Figure 1. Section of Main Street rebranded as “Palestinian Way.” Photograph by Noah Allison, 2025. At first glance, Main Street in Paterson, New Jersey , is indistinguishable from the Garden State’s hundreds of other commercial corridors. Its low-rise built forms comprise an array of low-density commercial and mixed-use buildings with little unifying adornment. Yet, a closer look reveals its distinction (Figure 1). The restaurants, markets, sweet shops, hookah bars, hair salons, and clothing...

Figure 1. Roland’s work on canvas. Photograph taken by the Noah Allison, 2024. In the early months of the COVID-19 pandemic, I was...