'Not just an admirer': Gov.-elect Wes Moore to take oath on Frederick Douglass's Bible at swearing-in ceremony
BALTIMORE - Wes Moore will be sworn in as governor Wednesday in Annapolis on his grandfather's bible and Frederick Douglass's Bible, he said.
Moore's inauguration ceremony will begin at noon on Wednesday at the State House in Annapolis. He will take the reigns from Gov. Larry Hogan to become the state's first Black governor.
Douglass, a Maryland native, received the Bible from members of the Metropolitan African Methodist Episcopal Church in Washington, D.C.
He was born into slavery and later escaped to become an abolitionist, author and speaker.
"Douglass was a proud Marylander and as your next governor, I will work every day to carry on his legacy of fighting for justice and equality," Moore said.
According to The Washington Post, the National Park Service approved Moore's request to use the Bible.
"I'm not just an admirer, but someone who is a true connoisseur of his life, of his teachings, of his writings," Moore told The Washington Post. "And I've wondered what he would think about this moment, particularly with his life, with his sacrifice, with his frustrations."
On Wednesday I will be sworn in as governor on Frederick Douglass’ Bible and my grandfather’s Bible.
— Wes Moore for Maryland Governor (@iamwesmoore) January 14, 2023
Douglass was a proud Marylander and as your next governor, I will work every day to carry on his legacy of fighting for justice and equality.https://t.co/KCOjAjQIrT
The Bible, embossed with "Frederick Douglass" on the front, is part of the Frederick Douglass National Historic Site museum collection, cared for by the National Park Service.
The Washington Post reports that for the swearing in ceremony, it will be in a specially designed protective container held by Moore's wife, Dawn. Only the new governor's hand will touch it.
The Bible was a gift to Douglass in 1889 from the congregation of Washington's Metropolitan African Methodist Episcopal Church, one of the oldest Black churches in the District. It was presented to Douglass as he prepared to travel to Haiti to serve as President Benjamin Harrison's United States resident minister and consul general until July 1891, according to information provided by the National Park Service.
Here's what you need to know about Wednesday's inauguration.