African Americans in the Matawan Journal - 7 October 1943

I came across this interesting article while looking for something else. I thought I'd include it in my occasional series on how African Americans were presented in the Matawan Journal over the years.

This October 1943 front page article -- Newark Negro Fined For Using Abusive Language -- reports that two African American men from Newark were heading through Matawan on their way to New York when the driver was blinded by an approaching car's headlights and flipped the vehicle. The driver tangled verbally with a Matawan police officer over whether he and his friend would be allowed to leave. It seems the driver was having difficulty locating his driver's license and vehicle registration. Willie Woodward, 30 years old, was fined $13 in Matawan traffic court for addressing the officer in an uncivil manner.