Cold, Cold London

England, like much of the American East Coast and Midwest, is currently enduring some very cold temperatures. Almost all parts of the country including London have experienced freezing temperatures this week as well as snow and ice in many places. In London, we ventured out after one of the coldest nights in decades to see the frozen fountain at Trafalgar Square. Those poor mermaids! Stay warm, everyone! 

The Hive at Moynihan Train Hall

The new Moynihan Train Hall (housed in the former James A. Farley Post Office) acts as an extension of Penn Station for Amtrak and LIRR transit passengers. It also has some incredible public art including The Hive, which greets passengers at the 31st Street entrance. Created by the artist duo Michael Elmgreen and Ingar Dragset, The Hive is a “fantastical inverted cityscape inspired by iconic buildings of cities around the world including New York, Chicago, Hong Kong, Kuala Lumpur, London, and Paris.” The hanging structures are made of stainless steel and aluminum, measure up to nine-feet, weigh 30,000 pounds, and feature 72,000 LED lights. The structures hang from the ceiling like stalactites which pays “tribute to the highly developed cities we live in today while reminding us of our cave-dweller origins.” The mirrored baseplate places the viewer below into the fictional city above and allows you to forget at least for a few moments that soon you'll have to get on LIRR transit.

Light of Freedom

Artist Abigail DeVille’s “Light of Freedom” at Madison Square Park is meant to reflect the “despair and the exultation of a turbulent period of pandemic and protest.”  In the piece, DeVille has filled a torch (a reference to the Statue of Liberty’s torch which was on view in Madison Square Park from 1876 to 1882) with a bell (to summon freedom) and mannequin arms (as if to beseech viewers.) The scaffold surrounding the torch prevents access physically and metaphorically but its golden color summons “the glory of labor and the luminosity in the struggle that can lead to change.”  DeVille describes creating the piece: “In my research, I have found that the first Blacks to be brought to New York City were eleven Angolans in 1626. That makes people of African descent the second-oldest group of settlers in New Amsterdam, after the Dutch. Unfortunately, history has erased the contributions and victories of this group. I want to make something that could honor their lives and question what it means to be a New Yorker, past, present, and future.”

Biden Administration Has Withdrawn Trump-Era Move to Rescind Work Authorization for H-4 Spouses

The Biden administration has withdrawn a Trump-era regulation that would have rescinded work authorization for H-4 visa holders. On January 25, 2021, the Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs (OIRA), which is under the Office of Management and Budget (OMB), withdrew the proposed regulation titled, "Removing H-4 Dependent Spouses from the Class of Aliens Eligible for Employment Authorization.” Although the Trump administration had announced they would seek to remove the H-4 work authorization, they were not able to complete the process. Since according to a 2018 report by Congressional Research Service (CRS), ninety-three per cent of approved applications for H-4 employment authorization were issued to Indian nationals, this move especially welcomed by the Indian immigrant community.

The Hill We Climb

At President Biden’s inauguration this week, there were many joy-filled moments. One that stood out was poet Amanda Gorman’s inaugural poem, “The Hill We Climb.” At twenty-two, Gorman is the youngest inaugural poet ever in the United States and she is the current National Youth Poet Laureate. Gorman told the New York Times that her inaugural poem both tried to acknowledge the last few harrowing weeks (and years) but also speak to the themes of unity and reconciliation. She told the New York Times: “There is space for grief and horror and hope and unity, and I also hope that there is a breath for joy in the poem, because I do think we have a lot to celebrate at this inauguration.” As she says in the poem:

If we merge mercy with might, and might with right,
then love becomes our legacy and change our
children’s birthright…
For there is always light, if only we’re brave enough to see it.
If only we’re brave enough to be it.