Legislative Black Caucus hosts first-ever town hall in Harford County

Del. Andre Johnson (D-Harford) calls the meeting of the Legislative Black Caucus of Maryland to order July 25, the first time ever in Harford County. Photo by William J. Ford.

About 200 people traveled to Rooted Bible Fellowship Church in Edgewood on Thursday to hear 31 words from Del. Andre V. Johnson Jr. (D-Harford).

“Madam Chair, members of the Legislative Black Caucus of Maryland, it is my honor and my pleasure to call this first-ever Legislative Black Caucus meeting in Harford County to order,” Johnson said to rousing applause.

The Legislative Black Caucus of Maryland made history Thursday when it met for the first time in Harford County to host a town hall and to recap this year’s 90-day legislative session.

Johnson, who opened the meeting, was the first Black state lawmaker from the county, which has nearly 38,000 Black residents, when he was elected in November 2022. According to the Census Bureau , Harford County had a population of about 261,000 residents in 2020, of which 190,128, or 73%, were white.

The Black Caucus visit came a little more than a week after the county’s Board of Education voted unanimously, after an hourslong meeting, to restore an Advanced Placement course on African American studies to its high schools.

The board had voted 5-4 last month to cancel the AP course amid concerns of some board members that it portrayed police in a “negative light,” lacked “ positive narratives ” and did not provide “full context” on topics like the Black Panther Party and Malcolm X.

Scores of speakers showed up to protest the threatened canceling of the course, which also sparked a letter from the caucus asking the school board to “reconsider” the course. That letter was written by Del. Jheanelle Wilkins (D-Montgomery), the chair of the caucus, who reiterated Thursday the importance of African American history not only in Harford, but throughout the state.

“We don’t always weigh in on county and school board issues, but guess what? That is one of national importance, of statewide importance,” she said. “Because if that’s allowed to happen here in Harford County … then other jurisdictions from all across the state will soon follow suit.”

Caucus members said they had long planned a meeting in Harford County, and the timing of the school board flap was just coincidental.

About 15 of the 65 caucus members attended Thursday’s town hall, including Del. Joseline Peña-Melnyk (D-Prince George’s and Anne Arundel), who chairs the House Health and Government Operations Committee, Del. Mike Rogers (D-Anne Arundel) and Del. Greg Wims (D-Montgomery).

Five caucus members – Democratic Dels. N. Scott Phillips and Jennifer White Holland of Baltimore County, Stephanie Smith and Melissa Wells of Baltimore City, and Sandy Bartlett of Anne Arundel County – spoke on the caucus’ five priorities from this year’s legislative session. Those topics focused on health and environmental justice, housing and transportation, Black wealth and Black businesses, education equity and justice reform and public safety.

Legislators also answered questions written on index cards from the audience. One question was directed to Phillips on how the community can support the economic development and growth of Black business in Harford County.

Phillips, who sponsored state procurement legislation that takes effect Oct. 1, to raise the goal for small business awards on state contracts, said to take advantage of resources from agencies such as the Maryland Department of Commerce.

“If they’re not engaged in Harford County, we need to get them here,” he said. “From a state perspective, leverage your resources and support one another.”

Jim Thornton, former chair of the Harford County Caucus of African-American Leaders, called Thursday a “very special night” to have the state’s Legislative Black Caucus in his jurisdiction.

“Sometimes in Maryland, you get the impression that if you’re not from Prince George’s County, or Montgomery County, or Baltimore County, or Baltimore City, then you’re not really a person of color in Maryland,” he said. “What you need to remember is that there are Black folks and people of color who live in Harford County.”

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