Like peeling an onion, this issue has many tiers going back to marches inspired by Martin Luther King, and Hoboken had much and many who were involved. Before “Yes, we can!” “Yes, we did!” We marched on several occasions through the last several generations. The sixties and seventies showed some disrespect for people of color, and there were many who were involved on changing that political landscape, and working on that troubling issue. (Racism)
The NAACP under Eugene Drayton and others assisted with citizens to make some changes that eventually, over time that took too long, did evolve to include the hiring policies of our town (Remember Eugene and his Bullhorn on the steps of City Hall) as we marched around the block at City Hall seven times (Biblical inspiration) to get a lady out of the basement and up into the offices of City Hall because she deserved it and was passed up for promotions and “kept” in the basement! WE sang “We Shall Overcome” and a very young Elizabeth Falco stood next to me on the steps of City Hall and taught many the second verse of that inspiring Hymn………..
Hiring practices were then improved to include and not disinclude anyone for ethnicity and new attention was paid to our Constitution while local preachers and citizens took their time, and energy and shoes on the sidewalk to lobby for Equality here in Hoboken to make a difference, and we hopefully did!
It is enlightening to see that our school children are becoming part of this process, and that is a hope for the future, especially now during Black History Month!
Margaret O’Brien
Citizen who cares…..