Montgomery County Notes Maryland Emancipation Day With Events

WHEATON, MD — Montgomery County’s annual Remembrance and Reconciliation Month will highlight the 160th anniversary of Maryland's Emancipation Day, led by the County’s Commission on Remembrance and Reconciliation.

On Nov. 1, 1864, Maryland became one of the first states to abolish slavery in its constitution, predating the ratification of the 13th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, which formally ended slavery nationwide.

The month’s events also will shed light on three documented racial terror lynchings in Montgomery County during the late 19th century and honor key milestones in local African American history.

Residents can also visit the Josiah Henson Museum and Park at no charge during the celebration of Maryland Emancipation Day. That event on Saturday, Nov. 2, will mark the 160th anniversary of the emancipation of enslaved people, mandated by the Maryland State Constitution.

The Commission on Remembrance and Reconciliation has partnered with community organizations to plan free events throughout November.

Coming events include:

• Montgomery College, Let’s Talk! An open conversation about the 2024 election. 1 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 29. Hybrid event held online and in-person at ignITe Hub, Montgomery College Campus–Mannakee Building, 900 Hungerford Dr., MK109, Rockville.
• Launch of Out of Darkness Exhibit, Organized by the Arts and Humanities Council of Montgomery County, this exhibit highlights the local African American experience through art and history. 6-8 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 30. Veterans Plaza-Mae Kramer Gallery, 1 Veterans Place, Silver Spring.
• Montgomery County Public Schools Central Office Emancipation Day Celebration. 12:30-2 p.m. Friday, Nov. 1. The Carver Educational Services Center, Carver Auditorium, 850 Hungerford Drive, Rockville. (Not open to the public.)
• Sandy Spring Slave Museum Annual Emancipation Day Event. Noon-3 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 2. Sandy Spring Slave Museum and African Art Gallery, 18524 Brooke Rd., Sandy Spring.
• Josiah Henson Museum & Park Maryland Emancipation Day Event. 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 2. Josiah Henson Museum & Park, 11410 Old Georgetown Road, North Bethesda.
• Webinar: 70 Years of Impact of the Brown v. Board of Education U.S. Supreme Court Ruling on Montgomery County Public Schools. 7-9 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 6. (Registration required.)
• Proclamation: Montgomery County Council Remembrance and Reconciliation Month Proclamation. 9:30 a.m. Tuesday, Nov. 12, Stella B. Werner County Office Building, 100 Maryland Ave., 3rd Floor Hearing Room, Rockville.
• Student Webinar: Montgomery County Public Schools Community Changemaker Workshop. (SSL hours are available; registration is required.) 6:30-8 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 14.
• Contemporary Conversations: Storytelling With Mwalim “DaPhunkee Professor.” 6-8 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 14, Rockville Memorial Library, 21 Maryland Ave., Rockville.
• Webinar: Exclusionary Housing Policies with Dr. Paige Glotzer, a lecture contextualizing Montgomery County within a national history of housing segregation. Organized by Montgomery History & Maryland Lynching Memorial Project. 7 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 14. (Registration required.)

For the complete list of events, click here.

Montgomery Parks is partnering with the Montgomery County Commission on Remembrance and Reconciliation to provide the free visit to the Henson Museum.

According to a county news release, Josiah Henson was an abolitionist and Underground Railroad conductor who was enslaved in Montgomery County. His life inspired the abolitionist novel "Uncle Tom’s Cabin" by Harriet Beecher Stowe. His story in his own words is featured at the Josiah Henson Museum and Park. The Emancipation Day event at that park is one of several events marking the day at Montgomery Parks’ cultural sites.

Maryland Emancipation Day events on Nov. 2 include:

Emancipation Day at Josiah Henson Museum and Park

10 a.m.-4 p.m.

Visitors will enjoy hands-on activities in the historic Riley-Bolten House at the Park. Also, lawn games and self-guided tours of the museum. The Sankofa Mobile Museum from Prince George’s County Parks and Recreation Department will give visitors an immersive look at local stories of freedom and justice.

11 a.m. Children’s story time/author talk with Treava Hopkins-Laboy. Parking for the Josiah Henson Museum and Park is located at the Kennedy Shriver Aquatic Center at 5900 Executive Blvd.

Emancipation Day Celebration at Woodlawn Manor Cultural Park

10 a.m.-4 p.m.

Free admission to the Woodlawn Museum. Three floors of self-guided exhibits tell the story of Woodlawn’s residents, Montgomery County’s agricultural history, enslaved and free black communities and the Quaker experience. Free. Check in at the Visitor Center.

10 a.m. and 1 p.m.

Guided Hikes on Underground Railroad Experience Trail. Learn about the experience of freedom seekers and techniques they used for navigation, foraging and eluding detection. $8. Purchase tickets on ActiveMontgomery.

11 a.m. and 2 p.m.

Woodlawn Manor House Tour. Learn about the history and occupants of the early 1800’s era Federal style house. The tour includes interior and exterior spaces. $5 per person. Tickets sold at the Visitor Center.

Emancipation Day Celebration at Oakley Cabin African American Museum and Park

11 a.m.-4 p.m. Enjoy live music featuring Jay Summerour, folk tales by storyteller Sheila Arnold, candle dipping, crafts and historic games. Join us for the unveiling of the new Oakley Cabin “Freedom Quilt” handcrafted by former visitors during workshops conducted by Kyna Clemons of Gyame Quilt Studio. Guided tours of historic Oakley Cabin which was the heart of an African American community from Emancipation through the early 20th century. An augmented reality experience offers visitors an innovative look at that history. Free parking with shuttle service at 19801 Georgia Ave, Brookeville, MD. Refreshments will be provided. Free.

Maryland Emancipation Day events on Sunday, Nov. 3:

Emancipation Day Celebration at Harper Cabin 1 p.m.-4 p.m.
Join us for a look inside this historic log cabin built by Thomas Harper near Poolesville, in 1870. Originally located in the African American community of Jonesville, the cabin was in the Harper family for generations before it was sold and eventually relocated to Brookside Nature Center in Montgomery Parks for preservation. The tour of the cabin and homestead will shed light on the lives of African Americans in Montgomery County after the Civil War. The cabin is open to the public for only a few days each year. Free.