Black History Month 2025

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Celebrating African Americans in Labor & Affordable Housing

February 2025

The Housing Opportunities Commission of Montgomery County (HOC) proudly celebrates Black History Month throughout February. This year’s celebration, as noted by the Association for the Study of African American Life and History, puts a spotlight on the “various and profound ways that work and working of all kinds — free and unfree, skilled, and unskilled, vocational and voluntary — intersect with the collective experiences of Black people.”

HOC recognizes that there is a bright line connection between labor and affordable housing for African Americans, who historically have been confronted with — and in some cases still face — significant disparities in both their labor market outcomes and their access to affordable housing.

Overcoming those twin challenges is central to HOC’s mission. We stand proudly with the leaders we celebrate this month as we work to expand access to affordable housing and expand housing production (and the overall housing supply) in Montgomery County.

Pioneers in Labor and Affordable Housing

Dorothy Bolden

Dorothy Bolden founded the National Domestic Workers Union in Harlem in 1934 to advocate for the rights of domestic workers, which is believed to be a stepping stone in ending the exploitation of Black domestic workers. Learn about Dorothy Bolden’s incredible story.

Sen. Edward Brooke

Sen. Edward Brooke made history as the first African American elected to the United States Senate (representing Massachusetts) by popular vote. Brooke played a pivotal role in the passage of the Fair Housing Act, increasing the minimum wage and championed the Brooke Amendment, which set limits on the amount of rent low-income tenants would have to pay in public housing. Learn about Sen. Edward Brooke.

Hattie Canty

Hattie Canty was a hotel worker during the Las Vegas boom period and was a strike leader and president of the Culinary Workers Union who fought for racial justice and better working conditions on the burgeoning Strip. Learn details of Hattie Canty’s heroic efforts.

Marcia L. Fudge

Marcia L. Fudge dedicated her career to helping low-income families, seniors, and communities across the country. From her time as the first female and African American mayor of Warrensville Heights, Ohio, to her tenure as a U.S. Representative and later as 18th HUD Secretary Fudge, fought against predatory – lending, revitalized neighborhoods and expanded opportunities for affordable housing. Learn about Marcia L. Fudge.

Patricia Roberts Harris

Patricia Roberts Harris made history as the first Black woman to serve in a U.S. presidential cabinet. While serving as Secretary of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development under President Jimmy Carter, Harris refocused HUD’s mission to improve living conditions in deteriorating neighborhoods instead of bulldozing them through slum clearance. Learn about Patricia Roberts Harris.

Maida Springer Kemp

Maida Springer Kemp was the first Black woman to represent the U.S. labor movement abroad. Learn how one-time dressmaker Maida Springer Kemp improved workers’ lives in the United States and around the world.

Rev. Channing Phillips

Rev. Channing Phillips was a civil rights leader who dedicated his life to advocating for decent housing and social justice for all. His accomplishments include leading the Housing Development Corporation’s efforts to develop and rehabilitate more than 8,000 units of affordable housing in Washington, D.C.’s Shaw neighborhood. Learn about Rev. Channing Phillips.

Roy Priest

Roy Priest serves as HOC Commission Chair, guiding the agency’s direction with the benefit of his 50 years of public housing experience. Prior to joining HOC, Priest served as executive director and CEO of the Alexandria Redevelopment and Housing Authority (ARHA) and spent 17 years in various positions with the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). In 2024, Priest was named a Montgomery County African American Living Legend. Learn about Roy Priest.

Heather Raspberry

Heather Raspberry, as Executive Director Emeritus of the Housing Association of Nonprofit Developers (HAND), has been at the forefront of creating equitable communities in the Baltimore, Washington and Richmond Capital Region. Heather’s leadership has strengthened the capacity of nonprofits throughout the Capital Region to champion affordable housing and address systemic inequities. Learn about Heather Raspberry.

Hilyard Robinson

Hilyard Robinson, a native Washingtonian and Dean of the Architectural School at Howard University, is notable for architectural achievements that benefited the greater good. Robinson designed Langston Terrace Dwellings, the first federally-funded, aesthetically pleasing public housing project in D.C. Learn about Hilyard Robinson.

Maggie L. Walker

Maggie L. Walker was the visionary founder of the St. Luke Penny Savings Bank, who not only championed financial empowerment but supported Black homeownership through the mortgages her bank provided to Black clients. Read more about Maggie L. Walker’s remarkable life.

Robert C. Weaver

Robert C. Weaver was the first Black cabinet member to lead the Department of Housing and Urban Development. Throughout his career he fought to ensure fair employment for Black Americans in those federally funded housing projects, and to increase the availability of affordable housing and dismantle segregation in housing projects. HUD’s Washington, D.C., headquarters building is named in honor of Weaver. Learn about Robert C. Weaver.

These Artisans Helped Build Montgomery County

Black Builders in Montgomery County is an enlightening article from the Montgomery County Historical Society that chronicles the significant role of African American craftspeople and artisans who built countless homes and some of the county’s most iconic and enduring structures. Learn more here.

Local Black History Events

Special events will be held across Montgomery County throughout February to commemorate Black History Month. Follow the links below for details.

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