This work is inspired by the pillars of reading: Power and understanding.

The work depicts reading as political. It’s a tool to learn, find information and foster community. Words have power; they can move us, help us understand our history and see ourselves in stories. Reading is knowledge.

An educated public is one that understands its rights and duties. The freedom to read is part of a healthy society and a functioning democracy. One where we work together for the benefit of everyone. One where we learn our past mistakes and avoid making them again. And one where we are striving for a better future.

At the center of the work, you can see “Reading is Power” in English, Spanish, Korean and Arabic, a few of the languages spoken around the borough of Queens. I moved here two years ago, and every time I walk around, I am moved by the different cultures and languages that are spoken throughout the borough. It is a place of many, and a home to all.

Queens is the world’s borough; it's woven with the stories of people who came here in search of a better future. In the background of the work, you find some of the borough’s landmarks such as the Unisphere, which represents the 1964 New York World’s Fair and its slogan,  “Peace through Understanding.” This exposition, like books, attempted to showcase different ideas and cultures with the goal of achieving peace.

Protecting our freedom to read is essential in our fight to a more just world. A world that, like Queens, is filled with people from all over the world. We are all different. But it is within our differences that we can find common ground and a path forward.