One vendor, A. G. Cole (G. Reese), shared this heartfelt reflection about his experience:

“Dear CACCWA Team,

I want to extend my heartfelt thanks to you all for inviting me to be part of the White Center Night Market. What an incredible experience — the night air was alive with energy, culture, and community spirit. From Cambodian and Southeast Asian performances to African American and Native American representation. From the martial arts, dancing, stories of the people and the land, to the live rap, the entire evening was a powerful celebration of history, art, and resilience.

My booth stood right in the middle of it all, and the response from the community was overwhelmingly positive. In fact, people loved my products; they commented on my creativity and the story behind what I do — this was more than I hoped for! Without question, this was my most successful show to date, not just in sales but in spirit.

One moment that I’ll never forget came when a mother bought her little boy a pair of my Tech-Glasses. He put them on, then abruptly lifted them up, looked around, and said, ‘This is the fake world.’ Then he put them back on, smiled, and said, ‘This is the real world.’ The glasses glowed brightly in the setting sun, and the three of us just looked at each other — amazed, touched, and inspired. That small exchange captured exactly what makes community events like this so powerful: connection, imagination, and the spark of something bigger than all of us.

The event was seamless, vibrant, and full of life — from the performances to the coordination to the sense of unity in the crowd. Thank you to the entire CACCWA team, the Participatory Budget Program of King County, and all the partners and performers who made this possible — including the White Center Community Development Association, the United Southeast Asian Cultural Association, and the Eazy Duz It Car Club. The 50 years of Southeast Asian cultural celebration were honored beautifully.”