Asian American Group Fills Montclair Park With 2,000 Lanterns: Photos

MONTCLAIR, NJ — Thousands of lanterns recently illuminated Edgemont Park during a “festival for justice” spearheaded by AAPI Montclair.

The second annual Lantern Festival for Justice and Remembrance took place on June 5, bringing together more than 2,500 attendees, speakers, performers and community members. The event was hosted by AAPI Montclair, a grassroots organization of more than 650 Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders in the Montclair area.

“AAPI Montclair has truly been the work of everyone’s hands - not just our gorgeously diverse, fiercely committed Asian American community, but all of you: our friends, family and neighbors, our educators and leaders–who have opened your hearts to sharing in our joys and sorrows,” said Amber Reed, AAPI Montclair president.

Reed said it’s important to continue working for change and solidarity among all marginalized communities.

“Social justice, anti-racism, solidarity: we need to live into these words, because people are dying,” Reed urged.

AAPI Montclair stated:

“We very much appreciate all of our performers, speakers, and artists: Congressman Donald Payne, New Jersey Acting Attorney General Matthew Platkin, Jean-Pierre Brutus (NJ Institute of Social Justice), Sofia Batres, Laila Khan, Toral Patel, Imam Hamza Abdeen (Islamic Center of Verona), Rabbi Marc Katz (Temple Ner Tamid), Sean Spiller (Mayor of Montclair), Christa Rapoport (Chair, Montclair Civil Rights Commission), Christina DiCosmo (ASL interpreter), KUPC Nanta Team, Amaris Jones, APEX Ensemble, Jazz House Kids, Parents Who Rock (BARD), ABCD, Ling Chen, Michelle Germinario, Woo Ceramics, and Pinch of Clay.”

The group added:

“A big thank you to our community partners: Montclair Public Library, Montclair Community Farms, Roots and Shoots, Unitarian Universalist Undoing Racism Committee, Montclair NAACP Chapter, Out Montclair, Toni’s Kitchen, Montclair Civil Rights Commision (CRC), YWCA of Northern New Jersey, Latinos of Montclair, NJ Division on Civil Rights, Moms Demand Action, Montclair Child Development Center, Montclair Fund for Educational Excellence, Succeed2gether/Montclair Literary Festival, Montclair Film, Human Needs Food Pantry, Montclair Mutual Aid, League of Women Voters, Korean Traditional Dance of Choomnoori (KTDOC), Korean United Presbyterian Church, and SOMA Cross Cultural Works.”

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