Cheese on the right and his friend on the left. I stopped at a local store in East Orange and got to chatting with these two. Of course, I had my camera and asked if I could take their photo. They were happy to oblige.
Mark Anthony works at a gas station in New Jersey. Bless gas station attendants because I don’t want to pump my own gas. He filled up my vehicle and was glad to pose for a picture.
I met Mariah in front of Baskin Robbins. She was out doing her civic duty and registering people to vote. We had a nice conversation and I didn’t share my ice cream.
His name was V, short for something no doubt, but I’m feeling some kind of way that we share the same nickname. I believe he was helping out with voter registration.
Met Mike at Asbury Beach. Love his goofiness.
Met her at the Morristown Fosterfield Farm. I don’t remember her name but we chatted a bit and she was very sweet.
I met this young man in the Philippines at the mall. He was serving ice cream, so I stopped for what can’t be described as a scoop.
I met up with someone I met the day before in Philly and she showed me around town and we stopped for lunch at the Philly Market and had a nice chat with Nathan.
I was sitting in Logan Square and saw this man, Mr. Bond, with his cool looking hat. I waved him over and asked if I could take his photo, but not before sitting down and chatting. He was on his way to a program that helps people get back on their feet.
Security guard at the Rodin Museum in Philly.
Met Mr. Robert Kirsch at The Touch Me Museum in Philadelphia. He explained how the heart pumps blood to keep us alive. It’s the hardest working muscular organ in the body.
Our personal chef in the Dominican Republic.
Jus drove us from the airport to the hotel. He’s been driving for his company for over 15 years and was very nice to us. I asked if he could also pick us up from the hotel and bring us back to the airport and he gave me a card. Sadly, the company has three people with the same name, so someone else brought us back. Sorry we missed you. Great driving.
This is Bobby. He was the first to welcome us to Toronto. Met him by rolling down the window and yelling hello. I asked if I could take his picture and he said yes.
This is Faiz. He checked us in at the hotel in Toronto and he was great. He hasn’t been in Toronto long, but is happy with his choice to move there. He was nice and interesting to talk to. Got us a room early too. Thanks, Faiz. Take care!
Hello, Julia. Usually, I’m the one walking up to strangers, but not this day. Julia approached us. She does volunteer work with a program called HelpAGirlOut.org. They provide period and hygiene products to those experiencing period poverty in shelters, remote communities, at home or on the street. Keep up the good job, Julia.
I first noticed Dee’s cat and asked if I could pet him. He said yes. Somehow, he pivoted to, “I like Trump” and that’s when I backed up. He then told me DT has done more for Black people than any president and the Democrats don’t want Blacks to succeed. I told him I don’t rely on the government to make me “rich.” His talking points went left and eventually so did I.
While waiting for the bus, Mike approached us and asked if we needed help. He called the bus company for us and found out the details about a bus that was being re-routed. We thanked him for going over and beyond. He said he had a nice mother who instilled in him the need to be kind to Black people because we are God’s children too. Thanks for your help, Mike.
John was on the bus we eventually caught and he was nice to talk to. Said if we needed any help to call him because he knows Toronto. John shared some of his life story with us and I hope everything works out for him. All the best, John, if you are reading this.
This is Allie, she shares my nickname.
We met her under an awning at a convenient store while waiting for it to stop raining. I couldn’t resist asking for a pet.
Tom was making a bread delivery to the local drug store. I saw him around the corner and said hello. He said we must be from out of town because no one says hello anymore. I agree, Tom, which is why I talk to everything moving. He shared some pictures from Caribana 2022 that recently happened in Toronto. He was surprised we knew nothing of it. See for yourself. caribanatoronto.com
We met Willow in a K-Pop store and she and my niece had the most interesting conversation. It was Greek to me, but they both understood the language they were speaking. I learned terms such as bias, ult, orbit and a few others I can’t remember. K-Pop fans are serious followers. Willow it was nice meeting you and fun watching you and my niece interact. I hope you get to see your bias and make it to a concert soon.
I met Officer Grande when I turned in a lost iPhone at my local police station. He was very kind, he took the time to listen to me and answered my questions. I’m proud to say I know of two decent cops (both from West Orange) who left a favorable impression on me. Also, thank you Officer Grande for posing for this picture and being apart of my project. I must say, West Orange police officers are different. I have only had good experiences when interacting with any of them and they have only acted respectful when I saw them dealing with others in the community. They are kind, they treat people with respect and not like an authoritarian who must be obeyed. If there were more cops who carried themselves like the police officers in West Orange, there would be better relationships between cops and those they protect and serve.
Craig served ice cream at my job. They are so kind to us and periodically we have food or ice cream trucks in the parking lot for treats. We talked about me not killing lantern flies and a friend of his catching a bunch on a tree with double sided tape. I had a strawberry eclaire bar.
I met Mahdi on my way to work. He was stopped at a corner taking pictures of the view (NJ/NY) and I had to stop and ask him what was so interesting. We talked a little bit and exchanged Instagram handles. Mahdi, I’m looking forward to seeing some of your photos. Nice meeting you.
I met these ladies(Nato and friend) in Pittsburgh as I was navigating back home. Funny thing is, I’m normally the one who asks to take pictures of people, but I heard someone yell out, “take my picture” and that caught my attention. I was like wait, you want your picture taken? Let’s go! They were cool people and sorry ladies, I didn’t remember your names so reach out to me (use the contact link above) and let me know both your names. I want to fix that. Thanks for participating. Hope like your photo.
