Community gathers to mourn Leonora King, a pillar of Montreal’s Park Ex

The sudden and unexpected death of Leonora Indira King on December 21, 2024, left the Parc-Extension community in shock. Despite battling health issues and being in and out of the hospital for weeks, King’s infectious positivity never wavered. “It’ll pass,” she would reassure Rose Ndjel, the director of the non-profit Afrique au Féminin, for whom King did some work. “It will be OK tomorrow,” Ndjel recalled King saying.

At 42 years old, King was known for her healthy lifestyle, practicing kung fu and having a passion for helping others. She founded the Parc-Ex Curry Collective in 2021, a mutual-aid initiative and catering service that aimed to empower women with precarious immigration statuses in Montreal’s diverse Parc-Extension neighborhood. The collective provided employment opportunities for these women, allowing them to prepare affordable meals for delivery while gaining financial independence in Quebec.

King’s dedication to supporting marginalized women was unwavering. Faiz Abhuani, founder of Brique par Brique, another non-profit in Parc-Extension, highlighted King’s commitment to helping women overlooked by society due to their immigration status. Whenever one woman improved her situation, King would bring in a new woman to the collective, ensuring that more individuals had access to opportunities for growth and empowerment.

After King’s passing, Ndjel organized a memorial service in Ottawa, where the Curry Collective chefs and other women from Parc-Extension paid their respects. The overwhelming turnout highlighted the impact that King had on the community. Another memorial service is planned at Afrique au Féminin’s office in Montreal to allow the wider community to honor King’s legacy.

King’s upbringing in Guyana, where she witnessed her mother’s acts of kindness towards the less fortunate, shaped her commitment to community work. Inspired by her mother’s resilience as a single parent in a foreign country, King dedicated herself to supporting women facing similar challenges. Through her work with self-defence classes, abuse survivors, and immigrant women, King’s legacy lives on in the Parc-Ex Curry Collective and other initiatives she helped establish.

Despite her untimely passing, King’s impact on the community continues to be felt. Her mother, Nadira, plans to carry on King’s work with the Curry Collective, ensuring that the women involved are taken care of and supported. As the Parc-Ex Curry Collective remains on pause, Nadira’s commitment to honoring her daughter’s legacy serves as a beacon of hope for the future of the initiative.

In memory of Leonora Indira King, her legacy of empowerment and compassion lives on in the hearts of those she touched. The Parc-Extension community will forever remember her as a dedicated advocate for marginalized women and a beacon of hope for a brighter future.