Montgomery County will acknowledge the area’s legacy of racism and lynchings throughout November with a series of events and ceremonies as part of Remembrance and Reconciliation Month.
The county will hold a ceremony dedicating a marker to two of the three Montgomery County residents who are known victims of lynchings. The event, which will be held at 2 p.m. Nov. 11 outside the Stella B. Werner Council Office Building in Rockville, will commemorate the lives of John Diggs-Dorsey, who was killed in Rockville in 1880, and Sidney Randolph, who was killed in Rockville in 1896.
On Oct. 22, the Montgomery County Lynching Memorial Project acknowledged the third known Montgomery County victim of lynchings, George Peck, at a marker dedication outside Poolesville Presbyterian Church. Peck was killed in Poolesville in 1880.
The month will officially be recognized with a proclamation at Tuesday’s County Council meeting, presented by Council Vice President Andrew Friedson (D-Dist. 1) and councilmembers Will Jawando (D-At-large) and Laurie-Anne Sayles (D-At-large).
Remembrance and Reconciliation Month was first observed in Montgomery County in November 2021, after a recommendation from the county’s Race and Reconciliation Commission. The commission was formed in January 2019 following a resolution by Jawando and former councilmembers Hans Riemer and Craig Rice.
The panel was created to promote a greater understanding of the county’s history, particularly racism, lynchings and slavery, according to the county website. Representatives from the Maryland Lynching Memorial Project, the county Human Rights Commission, the Rockville Human Rights Commission, the county Arts and Humanities Council, Montgomery History, Lincoln Park Historical Foundation, Montgomery County Public Schools, Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission and Montgomery College serve on the commission.
“The Commission invites residents, agencies and the private sector to engage in conversations and practices amongst families, neighbors and coworkers to acknowledge, alleviate and dispel the harms caused by racism and discrimination as evidenced in words, acts, and deeds,” the commission wrote in a press release about this year’s events.
Montgomery County Public Schools students will also learn about African American landmarks in their classes throughout the month.
Upcoming events to commemorate the month include:
Nov. 7, 7 p.m. – Broadcast of Symposium on the three known lynchings in Montgomery County on Cable Channel 21
Nov. 14, 15, and 16 – MCPS Changemaker Workshops. Students will be able to connect with community leaders. The Nov. 15 workshop will be conducted in Spanish. Student service learning hours are available and registration is required.
Nov. 15, 4 to 6 p.m. – Screening of “Certain Party or Parties Unknown” at Montgomery College, Takoma Park. Registration is required.
Nov. 21, 7 p.m. – Broadcast of Rockville Soil Ceremony for Diggs-Dorsey and Sidney Randolph on Cable Channel 21
Nov. 28, 7 p.m. – Broadcast of award-winning documentary “Finding Fellowship” on Cable Channel 21
