Hudson Reporter
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February is Black History Month. This is a great time to recognize the important role that the Black community has played in Bayonne since the beginning. Black history is part of American history and Bayonne history.
Our municipality became the Township of Bayonne in 1861 and the City of Bayonne in 1869. In the 1860’s, Bayonne was a rural community with a very small population. Most local people made a living from farming, fishing, and boating. Many Black residents worked in the shellfish trade at a time when oysters and clams thrived around Bayonne. After Standard Oil arrived in the 1870s, Bayonne’s economy changed dramatically.