New Black Democratic Club Hosts First Meeting

Low voter turnout among the black community contributed to the founding of the Thurgood Marshall Democratic Club (TMDC), but participation wasn’t a problem at its kickoff meeting on July 24, said members.

Approximately 50 to 60 people showed up for the group’s first-ever meeting, at in Elkridge, reported Ethel Hill.

Hill, a cofounder of the group, was the first black person to run for elected office in Howard County, said the Howard County Times. According to Hill, the Sunday meeting was a first, too. “The formation of the TMDC is historic because we are the first black Democratic Club in Howard County,” she explained.

The Democrats sought to increase involvement of the black community in the issues, in a county whose newspaper reported that 3 of 30 elected officials are African-American: Councilman Calvin Ball (D-Columbia/Ellicott City/Elkridge/Jessup); state Del. Frank Turner (D-Howard); and U.S. Rep. Elijah Cummings (D-MD).

“The response has been terrific,” said Hill of TMDC's meeting, where Cummings was the keynote speaker. “We were pleased about the number of young people, including former councilman Dr. C. Vernon Gray [the county's first black councilman] and a Glenelg Country Day School senior,” said Hill.

Hill noted that Lt. Gov. Anthony Brown, Del. Liz Bobo (D-Howard), Del. Shane Pendergrass (D-Howard) and Councilwoman Courtney Watson (D-Elkridge/Ellicott City/Hanover) provided congratulatory messages.

According to its mission statement, TMDC aims to

• improve African-American voter registration and turnout
• encourage qualified African-American Democrats to run for elected offices
• educate the community on the issues
• promote the appointment of qualified African-American Democrats to political and civic boards, commissions and committees 

“Contrary to what some seem to believe, African-Americans are not a monolithic group,” said Hill. 

"Therefore, TMDC will aggressively seek to solicit their views as well as broaden the level and degree of their involvement in advancing the political interests of the black Howard County community," she continued. "We believe that the umbrella of the Democratic Party is the best vehicle for achieving this.”

Membership is open to any registered Democrat who supports the TMDC mission, said Hill. 

General membership meetings will be the second Wednesdays of every month at in Elkridge. The next meeting will be Sept. 14 at 7 p.m. For more information, e-mail Anthony Cunningham at Anthony@Starflightenterprises.com.