Working as a photo-journalist during the turbulent 60’s and 70’s had it’s moments of terror and fear, as bombings and fires raged with anger of blacks and whites confronting each other. One such night of fear and anxiety came in Harford County as the H. Rap Brown trial was to open in a few days.
The trial never happened,….in Bel Air…after a car with two black men inside exploded along Route 1 and Toll Gate road, while the town was under ‘lock down’ because of threats the police received from supporters of Mr. Brown.
The story I wrote and the photographs taken were shared with Time-Life magazine in New York….
From Time magazine comes this account of what happened next:
“Two black militants were killed when their car was blasted to bits while they were riding on a highway south of Bel Air, Md. The dead were Ralph Featherstone, 30, and ...Continue Reading
The following letter was distributed by Stephen Wright. A copy was provided to The Dagger upon request. It has been edited only to remove contact information:
Harford Co citizens need strong, common sense leadership to face the challenges the future is bringing to us. We are fortunate that Harford County is in high demand. BRAC will bring prosperity in the form of more jobs, both skilled and unskilled, a situation unparalleled in our history. The possibilities are almost mind-boggling! As a result, Harford County needs strong, common sense leadership if we are to fully realize this potential. I will provide that kind of leadership – that is why I am running for Harford County Executive, and I am asking you to support my candidacy.
I believe the present administration is truly befuddled. Either by direct action or indecisiveness the present administration has impeded the private business sector from ...Continue Reading
Dr. Percy Vandella Williams was a true giant in the field of public education, not only in Harford County, but also in the state and nation. Born in rural Perryman, Dr. Williams spent an entire lifetime proving that education is the key to equality for all. Dr. Williams, a long-time Havre de Grace resident, passed away on Saturday, November 14th, at Harford Memorial Hospital.
A teacher, supervisor, principal, and state assistant superintendent of schools, Dr. Williams also spent ten years as a member and two years as president of the Harford County Board of Education. He was also president of the Maryland Association of Boards of Education for one year.
“Dr. Williams brought about necessary change to Harford County with respect to cultural equality,” said Board President Mark M. Wolkow. “His legacy will outlive all of us as each student that graduates from Harford County Public Schools takes ...Continue Reading
The following letter was provided by Jansen Robinson, Chair of the Edgewood Community Council:
Racism is defined as the belief that a particular race is superior or inferior to another, that a person’s social and moral traits are predetermined by his or her inborn biological characteristics. Racial separatism is the belief, most of the time based on racism, that different races should remain segregated and apart from one another”.
Discrimination is a sociological term that refers to treatment taken toward or against a person of a certain group that is taken in consideration based on class or category.
Several years ago-and prior to any BRAC revelations, the issue on the table was over-crowded high schools north of I- 95. However the high schools south of I-95 had excess capacity. Also it was revealed that at that time total school enrollment had increased slightly. But not enough to ...Continue Reading
Harford County students scored above the state and national averages on the Critical Reading and Mathematics sections of the SAT Reasoning Test, according to data released by the College Board today.
Compared to 2008, Harford County test-takers’ overall performance improved in Critical Reading (two points), remained steady in Mathematics, and dropped by two points in Writing. Harford County mean scores exceed the state in Critical Reading (507 versus 500) and in Mathematics (521 versus 502) while dropping below the state in Writing (488 versus 495).
The number of test-takers in Harford County decreased in 2009 with 1,350 graduates participating; approximately 26 percent of these were minority students. Compared to the state, African-American students in Harford County scored higher than their Maryland counterparts in both Critical Reading and Mathematics, but averaged slightly lower in writing.
“We are aligning our curriculum to ensure that our students have the skills necessary to do well on national ...Continue Reading
The July 4th Independence Day holiday marks the official start of the election season in Maryland. The parades, cookouts, and horseshoe toss competitions offer the perfect opportunity for candidates to float their names to a massive audience and, conveniently, according to State Board of Elections, the first day an individual may file a Certificate of Candidacy is July 6, 2009.
Although the September 14, 2010 Primary Election is longer than 14 months away and the deadline for candidates to file is not until July 5, 2010, many races already appear to be heavily contested.
To chronicle the political races as they develop, The Dagger has put together a 2010 Harford County Political Races chart – a series of tables for each race in the 2010 Harford County Primary Election along with the names of the candidates who have, will, may, or are speculated to be running for office.
