Residents from South Orange and Maplewood gathered at the Duck Pond in Meadowland Park for the annual lighting of the luminaries and the illumination of the park to conclude a day of remembrance to honor Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and his legacy of fighting for social justice and equality.
At a brief outdoor ceremony before South Orange Mayor Sheena Collum and Maplewood Mayor Vic De Luca flipped the switches to light up the park, Collum asked the crowd to observe a moment of silence for all those who have been killed by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents or died while in ICE custody, including protestor Renee Good in Minnesota and immigrant Jean Wilson Brutus who died at the Delaney Hall Detention Center in Newark in December.
“There are many, many other names of people who have died at the hands of ICE, have been torn from their families and are probably praying right now, at this moment, of being able to get back to the people that they love,” Collum said. “So if we could just take a moment of silence to think of all those people, remember the people that we’ve lost, and open our hearts to making sure that they and their families know that South Orange and Maplewood are with them.”
The illumination followed the 25th Annual Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Observance, “Do Not Erase Our History,” presented by the Community Coalition on Race at Columbia High School with guest speaker Dr. Khalil Gibran Muhammad, the inaugural professor of African American Studies and Public Affairs at Princeton University, where he directs the Institutional Antiracism and Accountability Project.
The event at CHS also featured readings from Dr. King’s writings, performances by the Columbia High School Chorus and Special Dance, reflections from local clergy and a singalong of “We Shall Overcome” by all in attendance.
“Today’s celebration at CHS was remarkable,” Collum told those gathered at the Duck Pond. “Hundreds of people showed up for a program about remembering our history in speaking to truth, hope and light. It was very special moment.”
CCR Executive Director Nancy Gagnier and Meadowland Conservancy Chair Matt Glass told the audience at the Duck Pond that the lighting of the luminaries is put on through a partnership between the two organizations with equipment donated by SOPAC and support from Invisible Man light installations. The luminary project began in 2013, Gagnier said, with an idea by South Orange resident Patricia Canning, now a Village Council member, to have neighbors place luminaries in front of their homes that has become a tradition in both towns and turned into a annual evening event at the Duck Pond.
Collum and De Luca both spoke of the importance of keeping Dr. King’s light burning, especially during challenging times.
“One thing from Dr King, as I relate to what we’re witnessing now, is that he had a vision of intersectionality as not only Black people and their struggles, but our immigrant neighbors, our brothers and sisters, and so as we light these luminary tonight, I want us to think about those brothers and sisters,” Collum said, adding that people have even been detained in South Orange and Maplewood. “Not to the extent of what we’re seeing in Minnesota, but that day could come because we live in two proud sanctuary cities where we’ve made it very clear to the federal government that you will not take away our values, our compassion, our care and empathy, and we will stand strong with our immigrant neighbors.”
The luminaries are “emblematic” of the inner light shared by all, Collum said.
“What I ask for you, not just today, but every day of this year,” she said. “is to be that light, to be the infectious light that is shared with each and every one of your family members, your loved ones, your neighbors, and that we build that light stronger and brighter as we try and build the ‘beloved community’ that Martin Luther King, Jr. spoke of.”
