Montgomery Commission on Remembrance and Reconciliation

Montgomery Commission on Remembrance and Reconciliation

Montgomery County’s Commission on Remembrance and Reconciliation will hold special events and activities throughout the month of November, and encourages other groups to hold their own events, to promote a better understanding of County history—including recognition of three men who were the victims of racial terror lynchings in the late 1800s.

The commission was established by the Montgomery County Council to help bring the County together. Among the highlights of Remembrance and Reconciliation Month will be the Certain Party or Parties Unknown Art Exhibit that kicks off on Wednesday, Nov. 2, and ceremonies on Sunday, Nov. 20, to induct new members into the County’s Human Rights Hall of Fame.

The schedule of events actually gets started in late October. A celebration of Emancipation Day will be held at Button Farm Living History Center in Germantown on Saturday, Oct. 29.

There will be two major events on Saturday, Nov. 5. The Sandy Spring Slave Museum Emancipation Day Open House will have a full day of activities starting at 10 a.m. A Montgomery County: Historical Black Sites and Places Bus tour hosted by the Lincoln Park Historical Foundation, Inc. will begin at noon.

The commission is composed of community leaders who work with the Equal Justice Initiative (EJI), the Montgomery County Lynching Memorial Project and other community stakeholders to commemorate the three locations in the County where racial terror lynchings have been documented.

The project seeks to memorialize and honor two men who were lynched in Rockville—John Diggs-Dorsey (in 1880) and Sidney Randolph (in 1896)—and George Peck, who was lynched in Poolesville (in 1880).

The schedule of events for Remembrance and Reconciliation Month:

• Nov. 1-30. Montgomery County Public Schools teaches lessons on African American Historical Communities. Throughout the month, MCPS students will receive instruction in local African American community history.
• Tuesday, Nov. 1. 7 p.m. Sandy Spring Slave Museum Emancipation Day Virtual Program. More information at https://www.sandyspringslavemuseum.org/.
• Wednesday, Nov. 2. 6-8 p.m. Certain Party or Parties Unknown Exhibit Kickoff (available all month). Silver Spring Civic Center, 1 Veterans Plaza, Silver Spring. Hosted by Arts and Humanities Council. Register: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/certain-party-or-parties-unknown-tickets-441252517157.
• Saturday, Nov 5. 9:30 a.m.-4 p.m. Montgomery County: Historical Black Sites and Places Bus Tour hosted by Lincoln Park Historical Foundation, Inc. (fee charged). For registration and more information, email sherlenelucas@aol.com.
• Saturday, Nov. 5. 10 a.m.-1 p.m. Sandy Spring Slave Museum Emancipation Day Open House. 18524 Brooke Rd., Sandy Spring. Stories of Underground Railroad. 2-4 p.m. (Fee charged.) Gospel Choir (5-8:30 p.m. Fee charged). More information at https://www.sandyspringslavemuseum.org/.
• Tuesday, Nov. 8. 7 p.m. Broadcast of Unwritten Law. It is a symposium on the lynchings in Rockville. Hosted by Montgomery History. MCM Cable Channel 21.
• Thursday, Nov. 10. 7 p.m. Broadcast of Remembrance Conference and Soil Ceremony for John Diggs-Dorsey and Sidney Randolph. Hosted by Montgomery County Lynching Memorial Project. MCM Cable Channel 21.
• Tuesday-Thursday, Nov. 15-17. 6:30 p.m. MCPS Changemaker Workshops. Hosted by MCPS. Activists will help students and families learn strategies to address challenges in their communities. SLS hours available for attending. Register at https://mcpsmd.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_JdGxmIbwTlmuLzsKQR4iMA.
• Sunday, Nov. 20. 3 p.m. Human Rights Hall of Fame induction ceremonies. BlackRock Center for the Arts, 12901 Towns Commons Dr., Germantown. Hosted by Montgomery County Office of Human Rights. Nomination forms and more information can be found at https://www.montgomerycountymd.gov/humanrights/.
• Monday, Nov. 21. 11:30 a.m.-1 p.m. Montgomery College “Let’s Talk! Montgomery County’s Journey Toward Remembrance and Reconciliation.” Hosted by Montgomery College. Register at https://bit.ly/letstalkmoco.

This is a Montgomery County, Maryland announcement.

Chrysanthemum, Kentlands Photowalk, Gaithersburg, Maryland USA IMG 6297
Canon PowerShot G11 Camera
Photograph by Roy Kelley
Roy and Dolores Kelley Photographs