Library Committee Book Review: African American Leaders of Maryland: A Portrait Gallery
Submitted by the Stony Run Library Committee
The first enslaved Africans arrived on our shores in 1619, before the United States became a nation. From that day until the present, the descendants of those enslaved Africans have had to fight against discrimination and injustice. The book, African American Leaders of Maryland: A Portrait Gallery on display now in the Stony Run Library, is a testament to their resilience and accomplishments in every field of endeavor.
Some names in this gallery of biographies may be familiar to you: folks like Billie Holiday, Thurgood Marshall, Reginald Lewis, Harriet Tubman, and Cab Calloway. A few Marylanders you may not know as well are highlighted. We hope you are inspired to read African American Leaders of Maryland: A Portrait Gallery, and learn more!
Benjamin Banneker was a renowned man of science, a naturalist, a surveyor, an astronomer. He helped design Washington, D.C. and has many more accomplishments. He was also a regular attender at Quaker meetings. Born into slavery, the opponents of enslavement publicized Banneker’s abilities as evidence of the intellectual achievement possible for African Americans at a time when defenders of slavery claimed that Black people were mentally inferior to whites. Also look for the children’s book about Benjamin Banneker in the children’s section of the Stony Run Library.
James William Charles Pennington was born into slavery in Reisterstown, MD. With the help of Quakers, he escaped from Maryland but returned to enlist in the Union Army during the Civil War. After the war, he enlisted in the U.S. Calvery and became a Buffalo Soldier. In 1810 he received a medal of honor for bravery. Later he fought in the regiment headed by Teddy Roosevelt during the Spanish American War. He retired with honors to live with his brother in Reisterstown.
Harry A. Cole was elected to the House of Delegates and the State Senate. He was the first African American to rise in the legal system of Maryland. From assistant attorney general, he served in the judicial courts. In 1977 he became the first African American to become Judge in the Court of Appeals, the highest state court, and was the first African American elected to the Maryland Senate.
These are just a few of the interesting and amazing biographies in the book African American Leaders of Maryland: A Portrait Gallery. A few others include:
- Matthew Henson: An intrepid Arctic explorer and the primary partner to Admiral Robert Peary; he is widely recognized for his expert navigation and for being among the first to reach the Geographic North Pole.
- Verda Welcome: A pioneering state legislator who dismantled segregationist laws and spearheaded historic measures to protect and expand voting rights for Black citizens.
- John Murphy: The influential owner and publisher of the AFRO-American newspaper, which he transformed into a leading platform for civil rights advocacy and Black journalism.
- William Henry Bishop, M.D.: A visionary physician who founded a hospital in Baltimore that provided equitable healthcare to people of all races.
Black history is American history. To learn more, please visit the Stony Run Library, check out this book or one of the many others on display this February or by searching call numbers 303, 305, and 323.