though the Diva Girls in our group make fun of their neighbourhood by saying that it is “the ghetto” or point out what they dislike about the new development, this piece of Toronto is their home and the place they are growing up, forming friendships, and living their daily lives. Their nostalgia about how the neighbourhood used to be demonstrates how the revitalization has severed ethno-cultural ties. The girls discussed how the neighbourhood’s sports field is often inaccessible to residents due to sports teams and white residents from outside of the community monopolizing the space.
Photo of Regent Park Athletic Grounds (taken by authors)
It is difficult to pinpoint one tangible area of interest when we are looking at individual experience of intersectionality. Perhaps we will want to look at people’s experiences that stand out, or those that are very common. For now, we have a general idea of where we want to take this project, though it seems we often talk about ethno-cultural discrimination in the city that manifests itself in the accesibilty to public space or lack thereof. We plan to have further conversations with Atiya and Sumeya about which direction we would collectively like the project to take to ensure that they are equal participants in shaping the final media project.
Something that we should focus on moving forward is to make sure that we are keeping our Diva Girls engaged throughout the session. To keep the conversation flowing, we could ask them questions ranging from mundane topics about “what the purpose of a space is” to “how does this space reflect your religion or your community?” Perhaps deciding on four or five questions on Sunday evening or on the way over to Regent Park can help guide our discussion about the expression of faith in the city.
We anticipate that our project format will be a zine and would like to interview different residents of Regent Park regarding their lived experiences with faith, alongside the contributions of Atiya and Sumeya. We understand that contacting residents and conducting interviews may not be feasible within the limited work schedule for the course. As such, any strategies or resources that Dr. Mehta and the Regent Park staff could provide us to find interview subjects or garner meaningful qualitative data another way would be extremely beneficial. If this is not possible, interviewing other Diva Girls may be a possible solution, pending their availability as we appreciate that their time will be focused on working on their groups’ projects.
Members of POI: Points of Intersection are Alejandra, Atiya, Brittany, Nathan, and Sumeya.