Home | BaltimoreBrew.com
The Dripby Brew Editors5:59 pmJul 2, 20140

The highs – and lows – of the Civil Rights struggle in Maryland

On the 50th anniversary of the Civil Rights Act, the Maryland Historical Society unearths photographic gems that capture those tumultuous times

Above: A member of CORE watches Charles J. Luthardt, white supremacist, protesting a CORE Convention. Undated photo by Richard Childress.

The Civil Rights Act of 1964 took effect 50 years ago today. Lift a glass! (Or a fist. Or both, depending on how you feel about things half-a-century later.)

To commemorate this anniversary, the Maryland Historical Society dug up some striking photographs from three of its collections – those of Paul Henderson, Richard Childress and Theodore McKeldin.

You’ve got Stokely Carmichael, president of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee, loosening up his tie as he addresses a CORE convention (Congress of Racial Equality) held in the Baltimore area, date unknown.

You’ve got a grave-looking voting rights advocate Fannie Lou Hamer addressing a CORE convention, possibly the same one.

You’ve got young white men and boys at a Patterson Park protest holding up a sign that displays both racial hatred and poor spelling.

There are 13 photos in all.

The text is interesting and worth checking out as well, especially considering the sources. It’s from curator Joe Tropea’s always fascinating blog “Underbelly, from the deepest corners of the Maryland Historical Society Library.”

Among the people thanked for contributing photos and insights are Phillip Merrill, an expert in African-American memorabilia and history, and former Sun reporters Antero Pietila and Bill Zorzi.

Most Popular