Halima (left) and Humaira (right) posing at the Carousel Cafe & Bistro. (Photo shot by Eric)
This week was an extremely productive week for our team. Our goal was to collect media and interview some local residents - mission accomplished! Through some of these early conversations, we were able to glean some insights into how residents were reclaiming and promoting economic opportunity in their community amidst gentrification.
We met up twice: coincidentally, both times at the Carousel Cafe & Bistro inside the Daniels Spectrum! Amid our off-topic chatters, we continued discussing key components of our long-piece journalistic writing, comic strip, and podcast.
In all our excitement to introduce you to our project in our first blog, we might have skipped introductions (oops!). But, our talented friends Kaitlyn and Jamie created these cute illustrations to introduce you to our dream team.
Allow us to (re)introduce ourselves
In all our excitement to introduce you to our project in our first blog, we might have skipped introductions (oops!). But, our talented friends Kaitlyn and Jamie created these cute illustrations to introduce you to our dream team.
A walk in the (Regent) park
We began our meeting on Tuesday with a walk around the neighbourhood, where we took photos of buildings, street art, and anything else that spoke to us. These photos act as references for scenes in our media project. Thinking about how to illustrate Regent Park’s neighbourhood and how we could experiment styles in photorealistic collages for the comic panel backgrounds later on.
East-facing shot of buildings located on Sumach Street in north Regent Park. (Photo shot by Eric)
Kaitlyn on the left and Eric on the right walking on the south side of 407 Gerrard Street East. (Photo shot by Jamie)
The walk worked up an appetite, and after making a pit stop at the nearby Popeyes, we sat inside the Daniels Spectrum. We called Farhana, who joined the meeting virtually, and discussed interview plans.
Initially, we wanted to make Eric’s idea of a children’s book, but we decided instead to make a comic book. We wanted to balance all of our interests and make the book inclusive of all ages. A comic would allow us greater creative control over illustrating different neighbourhood sceneries, characters, and interactions.
We concluded the meeting with an initial plan to interview the owners of Carousel Cafe & Bistro.
Introducing the soul sisters behind Carousel
During Thursday’s workshop session, we deliberated our research framework and questions with Professor Mehta, whose guidance and suggestions continue to be instrumental in giving our project shape and direction. Feeling invigorated by our conversation, we interviewed the dynamic duo behind the Carousel Cafe & Bistro: Halima and Humaira, or as they call themselves, H-Squared.
Our interview with Halima and Humaira was easily the highlight of our week. Their café brings the community together through culturally-responsive support for local businesses (i.e. marketing support and entrepreneurial training), local youth employment, and hosting gatherings such as watch parties. It is a vibrant, inclusive space where people of all ages can meet up, enjoy delicious food, play board games, and even watch cartoons!
Close-up of board games cafe customers can play. (Photo shot by Eric)
One of Carousel’s vendors, Chef Mo from Mo’s Milkshakes, preparing food for customers. (Photo shot by Eric)
Farhana and Kaitlyn took the lead asking questions, while Eric recorded audio, photographed the space, and Jaime took notes. With a foot-tapping and soul-stirring playlist of Afrobeats and 2000’s R&B playing in the background, Halima and Humaira passionately relayed their mission to create opportunities for other local vendors, reflecting a spirit of unity and sisterhood. Their hope is for the cafe to be a place where meaningful relationships help combat economic injustice. The duo continue a strong community tradition that bridges generations and brings joy to their neighbours. Eric remarked that there was not a moment the ladies were not smiling and laughing as he took photos, a testament to their positivity and light.
Halima and Humaira smiling and clasping hands. (Photo shot by Eric)
Listen to this snippet of our introduction to Halima:
Our conversation was a beautiful exchange of knowledge and skill-building: they invited us to upcoming events the Cafe was planning to host, and Kaitlyn, with her background in bartending, offered to teach a mixology class so the Cafe could incorporate non-alcoholic “mocktails” to their summer drinks menu.
This conversation instantly made us feel welcomed by Halima, Humaira, and the Regent Park community at large.
Next steps
After listening to Halima and Humaira’s story, we walked away with our hearts full and our minds spinning with ideas. Next week, we aim to code the data collected from our interview this week, start our illustrations, and prep for the podcast. We’ll also gauge whether what we have is sufficient to finalize our research question or if we need to conduct more interviews.
Until next time—stay tuned!
- Eric, Farhana, Jamie, and Kaitlyn
The team members of Where did my neighbours go? are Eric, Farhana, Jamie, and Kaitlyn