"I believe in America." This is the phrase that opens the Godfather movies. It also is the perfect sentiment to describe how many Americans feel in relation to President Trump’s executive order to ban people entering the United States from seven Muslim countries.
I Believe in America was started in Queens in New York City in the weeks after the 2016 presidential election. With a lot of election-related rhetoric surrounding immigrant communities and immigration, and against the backdrop of mass demonstrations of anti-Trump supporters in Manhattan, I Believe in America seeks to interpret sentiment of the people who live in Queens through how they outwardly express their symbolic alignment with American ideologies. Queens is the ideal nexus for this visual study, as it has the unique distinction of being the most ethnically diverse urban area in the world, with over 100 countries represented in its 108 square miles. Approximately 48% of the borough's 2.2 million residents are foreign born.
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Basement Apartment / Sunnyside / October 2016
Single Family Home / Corona / October 2016
Under the 7 train / Woodside / October 2016
Lamp post / Jamaica / October 2016
Single Family Home / Corona / October 2016
Post Office / Kew Gardens Hills / November 2016
Two Family Home / Corona / October 2016
Apartment Building / Elmhurst / 18 October 2016
Q33 Bus / Sunnyside / 19 October 2016
Under the Queens Midtown Expressway / Maspeth / 20 October 2016
Front Door, 4th Floor Unit L / Woodside / November 2016
Store, Roosevelt Avenue / Woodside / October 2016
Hauler / Maspeth / October 2016
Two Family Home / Corona / October 2016
Apartment Building / Corona / October 2016
Front Door, Trucking Company / Maspeth / October 2016
Pre-war Apartment / Sunnyside / October 2016
Single Family Home / Jackson Heights / October 2016
Store Window / Woodside / 23 October 2016
Apartment Building / Woodside / October 2016
Facing Skillman Avenue / Sunnyside / October 2016
99¢ TREAT Store / Sunnyside, Queens / October 2016
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Basement Apartment / Sunnyside / October 2016
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Single Family Home / Corona / October 2016
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Under the 7 train / Woodside / October 2016
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Lamp post / Jamaica / October 2016
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Single Family Home / Corona / October 2016
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Post Office / Kew Gardens Hills / November 2016
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Two Family Home / Corona / October 2016
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Apartment Building / Elmhurst / 18 October 2016
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Q33 Bus / Sunnyside / 19 October 2016
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Under the Queens Midtown Expressway / Maspeth / 20 October 2016
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Front Door, 4th Floor Unit L / Woodside / November 2016
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Store, Roosevelt Avenue / Woodside / October 2016
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Hauler / Maspeth / October 2016
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Two Family Home / Corona / October 2016
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Apartment Building / Corona / October 2016
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Front Door, Trucking Company / Maspeth / October 2016
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Pre-war Apartment / Sunnyside / October 2016
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Single Family Home / Jackson Heights / October 2016
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Store Window / Woodside / 23 October 2016
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Apartment Building / Woodside / October 2016
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Facing Skillman Avenue / Sunnyside / October 2016
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99¢ TREAT Store / Sunnyside, Queens / October 2016
Lorena Turner
Lorena Turner is a photographer, writer and educator.