Wes Moore Makes History as First Black Governor of Maryland

Wes Moore | Governor of Maryland

Eric Lee | The Washington Post via Getty Images

“It’s impossible not to think about our past and our path. We’re blocks away from the Annapolis docks, where so many enslaved people arrived in this country against their will”

— Wes Moore

By: Adonis Armstrong

Wes Moore makes history as the first Black governor of Maryland as he was sworn in on January 18, at the state’s capitol building in Annapolis, which is the nation’s oldest state Capitol building and steps away from a dock that was one of the largest slave ports in America. Moore who is an Army vet who served in Afghanistan, author, and former CEO of the Robin Hood Foundation.

“This might be his first day as an elected official, but Wes Moore has been a public servant his entire adult life”

— Oprah Winfrey

Oprah Winfrey introduced the 44 year old Democrat. Moore was sworn in using two Bibles, one of which belonged to Frederick Douglass. In his inaugural speech, he mentioned that Maryland is one of the wealthiest states in the nation, but also described it as “asset-rich and strategy poor.”

“It is time for our policies to be as bold as our aspirations and to confront the fact that we have been offered false choices. We do not have to choose between a competitive economy and an equitable one.”

Maryland Governor Wes Moore

Chip Somodevilla via Getty Images

Wes, who has never been in a public office before Wednesday, won by a landslide in November. Moore won the Democratic primary in July before winning the general election by more than 30 percent against Republican Dan Cox.

Moore wasn’t the only one who made history in Maryland yesterday. Aruna Miller who will serve under Moore as his lieutenant governor, is first Black woman to hold the position. Earlier this month Anthony G. Brown became the first Black attorney general in Maryland.

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