The Future Is Unwritten

The Future is Unwritten, 2011
30” x 42”
Print / Edition of 100
Courtesy of the artist/ OBEY Giant

The events unfolding on the national stage are forcing each of us to take a step back and re-examine what we believe in, what truly matters, what kind of country – and what kind of city –we want to live in.

No doubt, there will be big changes in the days ahead. But to quote the late, great Joe Strummer: “The future is unwritten.” And we – all of us – will be the authors of that future.

Like you, we at the Coalition for the Homeless believe that future must be one in which we all look after one another, in which compassion is a fundamental value, in which even the poorest among us has the opportunity to come in from the cold and have a safe and warm place to sleep for the night.

With nearly 63,000 New Yorkers – including 24,000 children – sleeping in homeless shelters tonight and thousands more fighting cold, hunger and despair on our streets, the situation is indeed dire.

For more than 35 years, the Coalition for the Homeless has fought to protect the rights, and save the lives, of New York City’s most vulnerable men, women and children. As we combat this atmosphere of uncertainty and fear – as well as the bigotry, sexism, xenophobia, homophobia and misogyny that threaten to erode what’s best about our country – we can take inspiration in a passionate cry for “Liberty, Shelter, Equality.” And so the Coalition is making available 20 limited edition prints by artist Shepard Fairey. The powerful print bearing those words and entitled “The Future is Unwritten” was designed by Shepard Fairey especially for the Coalition. All proceeds from the sale, which ends January 31^st, support programs that directly help our poorest and most marginalized neighbors.

Liberty. Shelter. Equality. Never before have these three words felt more important, more meaningful, than they do today.

We hope that you will consider purchasing a print, and join us in fighting for liberty, shelter and equality for all of our neighbors today and every day, until every New Yorker can find a place to call home.