This year’s Hispanic Parade – scheduled to kick off at 1 p.m. on Sept. 18 at Fifth Street and Broadway – has a special meaning for parade organizer Abett Hernandez. She is dedicating it to the memory of her son, who died ten years ago at 18.
This is the seventh annual Hispanic Parade of New Jersey hosted by the Bayonne Hispanic Association.
Bayonne saw a significant increase in population in the first decade of this century, and the parade, Hernandez said, is designed to celebrate the Hispanic community, its arts, and to promote its businesses by increasing the public’s awareness about Hispanics.
The route will cover the core business district of Broadway. It will finish at the entrance to Steven Gregg Park on 39th Street and Avenue C. Immediately following the parade, a cultural festival with live entertainment and refreshments will be held at 23rd Street between Kennedy Boulevard and Avenue C.
“We felt there was a need for a parade considering the explosion of the Hispanic population.” – Dan Valentine
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Hernandez, president and founder of the association, said she was very pleased with the response, thanking employees of the Department of Public Works, members of the Bayonne High School Marching Band, and students, teachers, and parents from various schools that will help make the parade a success this year.
The event, organized by the Bayonne Hispanic Association, has taken its place among the litany of parades in the city.
While other parades – such as the Memorial Day, Columbus Day and St. Patrick’s Day parades – have been annual traditions for decades, the Hispanic Day Parade started in 2004 to help acknowledge the growing number of Latinos in Bayonne and throughout the county and state.
Years before the 2010 U.S. Census showed a 26 percent increase in the Hispanic population in Bayonne, members of the community knew that their population was growing, and organizers of the parade wanted a public demonstration that would help celebrate the diversity of the city. The parade seemed the perfect vehicle to show that ethnic diversity was alive and well in the city.
Hernandez, Dan Valentine, Hector Soto Ramon Veloz, Marcie Menendez, and George Morino founded the Hispanic Association eight years ago 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.”
Even before the new census, Latinos made up nearly 20 percent of the city’s population, and a significant part of the business community.
Each year, the Hispanic population increases and new businesses are opening, Valentine said.
The 2000 Census showed that the city had a population of just under 62,000 – of which about 11,000 were Hispanics. The figures reflected in the count done in 2010 showed that Bayonne’s official population figure rose from 61,842 in Census 2000 to 63,024 in Census 2010. The Hispanic population rose from 11,015 in 2000 to 16,251 in 2010. Before last year’s parade, Valentine compared the Hispanic Parade to the Irish Parade, saying that on this day, which celebrates Hispanic Heritage month, everybody is Hispanic.
Al Sullivan may be reached at asullivan@hudsonreporter.com.