It is a pleasure to be here today at the Benjamin Banneker Museum and Historical Park to join the Friends of Benjamin Banneker in recognizing African American firsts in Baltimore County. No celebration of Baltimore County’s 350th Anniversary would be complete without coming here, to the birthplace of one of our County’s greatest minds. 233 years ago, just a few hours north of here, in Philadelphia, representatives from each of the 13 American colonies came together to create a nation unlike any the world had ever seen. Those brave men risked the wrath of the British Empire when they signed their names to a public document that described a new kind of nation — a nation based on the idea that “all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights, that among these are life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.” Those words have echoed through the ages and around the world as a powerful testament to the freedom and rights of individuals. However, behind those words lay a tragic truth. Unfortunately the men who wrote them into our Declaration of Independence owned other human beings as slaves. In a nation founded on the idea that the government derived its power from the will of the people, millions of men and women were held in bondage, for no other reason than the color of their skin. And it would be many years before they would be able to claim the unalienable rights that had been promised to all Americans. Generations of African Americans suffered under the harshest conditions imaginable, as a nation refused to face its own hypocrisy. It would take a Civil War that claimed more American lives than all the other wars our country has ever fought to end this horrific institution. But even after the Civil War, the legacy of slavery lingered on in the Jim Crow laws that persisted in denying fundamental rights to African Americans. The legacy of slavery lingered on in the segregation of our schools, our restaurants, and even our water fountains. And the legacy of slavery lingered on in the intolerance and racism that too many Americans clung to out of fear and ignorance. Even today, we have not fully escaped the shadow of slavery. However, what has always set America apart from so many other nations is that it is a country that was founded, not by men of power or ambition, but by men, however imperfect, who believed in a set of ideals. And throughout our history, America has always been united by that set of ideals. As President Barack Obama said, these American ideals “…speak to aspirations shared by all people: that we can live free from fear and free from want; that we can speak our minds and assemble with whomever we choose and worship as we please. … These aspirations are bigger than anything that drives us apart.” For generations, African Americans in communities throughout America have been inspired by these ideals. They saw our nation as it should be, as it could be, and they refused to settle for anything less. Right here in Oella, Benjamin Banneker overcame the obstacles of racism and slavery to revolutionize the fields of astronomy and meteorology and proved to the world that he was one of the greatest minds of the 18th century. Baltimore County native Dr. Cyril Byron and his fellow Tuskegee Airmen helped save the world from fascism in World War II and showed that in a time of crisis, courage and skill were the only things that mattered. Today, the Friends of Benjamin Banneker are honoring some of Baltimore County’s more recent trailblazers: Johnny Whitehead, the first African American Colonel in the Baltimore County Police Department; Gwen Parrish, the first female African American Sergeant in the Baltimore County Police Department; Zachary R. Stith and Glenn A. Blackwell, two of the first African American Fire Directors in the Baltimore County Fire Department; and Jonathan Hart, the first African American Battalion Chief in the Baltimore County Fire Department. The efforts of these outstanding public servants have not only saved lives, but their valor, dedication, and outstanding service enrich our Baltimore County Police and Fire Departments everyday. Thanks to their hard work and outstanding service, they have created the opportunity for countless talented men and women to follow in their footsteps and serve in positions that would not have been available to them even thirty years ago. Only a month ago, President Barack Obama, our first African American President, was sworn into office. Understandably, many Americans were moved by this historic moment. But I think you will agree with me that it had a special significance for Congressman John Lewis, a man who had stood on the front lines of the Civil Rights movement of the 1960s. One of the most touching moments of the inauguration was when the President-elect stopped to greet Congressman Lewis. As he approached the podium where President Obama would take the oath of office, Congressman Lewis must have been remembering another day forty years earlier when he looked out on another sea of people on that same Washington mall. He must have been thinking about how much had been accomplished since that historic day forty years ago that brought our nation to this new historic moment in time. On January 20, John Lewis could see that change had truly come to our country and that we were much closer to realizing those ideals upon which our nation was founded. Later, at the private lunch following the Inauguration, to commemorate the occasion, Congressman Lewis asked the newly installed President to sign a picture of the ceremony for him. President Obama obliged and signed the picture with these words: “Because of you, John.” President Obama recognized that it was the blood, sweat, and tears of trailblazers such as John Lewis that brought him, and our nation, to this historic moment. And as Baltimore County recognizes its 350th Anniversary, we recognize that we are a County that has had its own trailblazers, people who worked to make this a more just and equal community. Because of the brave trailblazers and those who came before them who have been honored by this organization, the communities of Baltimore County are thriving with opportunity and hope for everyone, regardless of the color of their skin, the nature of their creed, or the land of their birth. Because of their sacrifices, people from Winters Lane to Sparrow’s Point and everywhere in between know that our diversity is our greatest strength. Because of their courage and convictions, Baltimore County is closer than ever before to those ideals that are America’s foundation. And so, on behalf of a grateful County, I thank each and every one of them for all that they have done. I know that each of us will continue to honor their ideals and their service as we move forward together.
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Courthouse 