Roll of county residents in Civil Rights Movement remembered in exhibit
A small but significant collection of banners and buttons and photos are on display inside the Montpelier Arts Center in Laurel that help tell the stories of Prince Georgians during the days of marches and sit-ins and protests in the pursuit of equality for all.
Great Expectations: Prince George’s County Resident in the Civil Rights Movement, on display through July 27, offers a look at the artifacts from that era and chronicles the efforts of local residents during the movement and how they interacted with some of the Civil Rights Movements’ key players.
"Civil Rights March on Washington, D.C."
The presentation features about eight county residents and is made up of the memorabilia that families and individuals were willing to donate to the exhibit.
Gail Thomas is manager of the Black History program for the Maryland National Park and Planning Commission in the county and was responsible for compiling the collection. She said the exhibit shouldn’t be seen as an exhaustive retrospective on the county’s role in the movement.
“You will see your neighbor, someone who lives in the county who was part of a national movement, and I think that is something important,” Thomas said.
Some of the items on display include photos from Antoine J. Perot Jr and his wife, Ruth, of Fort Washington. The pair served as prominent members of CORE (Congress of Racial Equality) in Baltimore and interacted with national figures like, Ron Dellums, who after serving in Congress for 27 years is now the current mayor of Oakland, Calif., Stokely Carmichael chairman of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC) and prime minister of the Black Panther Party, and activist Malcolm X.
There are also pics of former Maryland State Senator Gwendolyn T. Britt, and her husband, Travis, protesting segregation at Glenn Echo Park. She’s photographed with civil rights pioneers Roy Wilkins and A. Phillip Randolph. Thomas said Travis Britt also donated photos of mourners who were forced outside the overcrowded church that hosted Rev. Martin Luther King Jr.’s funeral.
Also included are photos of longtime county activist Sylvester Vaughns Sr., vice chair of the county planning board and past president of the county's chapter of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People. He’s pictured with Rev. Joseph Lowery of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference and Rev. Perry Smith, pastor of the First Baptist Church of North Brentwood. The group was protesting police brutality in Upper Marlboro.
A reception with members of the exhibition is scheduled for July 15 at noon. Admission is free. For reservations or for more information, call 301-953-1993.
--PGS Staff
Photo: "Civil Rights March on Washington, D. C.", 08/28/1963; NWDNS-306-SSM-4D(86)3; Records of the United States Information Agency; Record Group 306; National Archives.
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