“Typically during this month we focus on national figures of African descent. But we can also focus on local figures. These represent the front line of any struggle. Dr. King made a magnificent speech on the mall 30 years ago. But suppose no one showed up? The Million Man March focus for many was Minister Farakhan. But the real heroes were the hundreds of thousands who stood all day unified and disciplined.”
Taylor, P. “Passing the Torch.” UMD Black Faculty and Staff Association Newsletter. Vol. 6 No. 1. February 1996. UPUB B5.005, University Archives, Special Collections, University Libraries.
The display case in the Maryland Room features two UMD yearbooks and some items from Leon Washington Condol’s papers.
Delve deeper into history with a monthly display in Hornbake Library’s Maryland Room! This month’s display celebrates Black History Month and recognizes the voices of Leon Washington Condol and his family.
Mr. Condol’s great grandmother, Mary Ann Cord, suffered slavery and separation from her children; the collection records her reunion with her youngest son, and her employment with Samuel Clemens. Louise Washington Condol carried on the history of grandmother Mary Ann Cord and passed this heritage to her son, Leon Washington Condol. He and his wife, Virginia, experienced the racial prejudices of their own times.
The Maryland Room also displays two yearbooks:
- a 1952 edition of the Terrapin with a photo of Hiram Whittle, the first African-American undergraduate at UMD, and
- a 1959 edition showing the senior photo of Elaine Johnson, the first female African-American to graduate from UMD.
Hiram Whittle, the first African-American undergraduate at UMD, is photographed with his dormmates (bottom-left photo).
Special Collections & University Archives 