It would mean that I could run and bike and walk and play as fast and as forcefully as my spirit can go.
It would mean that I could travel quickly from home and school and work to a more natural and holistic environment without having to pay dues and tolls and political favors.
It would mean that I am warmly greeted by neighbors and community partners and other friendly faces – rather than detained and intimidated and averted by gatekeepers and proprietors and the occasional stranger with gun.
It would mean that fences and padlocks and other hurdles have been removed and replaced with more equitable opportunities for better health and wellbeing.
What does a free and open Randalls Island mean to me?
It would mean that I have free and open access to a clean and safe space where I am truly nurtured and challenged to prove the value of my common and ordinary life.
Jessenia Owens
