By Tashi McQueen
AFRO Staff Writer
tmcqueen@afro.com
The Most Worshipful Prince Hall Grand Lodge of Maryland will celebrate 200 years on April 26 from 12 p.m. to 3 p.m. at the Reginald F. Lewis Museum of Maryland African American History & Culture. The bicentennial celebration will honor the late Congressman Elijah Cummings, D-Md., an avid lodge member, by awarding several scholarships in his name. The event is open to the public, and tickets are $100.
“The Grand Lodge will be hosting our inaugural scholarship and awards program,” said Seymour Chambers, the grand historian for the Grand Lodge. “At this event, we will recognize several individuals in the Maryland community who have provided leadership and service to the community. That will include former State Senator Diane McFadden, also current U.S. Senator Angela Alsobrooks (D-Md.).”
The historian said the scholarships will go to four Maryland HBCUs: Morgan State University, Coppin State University, the University of Maryland Eastern Shore, and Bowie State University.
“In doing this, we are showing our commitment to educating our young people and engaging the community during this bicentennial era,” said the historian.
Chambers said there would also be a commemorative chartering at the event in honor of the original founding on Feb. 2, 1825.
“We were supported in that endeavor 200 years ago by the Grand Lodge of Pennsylvania,” he said. “They’ll be coming down to reissue the charter that established the Maryland jurisdiction.”
The Prince Hall fraternity is North America’s largest primarily African-American Masonic body. The Most Worshipful Prince Hall Grand Lodge of Maryland has over 4,500 lodges internationally, 45 independent jurisdictions and around 300,000 members.
Grand Master Kevin L. Barney Jr. said the Grand Lodge has shifted its initiatives, principles and goals over the past 200 years based on the country’s climate. He emphasized the Prince Hall Masons’ role in the Black community.
“We’re an advocate [for] the African-American community—dealing with civil rights, equal justice, effective health care [and] education,” said Barney. “We get regular communications from the public for any assistance they may need.”
Chambers further highlighted how the Prince Hall Masons engage in the community.
“The lodges are part of the community,” said Chambers. “When there are communal issues, those brothers and our sister organization, Order of the Eastern Star, are in those communities. People can reach out to them for assistance. If there are neighborhood association meetings, lodges in that neighborhood will attend those meetings.”
They also sponsor events such as Take Back the Night, an annual event to raise awareness about sexual assault and domestic violence, and have established a child identification program to help parents obtain critical information about their children in case they go missing.
“Our history is the history of the Black experience,” said Chambers. “We want to make sure that we’re sharing this with our community and they have a better understanding of what we’re all about.”