The Maryland Pendulum, Spring 2022

The Newsletter of the Maryland Commission on African American History and Culture

FAMILY AT THE HEART OF AFRICAN AMERICAN HISTORY

The Commission Explores the Black Family In Maryland!

As I write this, I am reflecting on the FaceTime call I had with my daughter and her son, who is my first grandson, Zakai. It was obvious that he was sleepy, but like most four-month-olds, he was fighting it with everything he had. His mother bounced him, patted him on the back, and switched him from one arm to the other, but he was still a bit fussy no matter what she did. As we prepared to end the call, we said our goodnights and I love yous, and Zakai got a fresh burst of energy. He bent over and put his entire beautiful face into the camera and tried to take the phone out of his mother's hand as if he knew what to do with it. Then he tried to imitate me, waving goodbye.

Rev. Dr. Tamara E. Wilson, Chair MCAAHC

That moment brings to mind my own grandmother, who, if she were alive today, at the sight of him doing these things would exclaim, 'that boy has been here before.' Taking him in her arms, she would have said to my daughter, 'Give him to me.' Then she would have held him and gently rocked him to sleep as she had done each of her children, grand, great-grand, and great-great-grandchildren hundreds of times before. And although she would have said not to hold him while he slept so as not to spoil him, she would have let him lay right there in her arms, comforting him and letting him know that he was alright. I guess that's why we all loved her so much and miss her even more because she had a way of letting us know whatever it was we were facing, we were "alright."

That's the Black family - the bedrock of the Black community. Whether born into it or adopted in, whether led by two parents or one, grandparents, other relatives, or a court-appointed guardian, the Black family has and continues to be the strength of its members. Within this unit, we love and are loved. We learn to navigate hurdles that have historically hindered us as a community. We spring forth from its cocoon, ready to strive and achieve. In those times when we take one step forward only to fall or are pushed two steps back, we find the strength to get up, brush ourselves off, and try yet again.

Why? Because through it all, despite everything we have faced as a people - slavery, segregation, redlining, drugs, violence, and so much more, Black families have taught us to survive. We explore this through the 2021 Black History theme, The Black Family: Representation, Identity, and Diversity, in this edition of the Pendulum. As you read, I hope you will take time to reflect on your own families and, in doing so, be encouraged that no matter what you may be facing, you will be "alright."

Peace and Blessings, Tamara E. Wilson, Chair MCAAHC

WOMEN PROVIDING HEALING, PROMOTING HOPE: WOMEN’S HISTORY MONTH & HARRIET TUBMAN - A Natural Connection

By MCAAHC Harriet Tubman Bicentennial Sub-Committee

A midlife portrait of Mrs. Harriet Tubman Davis by Benjamin F. Powelson.

(Photo Courtesy of Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division)

This month the Maryland Commission on African American History and Culture celebrates Women’s History Month and 200 Years of Harriet Tubman’s Spirit.

Women’s History Month celebrates the o en-unrecognized contributions of women in history, society and culture. Most women make a difference with untold stories that reveal unseen yet undeniable influence. Women care for their families, engage in public service, mediate disputes, build communities, listen, act, and inspire.

Harriet Tubman was a true humanitarian. Although most famous for her success in freeing the enslaved as a “conductor” on the Underground Railroad, her most personal triumphs are not well known. She was one of nine children born to Ben Ross and Rit Green in 1822. Being enslaved by different families, she grew up often separated from her birth family. She was determined to free her parents and siblings, and she provided a safe and loving home for them. She was a caring wife and mother, adopting Gertie Davis who she and her husband Nelson Davis raised, in Auburn, NY. She served as a nurse and caregiver for Civil War soldiers, and established a home for the elderly. Tubman possessed a strong spiritual calling that she answered whenever requested to serve.

Members of the MCAAHC Harriet Tubman Bicentennial Committee reflect on the life and legacy of Harriet Tubman:

“Healing and Hope,” is a purpose that addresses biological, psychological, emotional, and spiritual well-being. Acknowledging these strengths in “everyday people” honors Women’s History Month in the spirit of Harriet Ross Tubman. --Cheryl A. McLeod, Commissioner

“There is no future in a nation that harbors slavery. Harriet Ross Tubman is American. She was a genius, a “Founding Mother”, and an inspiration to all who cherish democracy.--Barbara Paca, Commissioner

“Harriet Tubman is one of history’s best examples of resilience and perseverance. When you truly understand what she accomplished in her lifetime, it becomes extremely difficult to make an acceptable excuse for quitting.” --Edwin T. Johnson, Commissioner

Harriet Tubman was strong, brave, very kind, caring and compassionate. Her legacy of steadfast courage and commitment to justice will endure forever.--Adi Nkwonta, Commissioner

“Harriet was small in stature, but gigantically fearless in heart. She was the possessor of a great faith in GOD. Her desire for freedom for herself and her family was boundless.” --Melvin Kelly, Commissioner

“The life of Harriet Tubman has taken center stage in the state of Maryland and we embrace this dynamic woman during Women’s History Month. However, the legacy of Harriet Tubman can be felt from her home state of Maryland, to her adopted home in Auburn, NY and all around the globe as the human spirit cries out to uphold the tenets of freedom, liberty, and equality.” --Maya Davis, Commissioner

EASTERN SHORE COMMUNITIES: A LOOK AT MARYLAND’S FOUNDING BLACK FAMILIES

By Dr. Barbara Paca, O.B.E., MCAAHC Commissioner, Talbot County

In a special ceremony, a group of African American citizens from Maryland’s Eastern Shore, known as America’s Founding Black Families, were honored with official Maryland Senatorial Citations presented by Senator Adelaide Eckardt. The honorees included members of the Curtis, DeShields, Henry, and Moaney families.

Members of the Curtis, DeShields, Henry, and Moaney families with State Senator Adelaide Eckardt.

(Photo Courtesy of Commissioner Barbara Paca)

What is a Founding Black Family? Enslaved persons—men, women, and children—they were the ones who fueled the engine that would become the new democracy. They were the human element in America’s deepest stain—it’s role in the global slave trade. These were America’s enslaved Africans, and in their way, Founding Fathers of America. They are significant members of American society that are finally being honored at the Water’s Edge Museum. However conflicted they may have been, the Founding Fathers of America acknowledged that slavery was a critical building block toward creating the solid foundation of democracy. At home, on African soil, they knew themselves as Ota Bendi, Kunta Kinte, Olaudah Equiano, and Ayubah Suleiman Diallo. However, once they were relocated to a plantation they were given new names: Toby, Kizzie, Nero, Jimbo, Modesty.

Jeffrey Moaney, a member of the Founding Black families.

(Photo Courtesy of Commissioner Barbara Paca)

The Water’s Edge Museum embraces, explores, and tells the complex stories of the Founding Black Families who harnessed their power, and placed it quietly but resolutely into the hands of their descendants. The Museum honors how people of color lived, and how their lives mattered. They were privately aware of the accomplishments of their forebears. They knew that, as healers, skilled craftsmen, respected artisans, revered nobility, they were resilient, creative, and they too excelled, exemplary in their own right. This group includes brilliant genealogists such as Jeffrey Moaney and Edwin Blake, who have dedicated time and expertise to untangling family lines back to the 18th century, the lineage is clear, and makes the Eastern Shore proud.

Returning to the March opening at the Water’s Edge, where the gi ed American Spiritual Ensemble tenor, Dr. John Wesley Wright, Danielle Cumming, and three student soloists from Salisbury University came to the Water’s Edge to celebrate the (non-virtual) opening of the Museum. As Professor Wright stated, they came to consecrate the space–together with the audience they made a beautiful joyous sound,and much to our surprise the acoustics of the space are magic!

John Wesley Wright singing a spiritual.

(Photo Courtesy of Commissioner Barbara Paca)

Guests included Maryland’s Secretary of Higher Education James Fielder, Maryland’s Secretary of Environment Ben Grumbles, Maryland’s Secretary of State John C. Wobensmith, and many other dignitaries, friends, and Advisory Committee members from across our State, Talbot County Schools Superintendent Dr. Kelly Griffith, and most importantly members of America’s Founding Black Families, led by the elders Colonel William DeShields, Mrs. Brenda Henry-Moaney, Dr. Lydia Williams, Mrs. Rowena DeShields, and as always, the spirit of Mrs. Frances Curtis.

THE ART CORNER: AN EYE ON MARYLAND’S ARTS, ENTERTAINMENT, & CULTURE

Men of Change: Power. Triumph. Truth. is now on view at the Reginald F. Lewis Museum and is not to be missed! The exhibit profiles the revolutionary men—including Muhammad Ali, James Baldwin, Ta-Nehisi Coates, W.E.B Du Bois, and Kendrick Lamar—whose journeys have altered the history and culture of the country. The achievements of the men are woven within the legacy and traditions of the African American journey—achievements of excellence in spite of society’s barriers.

Kendrick Lamar, 2018. Andrew Lih. Courtesy of Fuzheado/Andrew Lih | James Baldwin, Istanbul 1964. Sedat Pakay. Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture, Sedat Pakay 1964.

Through literary and historic quotes, poetry, original works of art, dramatic photographs, and a dynamic space that encourages self-reflection, this innovative exhibition weaves together the historical and the contemporary to illuminate the importance of these men within the context of rich community traditions. It invites visitors to consider predominant narratives and engage in the authentic stories of history, politics, art, culture, and activism. Twenty-four contemporary artists were invited to reflect and celebrate the significance of these ground-breaking individuals through their own creative vision. These works of art serve as counterpoint to the sumptuously backlit photographs and inspiring quotes, and together honor the truth of the African American experience in history and today.

While these men made their mark in a variety of disciplines—politics, sports, science, entertainment, business, religion, and more—all understood the value of asserting their own agency by owning their own stories.

Men of Change was developed by the Smithsonian Institution Traveling Exhibition Service and made possible through the generous support of the Ford Motor Company Fund and Community Services.

Source: Reginald F. Lewis Museum Location: 830 East Pratt Street, Baltimore, MD 21202 Make a donation or become a member! Visit: www.lewismuseum.org

MEET THE COMMISSIONER: Elinor Thompson

Each issue of the Pendulum will highlight one of the members of the Maryland Commission on African American History and Culture.

Commissioner Elinor Thompson is a genealogist, historian, and author who has published and written numerous local family history books. Her most recent publications are Nelson's Rest: Documenting the History and Heritage of Asbury Broadneck Annapolis Church Communities and Historic Burial Grounds

Commissioner Elinor Thompson

and In The 8th District Our African American Church Communities In Southern Anne Arundel County. She has served on the Commission since 2017 when she was appointed by Governor Larry Hogan's Administration and re-appointed in July of 2021 to serve a second term. Commissioner Thompson is an active member of the MCAAHC supporting and participating in initiatives and programs while serving on the Public Relations committee.

Her passion as a genealogist was inspired by her grandmother as a child, when she gave her oral history of her family that traces back to the 17th century. One branch of her family tree connects back to Henry Wadsworth Longfellow and on another branch the founders of The Old Washington Conference of the United Methodist Church. She is especially proud of a family member who was a Trustee of Morgan State College and a prominent business owner in Baltimore, Maryland. Through her own genealogy she preserves and archives historical church and cemetery records. She often states that “The churches are the core of all our communities and the cemeteries tell of our very being.” Throughout her 35+ years journey as a genealogist she has organized family reunions, compiled church and family history books, and exhibited history of church and cemetery records.

Thompson is the Founding President of Broadneck African American Heritage Project, Inc., a member of Anne Arundel County Genealogical Society, Baltimore African American Genealogy Historical Society, and supports the Prince George's County Lynching Memorial Project. She also serves on The Maryland Historical Trust Cemetery Working Group Committee and Grant Review Panel Committees.

ARTICLE SUBMISSIONS

The Pendulum is the official newsletter of the Maryland Commission on African American History and Culture and accepts submissions of articles for inclusion in the newsletter at the following email: mcaahc@gmail.com. Submissions should be original articles, exclusive to the Pendulum and offer an engaging and authoritative take on a historical or cultural subject related to African American History in Maryland. Articles can be submitted from scholars, the general public, and Commissioners. We are particularly interested in articles that feature the historic sites that have been supported by the AAHPP grant. The newsletter committee reserves the right to select which submissions are published and the right to edit those submissions.

The Newsletter is edited by the following MCAAHC Commissioners: Maya Davis, Lopez Matthews, Jr., PhD, and Elinor Thompson.