SYKESVILLE, Md. — It may come as no surprise that the French Twist Cafe in Sykesville flies a French flag, but it also flies one in support of Black History Month.
“We need to not forget how this country started and all the bad things that we’ve done. We all do,” said the cafe’s owner, Helene Taylor, “Everybody does things like this, but I think it is important to remember so it won’t happen again and we’re all equal. It doesn’t matter what color we are. We’re all human beings so…”
So no one should be surprised that the Downtown Sykesville Connection has elected to fly a much larger banner this month over its historic Main Street highlighting a project underway to uncover a somewhat hidden part of the town’s past.
“Black History Month is not new,” said Julie Della-Maria, the DNC’s executive director, “It’s an initiative we decided to celebrate differently, because it’s the beginning of a research project, unveiling the story of the past of the 13 black families who came to Sykesville enslaved and built it.”
Sykesville continues to explore its African American past
The town of Sykesville took a major step in recognizing its African American history back in 2018 when it renamed the old Warfield Park after Carrie Dorsey.
A daughter of slaves, Dorsey had a dozen children who lived on a hill above Sykesville, and she motivated each of them to do something more with their lives.
The research project aims to explore the contributions of a dozen more black families and its work will be unveiled when the State of Maryland celebrates its 250th anniversary next year.
While some have questioned such an effort as diversity, equity and inclusion programs have suddenly come under fire, supporters say they will not abandon a part of the town’s history that is long forgotten.
“If it becomes hard, we will become creative,” said Della-Maria, “We will serve our community and each and every member of this community with the same respect, the same commitment and the same dedication, because it’s what we do. It’s our job. It’s a moral obligation.”
