A special ceremony next Saturday will honor victims of lynching in Montgomery County, Maryland.
Montgomery County’s Commission on Remembrance and Reconciliation is holding a marker dedication ceremony on Nov. 11 in Rockville to honor two of the three Black men who were victims of lynching in the county.
John Diggs-Dorsey and Sidney Randolph were abducted from the county jail which stood on the site of the Montgomery County Council building in the late 1800s.
“Part of our mission is to try and just help build awareness of our history,” Jason Green, chair of Montgomery County’s Commission on Remembrance and Reconciliation told WTOP.
A marker was installed in late October for another man lynched in Montgomery County named George Peck. He was believed to have been attacked in a field in Poolesville where that marker now stands.
“As a former teacher, I know that education and understanding are essential for true progress,” said county executive Marc Elrich. “The dedication of these markers offers an opportunity to commemorate the painful history of racial terror lynching in our community, remember the lives lost to racial violence, and work toward a better future.”
The ceremony is part of a monthlong series of events, discussions and educational programs that Montgomery County has planned for November, which is recognized as “Remembrance and Reconciliation Month.”
Maryland’s Emancipation Day was recognized on Nov. 1, marking the end of slavery in 1864 in the state.
“The community will gather and say their names, again, commemorate their lives and speak in one unified voice that this activity does not belong in Montgomery County, that we won’t stand for it, and that will unite and fight against hatred, discrimination and injustice in all its forms,” Green said.
