New beginnings

Maryland will be swearing in a new governor today, a man named Wes Moore, who now becomes Maryland’s first black governor and just the third elected black governor in our nation's history.

Mr. Moore will take the oath, swearing to show "true allegiance to the State of Maryland and uphold its constitution and laws,” while holding a Bible that once belonged to Frederick Douglass. Douglass, born in Maryland into slavery, escaped that wretched existence and became an abolitionist leader.

New Governor Moore says he is a disciple of Douglass and so he prevailed upon the National Park Service to arrange to borrow the Bible for the ceremony. 

“I’m not just an admirer, I’m someone who is a true connoisseur of his life, his teachings and his writings,” Moore said upon finding that his request was granted. “And I was wondering what he would think of that moment, especially his life, his sacrifice, his frustrations.”

The old Bible was given to Douglass in 1889 by the Metropolitan African Methodist Episcopal Church of Washington. It is part of the collection at the  Frederick Douglass National Historic Site. The new First Lady of Maryland, Dawn Moore, will hold the bible in a protective case. Only Mr. Moore's hand will touch the sacred book.

The Douglass Bible

Even though he began his life journey as an enslaved person, Douglass never lost his love for Maryland. He escaped and headed north to freedom in 1838, not returning until a new Maryland Constitution finally banned slavery in 1864. 

Frederick Douglass was born in Talbot County on Maryland's Eastern Shore in 1818 and passed away in 1895. 

In the early days of his single term as president of the US, Donald Trump offered proof of the depth of his understanding of the history of the country he swore to serve and protect, saying this at a Black History Month event in 2017:

“I am very proud now that we have a museum on the National Mall where people can learn about Reverend King, so many other things, Frederick Douglass is an example of somebody who’s done an amazing job and is getting recognized more and more, I notice. Harriet Tubman, Rosa Parks, and millions more black Americans who made America what it is today. Big impact.”

For the record, Frederick Douglass was not alive at the time, nor had he been for many years. 

On that visit, Trump asked that the National Museum of African American History and Culture be closed to visitors during his time there, but museum staff did not find it appropriate to shut out the public on that day, which happened to be Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Day. “The notion that we could shut out visitors on the first King holiday since the opening of the museum was not something I could accept,” said Smithsonian Secretary Lonnie Bunch.

During his visit to the museum, Trump paused in front of a mural depicting the role of Dutch people in the slave trade, remarking, "They love me in the Netherlands."

"Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past." - Isaiah 43:18