SOLIDARITY & sAFE SPACES
“This zine has been created to display the work of artists, poets, and community organizations with a focus on safety, solidarity, and home + belonging. All of these individuals and groups have an expressed commitment to working torwards a world where these three qualities are a reality in the lives of all. The work represented in this zine was also on display at an exhibit in Culture Lab, LIC, Queens, New York City through the month of March 2023. We hope that you enjoy and find meaning, inspiration, and joy in their following pieces.”
Table of Contents Safety “We Keep Us Safe” - Bella Gallo “(In)convenience(d) & Confound Comprehension” - Catherine Heller “Inside” - Adiroh “Outside” - Adiroh “South Queens Women’s March” - Various Contributors “Angry Asian Womxn” - Sarinya Srisakul “The Art of Meditation” - Elliot Johnson “The Father” & “Stop the Violence” - Ron Hall “Light and Dark City” - Erick Teran “Roadmap to Safety” - Kyra Cuevas Solidarity “Fungal Solidarity” - Bella Gallo “The Gods Above Be Lying” - Brennan Connell “Softly, Calmly” - Natica “Housing is a Human Right” - Robert Thibault / DJ TRS “QueensLink” - QueensLink - Miriam Bensman “A Song for the People and the Land” - Katrina Sotera “International Solidarity Statement” - NYCHRP “Building a Black Bravespace” - Coisescapes LLC “Bintana” - Kyra Cuevas ft. FurDaRepublick Home and Belonging “Layered Home” - Bella Gallo “Afternoons on the Balcony (Dhaka, Bangladesh) 2019”; “Tani & Rushni (Dhaka, Bangladesh) 2010”; “My Grandmother (Dhaka, Bangladesh) 2019” - Nafisa Ferdous “Coexistence” & “Those I Love” - Adriana Taboada “Resilience” - Meka J. Woods “We are Cumbia, We are Family” - Karla Florez “Pagpapa(-)alam: To Wish You Well, So You Know” - Cecilia Lim “Safety and Belonging on the 34th Avenue Open Street” - Five Boro Story Project - Bridget Bartolini Actionable Items “How to Build an Art Collective” - The Mujeristas Collective - Steph Aliaga “The Icaros: Shaman Singing” - Milena Carvajal George “Tea with Tita” - Kim Chan “Reflective Prompts” - Kyra Cuevas Acknowledgements
Since I first heard it, I have always loved the line: “We keep us safe”. I think the ‘we’ here is both personal to each of us and universal. Naturally, we have a commitment and protectiveness to the marginalized communities we are a part of; an immediate feeling of belonging and responsibility to those who share an intimate understanding of our specific struggles; an innate pull to look out for those who we consider our own. When you’re pitted against any part of society’s norm simply for existing, there’s an automatic reaction to band together - and band we do, holding each other close, driven to support each other, show up for each other, and jump to each other’s defense. “We Keep Us Safe” Bella Gallo
However, I also see the ‘we’ here as the whole general public, the people, the 99%. Those of us who will be left to our own devices if/when the structures we shape our lives by - jobs, governments, schools, markets - collapse, when prices rise, when disaster strikes. Those smaller silos and protective clans of identity only serve us each so well when we face larger issues that oppress us all, like capitalism, climate change, and corrupted institutions. Those of us who will be left with ourselves and each other, without an escape route, as these outdated structures falter and these oppressions intensify must - and do - work together to create safe conditions and stronger, community-driven systems for us to continue living within. More accurately and expansively, I believe this speaks to the ‘we’ of every being on Earth - Powerful, poor, human, animal, nature, all. We are all on this planet together, and, therefore, whether we like it or not, whether we recognize it or not, we are all responsible for each other’s safety and existence. It is the decisions of humans - or lack thereof - to protect and respect the environment and each other that allows each being to survive and prosper - or shrivel and die. It is the actions and results of natural ecosystems webbed together that support the existence of those inside and outside of each one. Trees are responsible for converting the exhaled CO2 of animals into oxygen for aerobic organisms to fill their lungs with, bacteria at the bottom of the oceanare responsible for the production of oxygen, fungal networks and bacteria link and support all beings on Earth. In very real and material ways, all of us on Earth are responsible for keeping each other alive and safe. CONTENT WARNING: THIS SECTION CONTAINS DEPICTIONS OF NUDITY, STREET HARRASSMENT, VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN AND DISCUSSIONS OF RACISM. PLEASE TAKE THE CARE & SPACE THAT YOU NEED.
(in)convenience(d) Catherine Heller Safety - Page 6
Confound Comprehension Catherine Heller Safety - Page 7
“Inside” Adiroh The Fear electric jolts shoot from the back torso through the lung cavity static buzzing swirling constricting the world tilts as “I” drain out these feet into the floor. Elbows prop the deflating body up on the table captive to a journalistic recounting that Strums my innards as if there’s no distinction between out there, and in here Life: a trudge through the dark fog What’s the use in loving my outfit of the day? Feathers on the back of the neck say someone is watching me the voice throws knives from the couch on the ceiling, drunk on the steam collecting inside. We’re about to die, she whispers. RUN But we can’t We’re in the middle of dinner We pin ourselves to our seat, squashing down the blazing limbs tension. nothingness. tension. nothingness I marvel at the decades that have passed. I fly out the top of my head, physical tethers swept into a pile vacuumed up in a swift and total evacuation No shreds of “me” remain to face this earthly assault from within modeled after Those outside. I thought if I weren’t here it would float me by. Instead it burrowed in terrorizing my fragile being so often there’s no time to examine Who this is Safety - Page 8
Safety - Page 9 Shuffling along the crumbly Queens pavement, I glance across the intersection. A white utility truck lurching towards the stop sign flashes one blinker. Part of me prepares to hurry forward before the driver’s anticipated rage. Static swirls in my skin. My body remembers: the driver who slowly proceeded through a stop sign to pop my sister’s knee, rage, then drive away. Three days later, an entire Muslim family on an evening stroll murdered by a driver of a truck at a Canadian intersection. I freeze. The truck continues to crawl forward. The workman hangs out the open window. “You should get your glasses checked,” he sneers in a thick Long Island accent. No shreds of “me” remain to receive this insult. I gaze ahead unblinkingly. Shallow breaths later, I continue on my way. Was his anger my fault? I wrestle with this. In the end I refuse to feel bad for my safety. I board the 7. My body remembers: another ride – a scream, then everyone fleeing the G seconds before the doors were to close. Quietly flowing up the choked stairs, a breathless, “Keep going guys,” floating up from behind. Outside the station, staring blankly at each other. But this time, the mood is relaxed. Our car grooves to a regular artist from Chile rapping for la gente. At the local drugstore, I peruse the Halloween candy. A South Asian store manager notices my jerky energy as tasks take her in circles around me. “I’m sorry, I keep disturbing you,” she says gently. Having made my choice at last, I return to the Woodside station with a bright orange trick-or-treat bowl propped under my arm. I climb the stairs and turn onto the raised platform. A leering face appears behind me, grinning toothily and fingers waggling “hello” as if to consume me from three (and now two) feet away. My body remembers: Asian American sisters who didn’t make it home intact from stations and trains. I fly out the top of my head and instinctively hurry away – RUN, anywhere else but here. My feet take me down the platform to where others await the train. Weaving in and out, I hope to be lost in the crowd. A Black MTA operator on platform duty notices the orange bowl and perhaps my erratic limbs. “You enjoy getting into Halloween?” “No, it’s for my neighbors - I hope they celebrate. I’m not sure – I’m new here.” We discuss our favorite holidays. “Going home for the holidays? No family in NY? Oh, so you’re a loner then?” No, family is just complicated, I want to tell him. Sometimes their layers are jumpy and frayed from decades of being on edge; the lack of safety they experience outside burrowing in and setting up shop to terrorize those they love. Corroding our ability to reach safety, together. My train has arrived. “Don’t worry, you’ll find people to share the candy with. You won’t need to eat it all alone,” he says warmly. “Thank you.” I pause. “I’m glad you were here.” I step into my train home. The person I first experienced safety with, a young therapist, lost her life to a car crash while on her Thanksgiving holiday in upstate New York. This piece is dedicated to the way one person can increase another’s sense of internal safety. Safer transit infrastructure in New York cannot come fast enough. “Outside” Adiroh
The Flag Anlisa Outar The artist describes this piece as being intentional and owning one’s power. On first glance, it may not be apparent that the image is of a vulva. The colors used are the colors of the Guyana flag, the country from where the artist hails. To the artist, there is a sense of safety in owning one’s identity, reflected here in her art. Hear Our Voices Jennifer Padilla The piece features five wom Queens who were murdere over the last decade. From piece features Donna (Reha Kaur, Rajwantie Baldeo, and Women’s March fights to c and honors our fallen sister originated from South Que and executive director Ami She Walks in Beauty I. Ameila Inderjeit Delicate fingers, with chipped pink nails. I twist the lavender garbage bag shut. With tiny steps, as not to wake anyone, I softly make my way down the stairs to take out the trash. Another day, another task I gratefully accept and move through, wondering if I am in love with the mundane comforts of life or the idea that they’ll bring me closer to a future where I find peace in something other than taking out the trash. South Queen South Queens Women inspired by global and na towards, and works towa Safety - Page 10
men who resided in South ed by their intimate partners top left to bottom right, the anna) Dojoy, Stacy Singh, Mandeep d Guiatree Hardat. South Queens o-create a world free of violence rs.The concept for this piece eens Women’s March founder nta Kilawan-Narine. Collective Liberation Aminta Kilawan-Narine Designed for various South Queens Women’s March street actions, this quote was popularized by Assata Shakur. The artist chose to paint this quote to remind survivors of violence that breaking their silence can lead to collective liberation. ns Women’s March ns March is a non-profit that was ational women’s rights movements rds an equitable southeast queens. She Walks in Beauty II. Ameila Inderjeit Outside, I look up at the night sky, shades of dark blue with grey, patches in the clouds, almost like bullet holes. I haven’t looked up at the sky, for quite some time. Perhaps, I am always looking down, hence why I forget I am a tiny dandelion amongst the garden of the universe. Or, perhaps I do not look up because I am afraid of everything above. The universe, the Gods, my spirits watching me. They are aware, I am not one, with myself. They know I haven’t been myself for quite some time. So, once again, I gaze down to the ground as I pretend I don’t see the universe telling me I am in need of change. Safety - Page 11
In 2012, I bought my first apartment - an incredibly difficult experience - and an accomplishment marking security and success. I pushed myself to save enough money and, when the housing market crashed in 2008, I finally had an in. However, due to my credit card fearing Asian parents, I had no credit score. My lack of credit score resulted in a constant pushing back of the closing date on my new place, and, subsequently, a constant pushing back of my move out date. Before I knew it, I was getting kicked out of the apartment I was renting. The landlord had rented the apartment to new tenants, forcing me to put all of my belongings in storage and spend the next stretch of months couch surfing until I was approved to close the sale. I was moving out of Elmhurst, a neighborhood that my racist coworkers called “crime ridden”. Prior to that apartment, I rented a place in Woodside, a few doors down from Donovan‘s Pub. One night, a group of Irish men followed me home from Donovan’s and wouldn’t leave my front door until I told them that I was a firefighter. I also experienced severe stalking at this apartment from a man who would randomly knock on my door and follow me when I left. So, after working through cultural differences as I navigated the housing market and living in locations where I’d dodge racist insults from those outside the neighborhood and harassment from those within, I picked a neighborhood I thought provided security: The yuppie part of Jackson Heights. Jackson Heights’s stoic, seemingly safe, large buildings and versatile transit hub made me feel like I was moving up in the world. One late night after Christmas I was walking home to my Jackson Heights apartment from the train in a light drizzle. It was a quiet moment, rare in NYC. Deep in thought, I suddenly felt a tug from the back of my tote bag handles. As I have a lot of friends in the neighborhood, I thought it might’ve been one of them, and turned around, ready to say hello. It was not. It was being a total stranger. He proceeded to choke me. For a few seconds, my mind went blank. I was fighting him hand-to-hand. Then, a thought entered my brain: I am being attacked. Remembering the self-defense class I took, I started screaming “NO! at the top of my lungs. I saw fear in his eyes. He looked at me, then ran away. I ran after him, still screaming, trying to get someone’s attention, but lost him at Roosevelt Avenue. I frantically tried to stop an NYPD van, but, until I told them I was a firefighter, they couldn’t care less. At that point, it was too late to catch him. My new apartment that I was so proud of immediately became my jail cell. Even though I was unscathed physically, I was terrified of being outside and alone. What if it happened again? What if he had a gun next time? What if it were a bigger and stronger guy? What if it was a man who didn’t like firefighters? For years, I didn’t walk down the block I was attacked on. Angry Asian Womxn - Sarinya Srisakul Angry Asian Womxn is an independent community safety service that aims to protect asian femmes, by asian femmes Safety - Page 12
Community created altar organized by Sarinya, concept by @alonglastname , candles by @colorcandlemagic , incense by @boundless_nest and flowers by @geometrygardens After the Atlanta Spa Shootings on March 16, 2021, I was motivated to start mailing people self defense kits and creating videos of my experiences. During this time of COVID-induced lockdown, I thought about when I did not want to leave my home after being attacked, how scared I was, and how scared hundreds of thousands of others who look like me probably also were in this moment. My self defense kits include a kubaton to help people fight their attackers and a personal alarm and whistle for those who wouldn’t be able to scream as loud as I did, along with other tools. Even if the recipients never use these kits, I hope it will at least help them get out of the house. The API community has done an outstanding job of taking care of ourselves through the heightened, constant, and collective trauma we have faced over these past three years. In 2022 alone, Michelle Go, Christina Yuna Lee, and Guiying Ma, were all killed within a 3 month period which also included hundreds of other attacks on API women that went un-reported on. With each horrific story, I felt a collective traumatization for us all. We’ve all taken the train to Times Square, we’ve all walked along Christie Street with amazing eats and drinks in our hands, and we can’t do those things anymore without thinking about what happened to these people who look like us. Angry Asian Womxn was founded to create a space for us, by us. I want to help other API women and femmes leave the house by addressing our safety and our mental health. For me, I often still feel like a broken woman. But through connecting with other people who feel the same way that I do, I feel less alone, and less broken. Safety - Page 13
Safety - Page 14 “The Art of Meditation” Elliot Johnson The art of meditation should be viewed in ones artistic soul the artist must demonstrate a skill that can only be described as skillfully excellent in experience and creative desire with years of practice this can only be achieved touching the eye and mind of the viewer is a very difficult technique to achieve in this piece I try to incorporate the light hand effect of illustration in the old Hindu style of pryer her delicate dance with the orchid in hand bowing to the snake in delicate dance make the viewer feel this is not just a dance but something of beauty the illustration my dream is pasted on to the viewer to make the one.
Solidarity - Page 15 “Stop the Violence” Ron Hall “The Father” Ron Hall The father is the strongest person in our society. From when we are young children to when we grow into adulthood he is a protector and provider, giving his knowledge and support until he sees we are able to go on our own path. With his undying love, the father looks on, watching our every step. He is faithful, always ready, and what can only be described as a solder of strength. When called upon he must provide for his family, even if it means financial hardship. He can’t stop or falter, it all depends on him and him alone. He must keep the family intact at all costs. He works in solidarity with his family to keep them alive.
Solidarity - Page 16 Safety is light Posts getting built Now that you are here. Light and Dark, Black and White Shades in between. Shade that you threw For how I wore my jeans. What’s the difference? The difference between loitering and playing. The difference between Spanish and [Non-English] The difference between Dark and Light. See the light. See the dark. “Gentrification Is Choosing Not To See (Me)” Erick Teran See the difference. I see our immigrant parents, our hardworking families, our tired homes. I see beauty every night. We make “not the real City,” Home. Home is a luxury. Safety is a luxury. Luxury is calling the block Cedar Court. Luxury is demolishing Five Pointz to help you find your voice. Gentrification is a choice. Value, your choice.
Solidarity - Page 17 Roadmap to Safety Kyra Cuevas USE THIS MAP TO REFLECT & RESPOND TO ANY SITUATION
Safety - Page 18 “Fungal Solidarity” Bella Gallo To me, community is solidarity. Deep community, community that heals your soul, that acts as your family, and that ensures you’re fed, housed, loved, and whole. Community that begins to break down the barriers between individuals. When we practice radical community like that - supporting and finding ourselves in each other, realizing that we’re more powerful, joyful, and successful connected than we are apart, working together to meet our needs, to be our own systems of support, we achieve an indivisible level of solidarity. We achieve a level of solidarity in which we become so close we begin to become entrenched within each other’s identities, lives, and beings. We become a mosaic of each other. To learn how to practice this level of solidarity, we should take lessons from fungi. Forming community by intertwining themselves within the lives of other beings, symbiotically supporting them to create that mosaic entrenched with many lives is what fungi do best. It’s due to the way they work collaboratively - within their community and with other plant and animal species - that any life exists. Without the solidarity of fungi, you - and every other being - wouldn’t be here. The interconnected mycelial fungal networks creating community underground are what support and allow for trees to communicate with each other, send nutrients, move to let the sunlight hit the shorter members of their community so they can stretch upwards too, and warn each other of danger. It’s these fungal relationships that create the conditions for trees to photosynthesize and produce oxygen, creating conditions hospitable for animals to breathe and live and create their own portion of this mosaic of life. Moreover, fungi, and the microbiomes they contribute to, make up every being on Earth - Including you. There are trillions and trillions of fungi (and associated bacterias and viruses) that live in our gut, on our skin, within our hair, building and sustaining us. Therefore, when you recognize the fungi and their work, you understand that, as humans, we aren’t just individuals - We’re an ecosystem of other organisms all working together, creating themselves to make ourselves, supported by a mosaic of fungi, just like the trees lining the streets, just like the pigeons flying overhead, just like the dog barking next door, just like the fellow passengers sitting next to us on the subway.
Safety - Page 19 CONTENT WARNING: THIS SECTION CONTAINS DEPICTIONS OF VIOLENCE, DEATH AND RACISM. PLEASE READ WITH CARE. As we recognize the solidarity of organisms present in the physical fabric of our own bodies and in the more-than-human-world, we should lean into the ways in which we can become mosaics of the humans around us, allowing them to form the emotional and psychological fabric of our being. As we meet and live life with the others around us, we should soften our own walls and seep into each other, like the fungi do. Let the favorite recipes of our families become the favorites of our best friends as we cook for them. Let the perspectives and paradigms of our friends shape the way we see the world as they intertwine with our own. Let the care others show you become the care you show the next person that comes into your life. As we build that mosaic of ourselves, of community, we realize just how true the sentiment: “None of us are free until all of us are free” really is. As we start to understand each other more deeply, we can start to build each other up. As we build with each other, we realize that all of the struggles we each face - racism, sexism, homophobia, classism, ableism, climate change, poverty - are truly connected to each other. These chains are linked and must all be broken for any of us to get out of the ones we feel weighing on us most heavily. When we act on that understanding, and break down the concept of individuality by recognizing and honoring both our internal and external communities, we’re able to work effectively, collaboratively, allowing us to then break down the larger, complex systems hurting those communities. We’re able to, finally, work towards our survival, connection, and progress - Just like the fungi have been doing for millennia.
Solidarity - Page 20 Grey Sunday morning at Union Square Station A boy makes his way through a crowd. He’s texting a friend, tries his best to distract From the crimson graffiti which covers the tracks. They promise him a better life The gods above be lying. America’s no promised land If those he loves keep dying. The hot pot on Delancy street, the place his mother worked A hotel in Manhattan sparks another outburst. The boy was at rehearsal on a rainy afternoon When the lightning came too quickly, now he’s in a guest room. They promise him a better life The gods above be lying. America’s no promised land If those he loves keep dying. “The Gods Above Be Lying” Brennan Thammarat Connell The myth that fueled the fatal shot That ends his mother’s life. The doors that they won’t open Cuz they’d rather watch a fight. A massive sea of faces, everyone’s a predator Each killing ‘round the country keeps reminding him of her. They promise him a better life The god’s above be lying. America’s no promised land If those he loves keep dying. They promise us a better life The truth is they are lying. America’s no promised land If everyone keeps dying. America’s no promised land If death is all we’re buying
“Calmly, Softly” Natica Chorus Calmly, softly I’ve been waiting for you with wide open arms Quiéreme, abrázame Que ya no puedo más con esta soledad Verse 1 Sick of all the waiting All the anticipating The day you come back to me Working almost everyday Scraping together all my pay So we can go live the rest of our days Chorus Calm me, hold me As we helplessly watch it all fall apart Quiéreme protégeme Que nos espera el fin de nuestra humanidad Verse 2 Mindless scrolls and unread texts Wondering when it’ll hit me next Can’t seem to stop pondering Endless news and future mess increasing pressure in my chest Can’t seem to stop till it’s far too late Chorus Calmly, softly I’ve been waiting for you with wide open arms Quiéreme, abrázame Que ya no puedo más con esta soledad Calm me, hold me As we helplessly watch it all fall apart Quiéreme protégeme Que nos espera el fin de nuestra humanidad Scan the QR above to listen Solidarity - Page 21
Solidarity - Page 22 “Housing is a Human Right” Robert Thibault
Solidarity - Page 23 Statement on Gentrification and Homelessness We are in the times of monsters; fascism, a pandemic, corporate rule, inflation, anti-Blackness, militarized police, governmental austerity and a climate emergency. They smolder and bubble in a large vat called Hyper Gentrification; the evil robber baron that has sucked the soul out of cities and left tens of thousands displaced or homeless. The rapid transformation of New York City from a haven for creative artists, drag queens, sex workers, club kids, writers, musicians, djs and dancers to a corporate landscape of glass towers and chain stores has devastated the once vibrant underground culture that created icons such as Fab Five Freddy, The New York Dolls, Keith Haring, Grandmaster Flash and Allen Ginsberg. In fiscal year 2022 the City of New York reported 815 deaths of folks experiencing homelessness, the highest on record. While over 300,000 apartments sit vacant and as of December 2022, over 3,000 public housing units also sit vacant in New York City. Yet, we are also in the times of hope; uprisings, alliances, solidarity, connections, deep relationships and revolutionary intimate relations. As the rents rise, the people rise and I can tell you my friends, they are angry. We are seeing the last screams of racial capitalism trying to do everything in its’ power to pump out the last few barrels of oil or build the tallest glass tower for rich folks. But 2020 provided some people with a taste of what a life depleted of greed and constant productivity could be. And as the 1% continues to double and triple down on capitalism, a storm is brewing underneath that thin veil of “normalcy”. In this sense hope is an action, it is as Sameerah Karim, of Moms for Housing states “a necessity between life or death” and “is born out of the human right to housing” as the group waged a successful occupation of vacant homes in Oakland. It is indeed the only path we have to move forward, through the muck and dirt and evil, to a brighter abolitionist future rooted in love, community care and stewardship of the land.
Solidarity - Page 24 When a new neighbor told me he’d started volunteering for an advocacy group trying to extend subway service from Rego Park to the Rockaways, I knew I needed to join the effort. The subway extension would run on a 3.5 mile long, unused, city-owned rail corridor where the LIRR Rockaway Beach Branch one ran.. By providing a vital rapid transit option, the proposed “QueensLink” would make life better for me, my children, friends and neighbors in a myriad of ways. It would: - Cut commuting times by up to 30 minutes each way - Stimulate economic development and create jobs in Southern Queens. - Mitigate climate change and reduce auto-related air and water pollution by taking thousands of cars a day off the road. - Give residents of transit deserts a quick way to get to Manhattan and Northern Queens, while providing Northern Queens residents, tourists and business travelers an efficient ride to JFK Airport, Rockaway Beach, and the Ozone Park casino. - Include parks, walking/biking trails, and other public spaces along the tracks. The battle for the QueensLink is a battle for equity and community against privileged people with powerful connections, who would rather build a linear park without trains, called the QueensWay. Unfortunately, proponents of the QueensWay don’t want to compromise. They’re still fighting for a park alone, although there’s no shortage of parks or transit in Central Queens, where most QueensWay advocates live. “The Que Miriam B QueensLink is a proposal to connect North and South Birds-eye view above 97th St looking at the new park entrance next to the park-and-train viaduct.
Solidarity - Page 25 When I look at this conflict, I see the residents of some of Queens’s most affluent neighborhoods, with plenty of parks and trains, putting their own desires ahead of the needs of communities with far less. I’m frustrated by their selfishness and elitism. In 2014, a Queens College survey found much greater support for a train-only proposal than a park-only proposal. We continue to think combining the two would be more popular. At community forums, back then and more recently, people who live near the rail corridor have voiced concerns about safety and noise. Good lighting, unobstructed sightlines, and cameras in stations and parks can address some safety issues; locating the new stations on the Metropolitan, Jamaica, Atlantic and Liberty Avenue commercial strips will also improve safety for passengers getting on or off the trains, and bring badly-needed foot traffic to neighborhood stores. As for noise: new rail lines, such as the Air Train to JFK, are much quieter than old elevated trains, such as the 7 and J lines. Sound barriers can further reduce noise, while providing privacy to homes along the right of way. Vibrations will be limited, because most of the line will be on a dirt embankment or underground, not on a viaduct. More community meetings will be crucial to addressing these and other concerns, and designing the transit and public spaces to meet community needs. QueensLink supporters lined up 17 local and citywide elected officials to support funding an Environmental Impact Statement for the project last year, but the Friends of the QueensWay obtained support from the Mayor. In September, Mayor Eric Adams announced $35 million in funding to design a first phase of the QueensWay on 0.7 miles between Metropolitan Avenue and Union Turnpike, providing a bike and walking trail from Forest Hills to Forest Park. The QueensLink is one of 23 capital projects that the MTA has included in its20-Year Needs Assessment, which will compare costs, expected economic impact, ridership, and equity issues to guide decisions. The will be no park construction before the assessment is complete, and the MTA and Governor have told the Mayor’s Office that any park built should leave room for transit. If we can show the depth and breadth of support for transit equity and parks, if we can summon the spirit of solidarity, we hope to persuade the powers that be to move forward with the trains and parks we need. Solidarity is beautiful–and it can be powerful, too. eensLink” Bensman Queens by introducing a new transit and park corridor. Streetview looking at the new Liberty Ave station with shops along the ground floor of the viaduct.
Solidarity - Page 26 “A Song for the People and the Land” Katrina Sotera Day 1 air time travel Couldn’t seem to sleep got the motherland Calling me Calling me Calling me Day 5 drones up high Cover your face you better stay in line Screaming in your face sweat dripping past your eyes Hold the line you better hold the line There’s water cannons and police kicking and people crying scene change I don’t know what day is Or when we even left Manila Sharing food though there is none Sharing water under the sun I won’t forget the coldest nights The lack of food, the moon so bright A land called home, I can recall The dances songs, of stories all Soldiers lying, prying creeps When they’re near the danger seeps Through the paneled walls and doors Though the water through your pores And when I left I won’t forget The haunting feeling that’s in my chest The nightmares, sorrows I left behind Behind my eyes I seem to find I always see them, these righteous people The children, parents who fear no evil Who suffer every day and every night Fighting for liberation’s sight Fighting for liberation’s sight Fighting for liberation’s sight Fighting for liberation’s sight Fighting for liberation’s sight Pictured are Sabokahan Youth at a demonstration in Manila, Philippines for the Free Lumad Environmental Defenders Campaign (FLED14), holding posters of Ismael and Mawing Pangadas, two of the 14 Lumad (Indigenous) environmental defenders and advocates still unjustly targeted by the Marcos-Duterte regime. Sabokahan is an intertribal, intergenerational grassroots Lumad women’s alliance in the Philippines. With support from their community advocacy partner Liyang Network, Lumad communities organize around threats to their communities, including land-theft and displacement by large-scale extractive industries and military forces, as well as internal patriarchal practices. You can learn how to support their work on Instagram, @liyang_network, or reach out at liyang. [email protected]!
Solidarity - Page 27 “International Solidarity Statement” New York Commitee Human Rights Philippines New York Committee for Human Rights in the Phillippines is an anti-imperialist organization advocating for the liberation and self-determination of the Filipino people The idea of International Solidarity is inherent in our organization. It means that we listen to the calls of the masses in the Philippines and amplify those messages here in the United States. As an anti-imperialist organization, we understand that much of the oppression Filipino people face trickles down from the US government. Even though the Philippines is not a colony in the traditional sense, it is regularly taken advantage of, dismissed. The above picture was taken as part of a Week of Action commemorating the 50th anniversary of the Declaration of Martial Law in the Philippines. People around the United States, from New York City to Seattle to Florida to Philly, all showed up to commemorate the martyrs who have been killed under Marital Law. As the struggle continues, we call out the current Marcos Administration, which was invited to attend the UN general assembly, a slap in the face to those of us advocating for just government and treatment. As the elite in power continue to build alliances to oppress people in the Philippines, the United States, and beyond, it is imperative that the struggle for freedom and justice extend past our own borders. We have consciously chosen international solidarity through NYCHRP as a constant practice because we understand that the Filipino peoples’ cause for national democracy and freedom from imperialism, bureaucratic capitalism, and feudalism is a just cause. When more people are free from oppression, the struggle against our own oppressors will be that much easier. A photograph from the Grand Central Overpass by Ari Zenelli during the week of actions described below
Solidarity - Page 28 “Building a Black Brave Space of Solidarity” Coisescape LLC Coisescape LLC. produces Solidarity by accentuating the unity and connections within Black Cultures and Afro-Heritages. Our Black Brave Spaces are curated productions that set an atmosphere of enjoyment around progressive discussions on Black Culture and our unifying experiences. Each Black-Brave Space is created through our foundational ABCs: Art, Breakthroughs, and Collaborations. Holding space for authentic cultural art, Emotional Intelligence, and Community Collaborations create a force that promotes progressive and equitable spaces. By helping Black Creators showcase their EMPOWERING and AUTHENTIC creations and coupling those collaborations with Breakthroughs of Emotional Intelligence, we hope to produce two goals. Firstly, we hope to help recycle and grow the dollars in our communities. Secondly, we want to promote Social-Emotional Learning. The intentional application of Social-Emotional Learning can produce a more genuine and thorough Emotional Intelligence. These BREAKTHROUGHS of awareness can even lead to a healthier and happier lifestyle.
“We are Cumbia, we are Family” Karla Florez, School of Dance Performance at the United Nations QR Code to UN Dance Perfomance Videography “I practice solidarity in dance by incorporating elements in my dances that call attention to causes that are in need of our support. For example, we have danced Cumbia, a traditional Colombian folk dance, in public spaces to promote human values, family and community healthy relationships” The School of Dance objectives Solidarity - Page 29 A photograph of the 34th Avenue Open Street Performance during DSI’s Resilience Series by Martial Davis
“Layered Home” Bella Gallo I’ve come to believe that home is the feeling of belonging. The feeling of knowing that you’re safe, that you can let your guard down, that those around you are a part of your life and you’re a part of theirs. It’s the surety that nothing can change that fact that lets you know that you’re at home. When I think of building home in a city, I think of the people in it. I turn to the concept of the “layered city” - That a city is made up of collections of different people, groups, histories, social networks, locations, and interactions, all layered on top of each other. The relations between each of these entities to each other is what creates a unique home, to which each of us has a unique sense of belonging and contribution to - After all, each of us is our own layer, too. By intertwining ourselves with and involving ourselves in these layers, we’re working to build them, constructing not only our own version of home, but contributing to that of others’ as well. Each interaction we’re a part of adds texture and liveliness to the city’s many layers, and there’s no greater feeling of belonging than when you’ve found your place between all of them. Home in a layered city is being known by those in your neighborhood - Good mornings exchanged with the local school’s crossing guards, daily greetings by name with those working along your walk to the train or bus, a remembered coffee or halal cart order, familiar faces as you grocery shop. It’s feeling a sense of purposeful, genuine responsibility and belonging with, for, and to the fabric of your sidewalks, local shops, transit systems, and future of your city. It’s an understanding that, because of these layered relationships, you are a part of the city and the city is a part of you. When I think of building home within relationships, I think about the feeling of built family, the people who choose, day in and day out, to be in your life for no other reason than that you feel a sense of belonging to each other, than that you love each other unconditionally just because you do, with no strings attached. I think about the radical act of gathering with others for no other reason than simply to gather, to share space, and how beautiful and precious it is to organize and create an event by and for each other out of a genuine desire to meet, to share, to be together, to build a sense of belonging with and to community.
Home is a non-emergency contact (a friend to call for no reason at all). It’s being responsible for each other and practicing intentional care and connection. It’s the feeling of being so safe, loved, and joyful simply because you’re in the presence of those important to you. It’s knowing that your presence matters - and is deeply meaningful to - someone else. Home is knowing, intrinsically and inexplicably, that you’re in the right place. As we move through chaotic times, we need to feel like we have an anchor to hold us steady while we brave the storm. That anchor is our home - In whatever form, whatever version of our city, whatever people, it takes for each of us. Belonging to each other and the places we love is the most powerful home we can build. Home is safety. Home is solidarity. Home is belonging.
Home & Belonging - Page 32 “Tani & R (Dhaka, Badesh Nafisa F “Afternoons on the Balcony” (Dhaka, Bangladesh) 2019 Nafisa Ferdous
Home & Belonging - Page 33 ushni” anglah) 2010 Ferdous “My Grandmother” (Dhaka, Bangladesh) 2019 Nafisa Ferdous
Home & Belonging - Page 34 “Those I Love” Adriana Taboada “Coexistence” Adriana Taboada
Home & Belonging - Page 35 “Resilience” Meka J. Woods Resilience is defined as the capacity to recover quickly from a difficult toughness But what we really know resilience to mean is perseverance Strength through struggle And the ability to keep it together all while being humble It’s crying at night and showing no signs of tears the next morning It’s pushing yourself harder than ever because there are people looking up to you who can not help if you’re falling Resilience is taking one to the chin and acting as if that grin is not really a grimace you conveniently turned upside down because god forbid you show your followers a frown Resilience is defined as the capacity to recover quickly from a difficult toughness But we really know resilience to mean is being called a spic or a chink or a raghead a nigger by someone filled with so much hate it’s spewing out of their mouths and not shedding a tear Resilience is living a dual existence between your country of old and the country where the streets are paved with gold and being told in both places that you are no more than a foreigner in a place you called home resilience is hidden in the place that you hide your feeling when being told to go back where you Came from knowing your where born here resilience is that part of you where you tuck away the words you really want to say when told you to speak English knowing you already are but racism has clogged their ears Resilience is carrying the burden yet pride of everyone with your shaped eyes that keeps getting heavier and heavier with time But you can’t give up or you’ll be labeled no more than a stereotype Resilience is defined as as the capacity to recover quickly from a difficult toughness But what we really know resilience to mean is that none of us are exempt from life’s struggles What makes us resilient is our ability to face adversity and our desire to keep on going What makes us resilient is not what we see but what we show resilience lives in every person you know
Home & Belonging - Page 36 “Bintana” Kyra Cuevas ft. FurDaRepublick A place of solace Where I can travel Without picking up bags But with heavy eyes, they carry baggage Bintana - The separation between my mom and the sky Her first glimpse to the world before her All aboard, But with heavy eyes, they carry baggage Ventana - A place of solace Where we both can look And contemplate the space between us But with heavy eyes, they carry baggage Windows- There’s always an opportunity Make sure they aren’t shut Keep the blinds on But with heavy eyes, they carry baggage A place of solace Where the sky meets the kiss of the sun And the grass glistens vibrantly But with wide eyes, they carry hope The separation between what was & what is The glimpse of the world before us Filled with bahay kubo My ancestors used to live in A place of solace Where we can remember where we came from Where I can see, hear and taste home But with wide eyes, they carry hope QR Code to the soundscape for Bintana - the window on the right side
“Pagpapa(-)alam: To Wish You Well, So You Know” Cecilia Lim Dito tayo: Queens Lënapehòking this place that’s home to community and companion where plant and human migrants practice reciprocal relation and women and femme survivors care for elder Ammí and Aunty in everyday ceremony of practical reverence: breakfast of butter cookie and chai ladling lugaw hanging laundry out to dry supporting sacred conversation to bridge, repair, and restore kapwa interconnection shared lifeforce between all Lola Cosang, Tíe Abuele, Náni and every ancestor kin: Inshallah may you go to Jannáh may your memories be for a revolution may your wildest dreams come true May our grief transform us kasi dito kami kasi dito tayo because we are here dayenu because you and i are here dayenu together, us dayenu We are many forging a new commons becoming a new populár we remember and we rise for the seventh generation for “whatever we have been given is supposed to be given away again” Home & Belonging - Page 37
Home & Belonging - Page 38 In March 2020, a new soundscape of chirping birds and wailing ambulance sirens blanketed the once vibrant streets of my neighborhood. Jackson Heights had become the “epicenter of the epicenter” of the COVID-19 pandemic, with the then-highest infection rate in the city – one in 22 people. So, when COVID cases lowered in May 2020 and I began venturing from my apartment, I was moved by signs of life and resilience on nearby 34th Avenue: chalk art, hopscotch, pilates classes, dance rehearsals, music performances, and peaceful protests for George Floyd. Part of the city-wide Open Streets program that aims to create more space for socially distanced recreation, 34th Avenue had closed to cars and opened to people. As an oral historian, I began interviewing neighbors about the new public space, a project that grew into 34th Avenue Oral History. Besides the expected exercise and recreation, I’ve seen this Open Street become a safe space for community connection, a resource for mental relief. The transformation of 34th Avenue has strengthened place attachment, helping people feel more rooted in their neighborhood and more connected to neighbors. Nuala O’Doherty Naranjo, an activist and co-founder of 34th Ave Open Streets Coalition, the volunteer group responsible for maintaining the Open Street, told me that it “has become the neighborhood community center. Like the little town square–and in Spanish-speaking countries they call it “Safety and Belonging on the 34th Avenue Open Street” Five Boro Story Project - Bridget Bartolini The Five Boro Story Project produces free, live storytelling programs (from small workshops to large events) that bring New Yorkers together through sharing true stories and art inspired by our neighborhoods. Manuela, Founder of Kaleidospace on the 34th Avenue Open Streets
Home & Belonging - Page 39 the zocalo, where everyone goes for everything. It’s where you go if you need help, if you wanna just hang out with your kids, where you go to have fun, where you go to learn things.” Nuala’s parents immigrated to America from Ireland and her family moved frequently throughout her life. She consciously decided her children would have a different experience: “When I started my family, one of the things I really wanted them to feel is that they were from somewhere. I guess, as any immigrant kid who bounced around a lot, you didn’t feel like you were from anywhere. So, when my first kid was born, I moved to Jackson Heights and I’m like, my kids are gonna be from here. My kids are half Irish, half Ecuadorian, and 100% Jackson Heights.” The Open Street has brought not just a greater sense of belonging, but also of safety. The Open Street has brought not just a greater sense of belonging, but also of safety. Nuala said before 34th Avenue became an Open Street, her “only connection to it was the tragedy of kids getting hit by cars on it, and how dangerous it was with kids being dismissed [from school] on it.” Where she previously saw danger, she now sees a place of enhanced safety: A 2021 DOT report found that traffic crashes and pedestrian injuries on 34th Avenue were down 41.7%. “It went from this thing that I worried about to this great neighborhood treasure,” Nuala said. In addition to reduced traffic violence, there’s also safety in the stronger sense of community that now prevails. Manuela Agudelo, a local dancer and activist, recalled walking down 34th Avenue before 2020 and described it as “very quiet” and “eerie” at times. She often experienced street harassment and catcalls in Jackson Heights, particularly when walking to school. “I’d always be very on edge and afraid that there was going to be some man bothering me,” she said. That has changed: “It’s felt like an incredible relief to walk through the Open Street because now there’s always a family that I can count on looking out for me. I can count on [passersby] or someone being around that makes me feel safer.” Manuela’s own habits have adjusted as well: “When I’m on the Open Street, I’m watching that a bike doesn’t hit anybody. I’m looking out for everybody in a new way. We all get to keep each other safe in a different way.” Rollerskating down 34th Avenue has become Manuela’s mental health ritual; the sensation of flying down the street helped her cope as she grieved her grandfather’s death during the pandemic. She described how the Open Street has changed the meaning of the avenue: “Before it was a piece of concrete… Now it’s become something super precious and sacred. Now it holds life.” With 34th Avenue Oral History, I aim to document the story of the Open Street, the story of the pandemic, and the story of our neighborhood, all through the stories of individuals like Nuala and Manuela. Through this work, I’ve glimpsed the invisible landscape of meanings, memories, and dreams laid atop the surface of this street, and learned how intentional public space can bolster safety and a sense of belonging. Nuala, 34th Avenue Open Street Organizer
Healing through arts has been present in humanity. It brought to mind for this Zine to write about an arts-based practice for healing of South American Shamanism history: The Icaros: “Shaman Singing”. Icaros work as a bridge between this world, the spirit world, and mother nature. As Mircea (1964) tells us, Shamanism is the concept that illness is a loss of the soul. The Icaros guide the soul during the shamanic healing ritual. Icaros are the shaman’s thoughts during hallucination recreated with singing repeatedly. In the same way of this kind of synesthesia Shaman’s hallucinations were painted on the cave walls as an interpretation of their spiritual journey. Healing rituals through The Icaros bring to the body a state of calm and mindfulness basic for creating balance and embodied powerful energy. Arts in Medicine sessions allow the holistic body find a balance that provides comfort and wellness which impact no just the person but entire communities. “The Icaros: Shaman Singing” Milena Carvajal George “Tea with Tita” Kim Chan
Reflective Prompts Kyra Cuevas
Acknowledgements As capitalism continues to make us reluctant players in its horrible game - whether through the fur trade, flour industrialization, or gentrification - we as creatives and civilians on Indigenous land (Lenape Hoking) have a responsibility to strive/oper - ate without the influence of art washing and to reconcile the harm that has been done to the tribal nations, as well as those who were kidnapped and brought here against their will. CONTRIBUTORS ARTISTS POETS & WRITERS COMMUNITY CONTRIBUTORS SPONSORS Adriana Taboada Bridget Bartolini Catherine Heller Cecilia Lim*** Elliot Johnson Erick Teran FurdaRepublick Janine Wang Studio* Karla Florez School of Dance Kim Chan** Kyra Cuevas** Nafisa Ferdous** Ron Hall Robert Thibault/DJ TRS Adiroh*** Ameila Inderjeit Brennan Connell Erick Teran Katrina Sotera Kyra Cuevas Linda EPO* Meka J Woods NATICA Angry Asian Womxn Coisescape LLC Five Boro Story Project Jess Ng* New York Committee For Human Rights Philippines (NYCHRP) Milenaria Mujeristas Collective QueensLink South Queens Women’s March (SQWM) PRODUCTION Diverse Streets Initiative STAFF: Bella Gallo, intern Kim Chan, co-founder Kyra Cuevas, founder BACKGROUND PHOTO CREDITS: Adriana Taboada Angry Asian Womxn Bella Gallo Bridget Bartolini Cecilia Lim Liyang Network Martial Davis QueensLink Woodside on the Move Coalition for Asian American Children + Family Culture Lab LIC ABOUT DSI The Diverse Streets Initiative (DSI) seeks to use streets as an avenue for change. The DSI is a multi community led effort to transform streets into public, performative and equi - table spaces through the arts to propel the voices of BIPOC, LGBTQIA+, immigrant and allied artists and collectives. *Indicates work exhibited at the the gallery only. **Cover designer ***Provided handwritten community responses, in addition the responses derived from events at the 31st Avenue Open Street, SQWM’s Fall Harvest Event and input from DSI Staff. LAND ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
SOLIDARITY & sAFE SPACES Solidarity & Safe Spaces is an anthology of lived experiences by multiple intersectional community organizations and artists based throughout the five boroughs. The zine explores topics of public health, safety, and it’s connection to home and belonging. This zine is fiscally supported by CACF, Woodside on the Move and accompanied an original exhibition at the Culture Lab LIC with selected artwork, poetry and musical performances from the zine.