Once a week, Jose Cruz stands confidently in the walkways of the Brooklyn Bridge and holds a sign above his head with a message he believes people need to hear.
Cruz’s sign says, “If you’re reading this right now, I just want to let you know that your life matters. You are important. You are loved. You are the only you in this world and no one can replace you.” On the back, it reads, “Your mental health is important.”
His mission is to “spread love the Brooklyn way.”
Cruz started holding the signs as part of his platform called The World Needs Love Tour. “We’re all human, we’re all going through things. So, I know how much of an impact words can have,” said Cruz. As a born and raised Brooklynite, he decided two years ago, in the wake of the pandemic, that the world needed more positivity. “I do it because I can make a difference. That’s what it’s all about, creating impact.”
Cruz has amassed over 13,000 followers across his social media platforms with his World Needs Love Tour content. Although he’s developed a following, Cruz says, “It’s not about me; it’s about the message. We’re all going through something, and I just want to spread love to the people.”
He has taken The World Needs Love Tour to Miami, Philadelphia and Charlotte, but Cruz says “There is no place like Brooklyn. The Brooklyn Bridge connects us to the world, that’s why I hold the sign on the bridge.” Cruz’s mission is to break the stigma that being positive and loving is uncomfortable and not something strangers do for each other. Cruz strives to create a more genuine, more positive society where we can encourage, help and uplift one another.
Visitors of the Brooklyn Bridge are delighted to find Cruz standing on the bridge. Many stop to read Cruz’s sign with a smile on their face. Others gesture toward Cruz to show their appreciation for his message. Cruz said, “I get anything from head nods to fist pumps to smiles to hugs.”
Normally, Cruz stands with his sign, motionless and with a smile on his face so that people feel welcome to read what he wants them to see. Occasionally, he will interact with people who enjoy his signs and encourage them to “spread love,” just like he is. Occasionally, Cruz says people will stop and have long conversations with him because of his message. Many will take photos of him and his sign, with the bridge and the Manhattan skyline in the background.
Cruz welcomes the photos because it’s a “way to connect with people all over the world.” He added, “It’s super dope when people tag me in their photo dumps from their New York trip. You see the Statue of Liberty; you see the skyline and you see this man holding up a sign on the bridge. But it’s not about me, it’s about how their friends get to see the message I’m holding up.”
“I’m just trying to inspire other people to find their purpose, to spread positivity, to spread love,” said Cruz. “I think the way the world is right now, there’s a lot of negativity. There are a lot of bad things going on and that’s what seems to get highlighted and shared the most and people get comfortable with that negativity. So, I’m just trying to flip the coin and spread love and positivity.”
