By Neil Armstrong
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| Back row, left to right: Kareem, Yanaminah, Vivian, Sana, Ano, Lee-Anne, and Marcus Harvey. Front row, left to right: Sojourner San Vicente, Ariana, Alexis, Godelive, Joline, and Muniis. |
It’s Ok Studios at Queen Street West and Augusta Avenue was a beehive of curious people who were there to learn more about the youth-led research grounded in lived experience and critical inquiry.
The 2026 research residents are Ariana who examined the impact of environmental racism on Canada; Vivian, a second-year masters student at McGill University, whose digital history project focused on Black educator, Florence Harrison; Joline, in her final year of the Master of Information program at the University of Toronto, who examined Blackhurst Cultural Centre as a cultural pillar within the Annex community and the Black community at large; Alexis, a sociology graduate, who explored the history, challenges, and future opportunities of Toronto’s Caribbean Carnival, formerly Caribana; Muniis, a humanities graduate from York University, whose research analyzed Canadian strike data through 2025 to better understand patterns and implications in labour activism; and Dafina, who has a BA in Communications and Media Studies from York University, and critically analyzed the “Northern Star” myth in early Black newspapers.
Godelive, a graduate from York University with a BA in Media Communications, focused on celebrations of Black Canadian identity and its pioneers by curating their images with archival representations. Kareem, a musician and producer, explored how Jamaican culture and music shaped hip hop and informed the ways Black Canadians developed contributing practices that reached a national level. Through personal explorations, Sana, who is in her final year of a humanities undergraduate degree at York, explored apostasy in Islam, focusing on inner conflict and faith.
Ano, a musician heading to Centennial College in September to study television broadcasting, examined misogyny and violence in music, comparing themes across rap and rock genres. Lee-Anne, a graduate of George Brown College, investigated the first Black Canadians signed to record labels and their influence on the music industry.
Yanaminah, who is currently pursuing a Master of Fine Arts at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, explored the migration of the Nova Scotia settlers to Freetown, Sierra Leone.
For her, there is a personal connection as her father is from Sierra Leone and she was born in Canada. “More than my personal connection to it, I believe that when we think about Black Canadian identity, oftentimes, a shared understanding is often muddled. So, it’s something that I think will really inform and help us understand deeper the kind of impact of the erasure that we have experienced as Black peoples in Canada.”
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| Coordinators of the Blackhurst Research Residency Sojourner San Vicente and Marcus Harvey |
The Blackhurst Research Residency supports youth professional development through mentorship and workshops designed to strengthen research and analytical skills.
Over the course of 23 weeks, guided sessions encouraged participants to explore topics that built their portfolios, expanded their creativity, and gained new insights into the world around them.
Coordinators, Sojourner San Vicente and Marcus Harvey, are pleased with the outcome of the program which was created through a grant from the federal government.
“Twelve people were selected to participate and they got to choose what topic they wanted to focus on,” said San Vicente who noted that there were guest professors, artists and mentors who gave them feedback on their ideas. She said none of them had participated in a Blackhurst program before so they were all new to that experience and demonstrated great camaraderie.
“I really enjoyed engaging with each and every participant, putting together their projects, understanding what they’re doing because these are all foreign to me,” said Harvey, noting that it was amazing to work with them.
