CARRIERS OF LIGHT AND LABOR

Carriers of Light and Labor IS A monument installation at City Hall in Paterson that is a part of The New Jersey Monuments to Migration and Labor Project (NJMML.) NJMML is a project THAT commemorates, interprets, and imagines a version of America that far-right and anti-immigrant nativist actors wish to erase from our collective memory.

Inspired by Paterson’s industrial and labor history and the interwoven stories of migration that link communities across North Jersey, Carriers of Light and Labor makes visible workers’ contributions to the region. THE FIVE monuments highlight how we can use history, and pride in immigrant pasts, to envision futures that are proudly and robustly shaped by immigrants and immigration. Carriers of Light and Labor occupies the plaza in front of Paterson City Hall, facing Market Street, in the busy center of the city. The monuments that form the installation correspond to conceptual “pillars” that WERE identified as common threads from public conversations with community members that occurred in the spring and summer of 2025.

They are: Justice and Resistance; Sacrifice and Perseverance; Contributions; Ancestors; and Descendants. While each monument engages with distinct themes and ideas, they are also in rich conversation with each other, prompting the public to consider the pasts, presents, and futures of North Jersey’s immigrant and migrant workers and their communities.

The monuments light up at sunset and sunrise, illuminating the community stories featured.

New Jersey Monuments to Migration and Labor (NJMML) is a statewide public art and history initiative dedicated to recognizing the histories, labor, culture, and contributions of immigrant and migrant communities across New Jersey. Through new public monuments, artist-led installations, educational programming, and community partnerships, NJMML creates opportunities for public audiences to engage with migration, labor, memory, and belonging in New Jersey’s past and present.

The project includes three monuments to migration and labor, one in each region of New Jersey. For more information about NJMML monuments, events, and programs connected to the initiative, visit www.njmml.com.

NJMML is supported by the Mellon Foundation and Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey. Carriers of Light and Labor was created with the support and partnership of the City of Paterson.

Monument Artist: Michelle Angela Ortiz

Fabrication: Derek Weston

Assistant: Madeleine Smith