Required Reading

"On January 6, Zohran Mamdani was sworn in as mayor of New York City with his hand resting on a special edition of the Qur'an, now on view at the New York Public Library's flagship location. The library acquired the Qur'an in 1926 from the collection of Afro-Puerto Rican historian and curator Arturo Schomburg - the namesake of Harlem's Schomburg Center. Spare in its design and likely crafted for everyday use in 19th-century Syria,"

"He was amazed to realize its Black history and began researching the waterfront, asking community elders to share stories and seeking out archival images and documents, subsequently sketching imagined scenes from its heyday. He discovered photographs of Black New Orleanians diving and swimming by the coast, fitted in retro gear. These images stood in contrast with the New Orleans that he knew."

"These images stood in contrast with the New Orleans that he knew. "I'm looking at these kids approaching water from a different experience, versus how people look at water during post-Katrina," he explained. A picture of youthful students donning wraparound swim caps, ready for lessons, especially struck him. "I was like, 'I want to recreate that feeling.' ... That was a very beautiful moment to see these kids in such confidence.""

Zohran Mamdani took the oath as New York City mayor with a special edition of the Qur'an on display at the New York Public Library. The library acquired the Qur'an in 1926 from Arturo Schomburg's collection. The volume is spare in design and likely crafted for everyday use in 19th-century Syria. Auudi Dorsey researched a segregated New Orleans beach beginning in 2013, interviewing elders and consulting archival photographs. He sketched imagined scenes from the beach's heyday and found images of Black New Orleanians swimming in retro gear. A photograph of students in wraparound swim caps inspired him to recreate their confident presence.

Read at Hyperallergic