Crossing Familiar Waters (Narrative)

Editor's Note: This painting, Crossing Familiar Waters, is the March winner of The Tomorrow Project's monthly contests. 

Artist's Statement: This was a painting project I did for the No Kings event on March 28, 2026. It is based on the famous “Washington Crossing the Delaware” (1851) by Emanuel Leutze, but with modern-day advocates replacing the soldiers on the boat. Here’s (in order from left to right) why I chose these particular people:

Sen. Bernie Sanders has been constantly calling out oligarchy and explaining the danger of it to citizens. He has been encouraging people to get information, has provided countless opportunities for youth to get involved in government, and has written multiple books teaching us to stand up to things that seem wrong.

Bad Bunny, the Grammy-award-winning artist, has pushed through all the hate he’s gotten throughout the past year. “Together, we are America” was his final message at the Super Bowl Halftime Show of 2026, which sent a message of hope and unity across the nation.

Rep. Becca Balint has been constantly opposing higher government power. She has posted on social media, giving updates and making sure we know that she’s here for us. She has been speaking out and has been using her government position as Vermont’s U.S. Representative for good.

Zohran Mamdani is the newly elected mayor of New York City. He, a democratic socialist, was able to get along with President Trump, something virtually no Democrat has ever been able to do (faulting neither party, for that matter). Mamdani has been making a difference in New York in numerous ways and has stayed engaged with the people of NYC, especially with children, by launching his free childcare program for toddlers.

Stephen Colbert made the headlines recently when CBS cancelled his show for financial reasons, officially. However, much of the public doubts that that’s true, especially since CBS’s parent company, Paramount, recently bid to buy Warner Brothers. Much of the public thinks he was cancelled because he criticized Paramount on air for making a deal with President Trump. Colbert has continued to criticize his network when they refused to air an interview with James Talarico, the Democratic nominee for the 2026 U.S. Senate election in Texas, because of a law that wasn’t even in place for late night TV anymore. Colbert responded with airing the interview on the Late Show YouTube page. Colbert has also been auctioning off his memorabilia from the show and giving the proceeds to charity. He has raised hundreds of thousands of dollars in the past few months.

Bruce Springsteen has been advocating for hope and freedom for a long time. Right now, he is doing his Land of Hope and Dreams American Tour. He has also released a song titled Streets of Minneapolis, which was in protest of the ICE agents in Minnesota. He pays tribute to fallen Americans, Renee Good and Alex Pretti, and calls for “ICE out now!”

Historian Heather Cox Richardson has been explaining the impact of the events in the news through social media. She is a constant reminder that fascism is only a step away and that we need to do whatever we can to prevent that.

Don Lemon is an independent journalist who was recently arrested for covering a protest of ICE in which protesters (and Lemon) went into a church in Minnesota. When he was released, he was all over the news. He has advocated for journalists and freedom of speech. He says he likes to talk to people on the ground and be a reliable news source where the news is happening.

Pop sensation Taylor Swift has constantly been advocating for equality for several years now. She is known to be a very nice person, especially towards her fans. She has immense influence as her fans are avid and many, meaning she can really make a difference with her messages.

Barack Obama, the 44th president of the United States, whether you like him or not, is a cool guy. He instated the Affordable Care Act, has supported equality, and created a sense of calm when things have looked bad. He is self-deprecating and really a decent human being. Even though he’s gotten hate, he’s pushed through it and hasn’t taken it seriously, which is something few can do.

Jimmy Kimmel has also been threatened and almost taken down by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) over his comments about the person who murdered Charlie Kirk in September 2025. The TV host was taken off the air for about a week, but after about 3 million Disney + cancellations, he was reinstated. He hasn’t stopped his criticism of the government, openly using his freedom of speech. He has a very close-knit group of people working on his show, including his sidekick Guillermo, who started off as a security guard. Guillermo now has his own salsa brand. Kimmel has also been openly emotional on TV, as shown recently, specifically when his best friend and bandleader Cleto Escobedo III passed in November.

Lin-Manuel Miranda is the writer and star of the hit hip-hop musical Hamilton. Hamilton, as most theatre enthusiasts know, is the tale of how America grew from the American Revolution. Hamilton grew into a phenomenon, and it teaches how America’s government was formed, with some creative liberties, of course. Outside of his historical storytelling, Lin has advocated for justice, specifically The People’s Filibuster, an artists’ protest rally against ICE, which was held January 31 in New York.

I consider all these people to be heroes. They have my utmost respect, and I would like to thank them for what they’ve done for me and the rest of us.