Organizers for the city’s first Latino Parade have taken steps forward over the last few weeks as they seek support and permission. They are hoping to hold a parade Sept. 19, to take the route up Broadway that other parades follow during the year.
“We tried to pick a date that would not interfere
with other activities,” said Daniel Valentine, president of the Bayonne Hispanic Association and one of the key people behind the effort.
Valentine said the growing number of Latinos in Bayonne and throughout the county and state prompted the effort, and that organizers wanted to help celebrate the diversity of the city by showing another aspect of the ethnic culture alive and well here.
This is a very multi-cultural community,” said Valentine, who recently moved to Bayonne from Guttenberg.
>He, Abett Hernandez, Hector Soto Ramon Veloz, Marcie Menendez, and George Morino founded the Hispanic Association in January with the idea of creating the parade for Bayonne.
“We felt there was a need for a parade,” Valentine said, “considering the explosion of the Hispanic population on a national level.”
Latinos of various national backgrounds make up about 18 percent of Bayonne’s overall population, with slightly over 11,000 of the city’s 62,000 people claiming a Latino-based origin in the 2000 census. This percentage is about half the overall average in Hudson County, where Latinos make up almost 40 percent of the population.
But Valentine said the percentage of people of Latino culture is growing in Bayonne and that the parade would acknowledge and celebrate yet one more culture in a city known for its diversity.
Many of the new businesses opening up in the city are owned by Latinos.
Valentine said he was actively meeting with community leaders throughout Bayonne in order to get approval and support for the parade. He said he owes a lot to John Zmyslowski, this year’s grand marshal of the Memorial Day Parade, for giving him insight into organizing the event
City Hall has been reviewing the plans and appears to have no objections to the project. The parade needs no permits or approvals, but would need police to block off streets and other traffic and security arrangements.
“So far, the mayor has expressed support for us,” said Valentine. “I have scheduled meetings with the members of the City Council to talk to them about it.
Valentine said he had recently talked with Councilman Anthony Chiappone, an elected official in Bayonne, who is part Latino
“He was very encouraging,” Valentine said.
Valentine has also reached out to organizers of Latino parades elsewhere in the county for guidance, such as to Jersey City Councilman Mariano Vega and Frank Lorenzo, the leader of the Spanish Coalition in Jersey City.
“There are strong historic ties between Jersey City and Bayonne,” Vega said. “And we see many middle-class Hispanics moving to Bayonne because of its strong middle class base and its tendency to maintain family homes there.”
Vega said he had talked with Bayonne Freeholder Barry Dugan to help the fledgling Hispanic Association get the event organized.
Vega was able to give Valentine tips from years of experience in being part of such parades in Jersey City.
“Getting the first parade started is a big step,” Vega said. “But for veterans of parades, these are small steps, and we can give a lot of guidance.”
Unlike some of the other parades which have one grand marshal, the Latino parade will likely have a male and female “Padrino” and “Madrino.”
Valentine said several prominent Latinos will likely be honored, such as Rep. Bob Menendez, who represents Bayonne in the U.S. House of Representatives and who has helped bring significant federal funds into Bayonne for redevelopment.
“We’re sending letters to Broadway district business leaders to tell them how this can promote the business district,” Valentine said.
He has also been seeking to raise money to help make the parade possible. Such parades can cost as much as $10,000.
“The next phase is doing more promotion, such as printing flyers,” he said, noting the help of Edward Mazo, the owner of a local print shop.
The traditional route of parades in Bayonne has been to travel up Broadway from Fifth Street to 39th Street before turning west to eventually arrive at Stephen Gregg County Park. If the Latino parade is to arrive at the same destination and continue celebrations in the park, the event will also need approvals from the county. Valentine said he is seeking that permission. If the group cannot use the park, it will likely end up at the Assumption Church.
The parade, of course, will likely be only the beginning of the Association’s activities, Valentine said, expressing the hope the group can become more deeply involved in the day-to-day civic activities in the city. He would like the group to establish a business association and help find jobs for people displaced by the changing economy.
But most importantly, Valentine wants the whole community to come together for this parade in the same way people in Bayonne have come together for parades in the past.
During the St. Patrick’s Day Parade, everybody is Irish,” he said. “During this parade, everybody is Hispanic.”