photo credit: Annabel Fogleman
On Wednesday, January 18, 2023, history was made. Wes Moore was sworn into office in the Maryland State House at noon, becoming the first ever Black governor of the state of Maryland and the third Black governor in United States history.
“From my birthplace of Montgomery County… to my adoptive home of Baltimore City…From the sandy beaches of the Eastern Shore… to the rolling hills of Western Maryland… and everywhere in between,” Moore stated when describing his attachment to the state of Maryland.
Westley Watende Omari Moore was born in Takoma Park, Maryland, on October 15, 1978. At the young age of 3, Moore lost his father to the extremely rare and lethal infection, epiglottitis. After the tragic passing, his mother, Joy, moved the future governor and his two sisters from Maryland to the Bronx, hoping to be closer to more family during their grieving.
Wes Moore became a part of the United States Military, serving in Afghanistan from 2005 to 2006. After coming back to the United States, he went into investment banking in Deutsche Bank, but left to be a Fellow under Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice for a year. Moore returned to investment banking at Citibank until 2012.
Last year, Wes Moore ran for governor of Maryland against Republican nominee Dan Cox. Moore won the election with 64.53% of the vote, Cox acquiring 32.12%.
Maryland’s newest governor has broken barriers for people of color in the United States already, being the first Black governor of Maryland and one of the first Black governors of any state. Currently, Wes Moore is the only Black governor in office throughout the country.
“We are blocks away from the Annapolis docks, where so many enslaved people arrived in this country against their will. And we are standing in front of a capitol building built by their hands, ” he stated in his inaugural address,” he stated in his speech.
“There is not a single challenge that I am nervous about. It’s our time, Maryland. Let’s lead”
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