Montgomery County speakers mark 100th Black History Month, pledge to "honor, teach and protect" Black history

Two speakers at a Montgomery County event commemorated the 100th anniversary of Black History Month and pledged the county would preserve and teach Black history.

An unidentified speaker who opened the event highlighted historical milestones and invoked the historian Carter G. Woodson, saying there is "no executive order. There's no federal directive. There's no . . . erasure that we're gonna allow here in Montgomery County." The speaker added, "Black history is American history, and Montgomery County will always be a place where it's honored, taught, and protected."

A second unidentified speaker framed the observance around the national theme, calling it "a century of Black history commemorations" and praising Black leaders, advocates and elected officials across Maryland. That speaker said Black History Month inspires "joy" and described Black history as "faith in action, faith in justice, faith in our community," connecting the month to faith and forward-looking civic commitments.

The remarks were celebratory and declarative rather than legislative: no motions, votes or formal actions were recorded in the transcript. The speakers emphasized education and protection of historical memory as county priorities during the observance.

Montgomery County appears in the remarks as the setting for the commemoration; the transcript does not identify the speakers by name or official title. The event focused on recognition and local commitment rather than on specific policy measures or budgetary proposals. The most recent procedural step recorded in the transcript is the public statement of intent to honor and teach Black history in the county.