The Civil Rights Act in Southern Maryland: Yesterday, Today, and for Tomorrow

To commemorate the 60th anniversary of the Civil Rights Act and to coincide with Governor Wes Moore's proclamation of 2024 as Maryland's Year of Civil Rights, the Center for the Study of Democracy, St. Mary's College of Maryland, Historic St. Mary's City and Historic Sotterley will host a panel discussion titled "The Civil Rights Act in Southern Maryland: Yesterday, Today, and for Tomorrow." This program will feature distinguished panelists from academia, law, activist and advocacy circles and the museum studies community from the region to explore the legacy of the Civil Rights Act in Southern Maryland. We hope to stimulate dialogue, enhance learning, forge partnerships and promote civic engagement within the Southern Maryland community.

The panel will feature:

MODERATOR:

Kelsey R. Bush, Community Affairs Liasion for St. Mary’s College of Maryland. Mr. Bush is also the President of the Board of Directors for Walden Wise, the Secretary for Historic Sotterley, the Chair of the St. Mary’s County Human Relation Commission, and a Founding Board member of the Foundation Board for the Patuxent River Test Museum.

SPEAKERS:

Dennis A. Doster is a scholar of African American history with close to two decades of professional experience in the field of public history. Currently, he heads the Black History Program, a unit of the Prince George’s County Department of Parks and Recreation of the Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission. In this position, Doster oversees four historic African American sites; undertakes and supervises research on local black history; and produces exhibitions and programming for various audiences, including the county’s annual Juneteenth Festival.

Chuck Holden, Professor at St. Mary’s College of Maryland since 1999. His books include: In the Great Maelstrom: Conservatives in Post-Civil War South Carolina (2002) and The New Southern University: Academic Freedom and Liberalism at UNC (2011). He is also a co-author on Republican Populist: Spiro Agnew and the Origin of Donald Trump's America (2019). His op-eds have appeared in The Washington Post, The Baltimore Sun, The Charlotte Observer, the Des Moines Register. and the History News Network.

Michael Kent, Historian. He began his career as an Historian by collecting his family's oral histories and then expanded his research to include all of Calvert County's Black history. He put that research in a book titled "Mulatto, the Black history of Calvert County". Michael served as a Lt. for the Judge Advocate General Corps of the U.S. Naval Reserves and as an Assistant State's Attorney in Baltimore and Prince George's Counties in Maryland. Michael was appointed by Governor O'Mally and Governor Hogan to serve on the Maryland Commission for African American History and culture.

Chief Mark Tayac, 29th generation of hereditary chiefs of the Piscataway Indian Nation. Mark Tayac and the Piscataway Nation Singers & Dancers carry on the long-standing traditions, culture and heritage of their Indigenous ancestors. From Tayac Territory, (Port Tobacco, MD), Mark Tayac travels with the Piscataway Nation Singers & Dancers presenting a colorful, educational and entertaining pow wow-style campus event featuring American Indian Dance, Drum & Song. Mark has worked tirelessly to ensure the recognition of the tribe in the state of Maryland and worked with federal authorities to repatriate material culture and human remains belonging to the Piscataway.

Janice Walthour, a retired educator, worked in St. Mary’s County Public Schools for 36 years as a teacher, resource teacher, assistant principal, principal and coordinator of academic intervention programs. As a political activist, she served as voter registration chair for the historic event of electing Joseph Lee Somerville, Sheriff of St. Mary's County. Walthour is past president and currently a member of the Unified Committee for Afro American Contributions (UCAC). Walthour has been awarded numerous citations for professional and community services. 

 A pre-event reception with light refreshments will take place at 6 p.m. in the lobby of the Dodge PAC.