Everyone Holds a World: Young Women's Sources of Strength and Protection

This mural was designed by young women living in the Red Hook East and West Public Housing Projects. It depicts their sources of strength including real images of friends, family, community teachers, clergy, and public leaders. The figures are engaged in activities that the girls said give them strength, including spending time together, practicing for track, and enjoying music. In the background, we see some of the participants holding banners and marching in support of one another. The figures are shielded from the threatening elements (storms and cliffs) symbolized by the umbrellas of protection. After the design process was finished, the group decided to open the painting process up to both boys and girls in the neighborhood. The murals written messages emphasize that the ultimate source of strength is ones self: Everyone Holds a World and Time in Life Doesnt Stop Unless You Make it Stop.