Banneker-Douglass-Tubman Museum Launches Preservation Initiative Honoring Senator Verda Freeman Welcome

The Banneker-Douglass-Tubman Museum is proud to announce the launch of a major preservation initiative dedicated to preserving the legacy of Senator Verda Freeman Welcome—a trailblazing educator, political leader, and civil rights advocate.

With generous support from the Association of African American Museums, the museum is honored to welcome two new members to its archival team who will lead this important work:

✨ Alan Wierdak, Project Processing Archivist, will lead the effort to survey, stabilize, and organize Senator Welcome’s collection—including her personal papers, legislative documents, photographs, and other significant materials—to safeguard her life and contributions for generations to come.

✨ Brendon Blackson, our Fall 2025 Walter B. Hill Fellow, will assist in this work while deepening his own research as a History Master’s candidate at Morgan State University. The fellowship honors Dr. Walter B. Hill, Jr., a distinguished archivist, historian, and former commissioner of the Maryland Commission on African American History and Culture, and continues his legacy of encouraging African American participation in archival science.

This initiative builds on the Banneker-Douglass-Tubman Museum’s mission to preserve and share Maryland’s African American history and culture, ensuring that pioneers like Senator Welcome are remembered, studied, and celebrated. The goal is to ensure the archive is properly preserved and made accessible to researchers, educators, and the public.

About Verda Freeman Welcome

Elected to the Maryland House of Delegates in 1958, Senator Welcome became the first African American woman to serve in that body. In 1962, she made history again as the first Black woman elected to the Maryland State Senate—one of the earliest in the nation. Over her decades of service, she championed civil rights, equal pay, justice reform, and anti-discrimination laws, while also advancing equity in education, employment, and housing. Among her many achievements, Senator Welcome was instrumental in establishing the Maryland Commission on African American History and Culture (MCAAHC), which continues her mission of preserving and promoting African American heritage today.

To learn more about BDTM’s Collection or to browse the online database, visit bdtmuseum.maryland.gov/library.

Photo Source: Verda’s Place: A Valiant Women exhibition at BDTM (2019) | Learn more at https://express.adobe.com/page/ejG5lHciDavmJ/