ELKTON — Calling the town a ‘jewel to the state,’ Maryland Gov. Wes Moore toured the Elkton Colored School Museum and Culture Center, the Elkton Community Center and addiction outreach and prevention group Voices of Hope during his visit to Elkton last week.
“We are seeing remarkable work taking place in Cecil County among community members, local elected officials and the business community,” Moore said. “This is Maryland strong at its finest.”
Moore stated that his visit to Elkton stemmed from his campaign promise of partnership. He explained that Cecil County’s economic development and diverse economy and agricultural heritage are things that make the county a “jewel to the state.”
“We believe in Cecil County, we believe in Elkton and we believe in the promise that if you want Maryland’s economic engine to go, Cecil County has to take its rightful place and play an important part,” Moore said.
Moore’s visit to the former Elkton Colored School — the first school for African American students in Cecil County built in the late 1800s — began with an introduction from Elkton officials on what the future restoration project holds for the building.
The restoration project, as explained by architect Dr. Dale Green, will restore the classroom portion of the school house to a period-accurate recreation. The other part of the building, which was formerly used as a maintenance facility, is slated to be used for workforce and job training.
During the tour, Elkton Commissioner Charles Givens — who attended the school — explained to Moore what it was like to learn in the historic schoolhouse. Givens said that up to 50 students filled the room each day for education.
Moore called his experience in the colored school “empowering and inspirational.”
“Visiting the colored school was special because any time you get a chance to learn and understand your history, you walk out empowered,” Moore said. “To invest in our history, honor our collective history and to honor our collective struggles is going to be really important because it adds not only a sense of context, but a sense of urgency in the way we do our work.”
Moore later visited the Elkton Community Center, home to the Cecil County Judy Center Early Learning Hub. Moore met educators and played with students.
Judy Centers across the state are what Moore said are critical resources for students and early childhood education — stating that Judy Centers address the most important aspirations of the new statewide funding initiative, Blueprint for Maryland’s Future.
“Judy Centers are a way to start the educational process early because that is going to set a child up for long term success,” Moore said. “We have to be able to start earlier because one of the biggest challenges we have with children is that they are starting the educational process too late.”
After playing basketball with and talking to students, Moore was joined by Maryland’s Special Secretary of Opioid Response, Emily Keller, for a tour of the addiction outreach and prevention non-profit, Voices of Hope.
Moore participated in VOH’s Safety Net Project by signing a white bandana symbolizing that he lost a loved one to drug addiction. Moore expressed his appreciation for people who work in recovery, stating that he remembers everyone who was there for the friend he lost when that friend struggled with addiction.
After meeting with VOH staff, Moore met with VOH’s General Program Manager Aaron Wright who explained to him the operations at VOH and how VOH is combating Xylazine — a dangerous drug additive that is not authorized for human consumption that is found in the majority of Cecil County’s drug supply.
Both Moore and Keller stated that they had been unaware of how bad the Xylazine epidemic truly was in Cecil County and that the state has come up with a work group that has been tasked with looking into Xylazine across the state.
Keller explained that once a report is complete, the state will begin taking next steps.
After the visit, Moore stated that all of the efforts and operations in Elkton are a continuation of what makes Cecil County a jewel and that his administration looks forward to continuing partnership with the town, and the county.
“This is such a jewel to our state and we are going to invest in it that way,” Moore said.
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