N.J. activists rally to support NAACP's 'Journey for Justice'

The 'Montclair March for Justice' ended at an MLK, Jr. statue Wednesday evening.

MONTCLAIR -- It was not a 47-day, 1,000-mile trek. But the large crowds who gathered and protested in Montclair Thursday said they stood in solidarity with the hundreds who took part in the national NAACP's 'Journey for Justice.'

According to reports, hundreds of activists ended a march in Washington, D.C. Wednesday that began in Selma, Alabama on Aug. 1. The march, which was timed to coincide with the 50th anniversary of the passage of the Voting Rights Act, addressed a myriad of civil rights issues participants said are still present in American culture.

"National organizers urged people to help get the message out in their own communities," said Michael Maskin, a Montclair resident who attended four days of the national march last month.

"We wanted to organize a solidarity movement locally."

Maskin said he partnered with the Montclair chapter of the NAACP, Blue Wave New Jersey, and other activist groups to plan an N.J. march. The groups gathered at Montclair High School Wednesday afternoon, and walked to the Martin Luther King, Jr. statue at Nishuane Park.

"There is a lot of pent up frustration (in the community)," Maskin said. "This seemed like a positive, physical way to release that energy."

Maskin said he and other local organizers centered the "Montclair March for Justice" around several issues that national movement is rallying for, including expanding access to voting, education equity, prison and police reform, improving relations between police departments and urban communities, and expanding low-income access to healthcare.

The march also took on local issues, organizers said.

"There are a lot of concerns locally about schooling justice and...the achievement gap (between white and black students)," said Al Pelham, the President of the Montclair Chapter of the NAACP.

"This march has got the young people energized...it's great to have young people out in the streets and wanting to make some noise about injustice."

Maskin said the show of support from community participants was a sign that the issues surrounding the Voting Rights Act are still relevant.

"It's easy to think of that as ancient history, that these issues are behind us. But, we are still marching."