There are words like Freedom
Sweet and wonderful to say.
On my heart-strings freedom sings
All day everyday.

There are words like Liberty
That almost make me cry.
If you had known what I knew
You would know why.

Langston Hughes (1902-1967), “Words Like Freedom”

[Gregg LeFevre Signature]

The Library Walk, is a venture launched in 1996 by the New York Public Library, Grand Central Partnership and New Yorker Magazine, in which are embedded in bronze plaques quotes from well-known books, or those dealing with books and literature. The panels designed by artist Gregg LeFevre were laid in 1998 from the New York Public Library building along 41st Street.

On the plaque appears a poem by the writer, and the social activist Langston Hughes known as the leader of the Renaissance of Harlem.

The handcuffs and chains that appear on the plaque symbolize the freedom that is at the heart of the song.