THE OBSERVATION BOOTH
OP / ED ANDREA DIALECT
Fatimah Turner, PhD, LCSW, MEd
A coffee chat is an informal meeting, typically between two people. The primary purpose of one is networking to help you establish connections. As a journalist, I do that often. Still, when it comes to friends and coffee, many show up who are already friends. Logically, I do that, too, lol.
The Inner City Cafe is a beautiful idea. Not to mention the amazing atmosphere; it is an extraordinary place to work on that to-do list. The staff is well-trained, and the coffee and other things are very nice for the price. Dr. Turner is a beautiful soul and an excellent conversationalist. Check out that resume. It’s quite impressive. ICC … I like. – Andrea Dialect
COFFEE & CONVO (PART 1)
“I had been trying to get my degrees throughout the years, but stuff kept happening. I questioned my staying in that space; did I want my children to see mommy as that woman or a woman of strength? The other driving force was when my daughter came home from school one day, and she needed paperwork from my college; at the time, I had dropped out; I felt like a failure, so I went back to school. It feels like I’ve been in school all my life. I got my associate’s in 2011, my bachelor’s in 2012, my master’s in 2015, another Master’s in 2016, and then my Doctorate in 2022. So from 2011 to 2022, I got all those degrees. I obtained five of them in eleven years, so my brain has been pushed. Those were challenging times with many ups and downs, but one thing was constant. Completing those required papers or prepping for those tests while sitting in Starbucks the entire time. That’s where my thoughts of Inner City Cafe were born!”
Fatimah Turner – Owner / Operator of Inner City Café / Therapist / Professor / Published Author / School Board Member / Social Justice Advocate
“As a kid, I was always a dreamer. I had so much trauma; my mother would never let me go outside. So I used to watch a lot of movies. I am a movie fanatic. I know so many movies with or without music. If I had gone to college after high school, I would have been a theater major. I love theater. My favorite movies were things like Lady Sings the Blues and Sparkle. I just love culture and movies, theater, and things like that.
“Now fast forward, I’m getting my Doctorate, and I knew that I couldn’t get a degree doing something I loved because now I’m a single mom, and I need a degree that’s going to make me make money. I couldn’t do what I wanted to do because I always had to do what I had to do. To take care of everybody else, so as I was getting my degrees, I could never go to the library. I always went to Starbucks, and I would work, and I got all of my degrees at Starbucks.
“I just remember sitting in there and feeling like it wasn’t the place where I wanted to be. I always imagined having a spot similar to places like The Cotton Club and a place that’s on Love Jones. Every time I would go places, I would visit these cute little coffee shops and things like that.
“I wanted a space that could combine everything I loved but with people like me who looked like me and could come in and have a space to be whatever they needed. That’s what that space could be, which is why it’s a rental space, and if you want to do poetry there or you want to do theatre there, or have a speakeasy there. If you want it to be spoken word, it could be that I wanted it to be a space where dreams can come true, and you can go in and write. Be who they wanted to be.
“I called it Inner City Café because I am from the inner city. You’ll see the bricks and spray paint on the walls if you notice because I am from Newark. I’m a little bit hood, but I’m also very boujee and very classy and very pink and gold, and a feminist because I believe that when people say feminist, they think that means anti-men, and that’s not what it means. It just means I’m a black feminist. I strongly believe in the intersections of a black woman. I’m black, and I’m a woman, and so black women need a space, and they need to be heard, and they need to be seen, and they need a voice, so that’s the space. A place for black women to be seen.
“It’s everything pink in there, and I won’t alter it to fit anybody else. The space is a space that represents me as a black woman. But it is open to everybody, White women, Asian woman, Hispanic, men, and whoever. My space says, here’s a space that represents my struggle, and then you see the stairs, and that staircase is so important because in Langston Hughes’s poem, ‘Mother To Son,’ she talks about how life had thorns and prickly things in it and all that other stuff. But she says I kept fighting, I kept climbing, and I kept going. That represents my life. Life for me hasn’t been a crystal stair.
“But despite all the things I’ve gone through, I’ve made it through. I just published an article talking about the things I’ve gone through, abuse, and things like that. Things haven’t always been easy for me, but I’ve been able to decorate it, to make it prettier so that I can step on it and make it a little softer so I could step on it and make it a little more manageable. So that’s what that staircase represents for me and what I want it to represent for others when they come in their story.
“That’s why when they come in, I treat everyone the same. I don’t care if you’re a judge, a lawyer, or the Lady who crosses the people across the street. This is a place for everybody to come in and network, and if you need something and I can give it to you, I’m going to give it to you because I really want to give you those resources. This is a place where dreams come true, doctors and artists are made, and lawyers are made. Where mothers and daughters can come and have lunch or fathers can.
“My grandmother used to take me on Saturdays to Jay’s Café in Newark. My grandmother graduated from Essex County College and did hair in her basement like I did. On Saturdays, she would go to ECC and take classes, and I would take ballet and piano while she did her college classes. Afterward, we would walk to Jay’s and have brunch, which was special to me.
“On Saturdays, I have regulars, I have the gymnastic girls who come in with their families and have brunch, and I have others who bring their children in, and I treat them like kings and queens, so they know that this is how they’re supposed to be treated. They see a person who looks just like them, and when they walk through the door, they feel happy and hear music. If you have stress, you can unwind; discreetly BYOB or have a coffee or tea. Whatever you need, that’s the space, and you don’t have to go to New York, South Orange, Montclair, West New York, or wherever else. You don’t have to go out of Orange to get that. It’s right here in the inner city!
“When I see students sitting in the space, it gives me life, it gives me life, it gives me life. Every time I see them, it reminds me of when I sat in that position. Because I have only been out of school for a year and haven’t had time to sit down and write or publish. Still, it motivates me over again, and when they address me as Doctor Turner, I don’t feel anything about myself, but it brings me joy because it lets them know they can do it.
“Even when I used to teach at Essex County College, I would tell my students who were older adults or mothers that I was right there. I will never be that person that says I got mine. You need to get yours. No, I was sitting right there, and now my name is Doctor Turner, so if I did it, you could do it.
“When they enter the Inner City Café, I serve them, make them tea and ask if I can help. Because at the end of the day, I am them. Sometimes it can be challenging if I have work to do and they need to talk. I put that work away. I can easily go to the back, but I want them to see me and know I appreciate them being there. I want them to know that I will be there for them. I also love seeing the reactions when people walk in the door with those ‘Oh, my God, this is so pretty or Oh, wow, this place makes me happy!’
“One day a young lady came in and was working towards her master’s and is getting a master’s in social work. Her story was familiar and similar; she had a rough start, but what she said after our meeting struck a chord. She said, ‘Oh my God, this was a sign. Meeting you and coming to this place is a sign that I’m actually doing what I’m supposed to do.’
“That was similar to my journey, and those words were familiar because I was doing exactly what I was supposed to be doing.”
DID YA KNOW THAT…
While café may refer to a coffeehouse, the term “café” generally refers to a diner, British café (colloquially called a “caff”), “greasy spoon” (a small and inexpensive restaurant), transport café, teahouse or tea room, or other casual eating and drinking place.
A coffeehouse, coffee shop, or café is an establishment that primarily serves coffee of various types, notably espresso, latte, and cappuccino. – Wikipedia
The meaning of COFFEE HOUSE is an establishment that sells coffee and usually other refreshments and that commonly serves as an informal club – Merriam-Webster
Yes, Starbucks is considered a café. Starbucks is a coffee company that started out as a café in Seattle, Washington in 1971. Today, Starbucks has over 24,000 locations worldwide. Starbucks is the world’s largest coffee shop chain, with more than 30,000 locations worldwide.
The Observation Booth is utilized as a space for Andrea Dialect to stumble through, which aids in life and brand development. It can also be used by readers, subjects, and features to assist or advance our world or their own. It is a peek into one’s world from the outside. It is also for the development of content.
Everything printed here is in draft form; thus, error is welcomed and to be expected. Everything is constantly evolving, is her mantra. Seeing the work in printed format is the initial step and is quite valuable and therapeutic for developing all forms. Like Everything, Andrea Dialect uses this space as a test lab for test study and a test subject.
Here you will also find influencers, professionals, and muses who are considered “clay” who lend their image to change as doing us proud who are contributors to the upward progress of human progress. It is a platform for the growth, inspiration, motivation, and development of herself, her subjects, and her readers. Enjoy!
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