Event name
In Honor of Black History Month: PCV Speaker Series: Thurgood Marshall: A Trail-Blazing Civil Rights Victory in Montgomery County
When
Thu 02 / 20 / 2025
3:00 PM to 4:30 PM
3:00 PM to 4:30 PM
Where
Potomac Community Center
11315 Falls Road
Potomac MD 20854
11315 Falls Road
Potomac MD 20854
Who can attend
Open to all
Price
Free, but donations appreciated to allow us to continue to offer these free programs. Click on "Donate for this Event" below.
PCV Speaker Series: Thurgood Marshall: A Trail-Blazing Civil Rights Victory in Montgomery County Our presentation this month is in recognition of Black History Month.
Our speaker, Ralph Buglass, from Montgomery History's Speakers Bureau, has presented at Potomac Community Village many times over the past years.
His topic this month, on Thurgood Marshall, brings us back to the 1930s, when segregation was still the rule here in Montgomery County. In the legal case we'll learn about, Marshall delivered an early blow to school segregation right here in our county —gaining equal pay for the county’s African American teachers in 1937. This little-known legal case is often seen as the first step in Marshall’s successful drive to have separate schools for white and black children declared unconstitutional, as the Supreme Court did 17 years later in a landmark 1954 decision. This illustrated talk details this remarkable local story and its national significance.
About our speaker: Ralph Buglass, a Montgomery County native and avid history buff, has taught at lifelong learning institutes associated with Johns Hopkins and American universities and Montgomery College. He speaks frequently to community groups, businesses, and other organizations as well as at national conferences. In 2020, with Peerless Rockville, he co-authored Images of America: Rockville, a pictorial history of the city’s 250 years. A retired communications professional, he is a graduate of Winston Churchill High School and has a B.A. in American history from Cornell and an M.A. in journalism from American University.
Registration is strongly suggested.
All are welcome to attend this free and open-to-all talk.
Members who need transportation should indicate that they need a ride when they register. If you are able to offer a ride, please let us know that as well.
A note on donations: Admission to this program is free, but we welcome your support of PCV with a donation at any level to help us continue to offer free programs and events to our wider community, and enable membership without regard to ability to pay.