Aberdeen native Janice Grant receives first Harford Civil Rights Leadership Award

Feb. 16—Janice East Moorehead Grant, considered the oldest living civil rights activist in Harford County, was honored Feb. 9 with a lifetime achievement award by the Harford Civil Rights Project at a reception at Harford Community College.

Grant, 89, a native of Aberdeen born in 1933, has had a long and illustrious career in civil service in the county and around the world. The Harford Civil Rights Project is a program about the 20th Century African American civil rights movement in Harford County, operated by the community college.

"Everything goes to God's honor," Grant said from the podium, accepting the crystal award. "I love all of you."

Grant shared a few stories of her work in 19 different African countries, as well as anecdotes about people she's met and words of inspiration for the audience.

"Everybody has made contributions," she said. "I want you to love yourself. There isn't one person in this room that isn't valuable."

Grant was joined by her son, Woodrow; Roger and Miriam Tatuem, pastors at Helping Hands Ministries in Churchville; one of her twin brothers, Tim Moorehead; and several longtime friends from the community. Other presenters included James Karmel, director of the Harford Civil Rights Project and professor of history at Harford Community College; Theresa Felder, Harford Community College president; and Julie Mancine, Hays-Heighe House coordinator.

Harford Community College nursing student, Munah Tukpei shared a video presentation of oral history sessions she recorded as part of her scholarship work with the project. Keynote speaker David Terry, a professor at Morgan State University, discussed "The Twentieth-Century Black Struggle in the South and Its Allies."

The most moving speech came from Margaret Ferguson, former co-chair of the Campaign 42 African American History of Harford County Project, who became emotional while listing the numerous activities Grant has participated in over the years, from sit-ins at lunch counters in Aberdeen to freedom rides in Mississippi.

"She is fearless," Ferguson said through tears. "She represents what it means to run a righteous race. Thank you, Mrs. Grant, for all you have done."

Grant attended segregated schools as a child, graduating from the Havre de Grace Colored School in 1951. After college, she taught at the Havre de Grace Consolidated School. Along with her late husband, Woody, she advocated for equal opportunity for black students and educators in Harford County, according to a biography provided by the school.

Notably, she was a key plaintiff in the final — and successful — lawsuit filed against Harford County Public Schools in 1964 to completely desegregate the school system, 11 years after the 1954 Supreme Court decision in Brown v Board of Education ushered in desegregation in the nation's schools.

"Sadly, the desegregation of Harford County school systems failed to produce true integration and equality, especially for the teachers," Ferguson said. "Janice would have none of such unfair treatment, as discrimination continued toward minority teachers when it came to hiring practices, certifications, transfers and promotions."

Grant sued Harford County Public Schools on several occasions to get those reforms, changes which are now "the norm" in the school system, Ferguson said.

Grant helped lead the effort to overcome one of the final barriers to full school desegregation in Harford: preventing Black teachers from teaching white students.

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In the 1950s and 1960s, Grant also became a leader in various efforts in the region and in the South in support of civil rights. Later, she and Woody joined the Peace Corps, serving as a teacher in Liberia.

In 1959, she and four other residents formed the Harford County Human Relations Commission, which is now part of the county government.

In the 1990s, she served as the president of Harford's NAACP chapter, leading civil rights efforts for Black soldiers stationed at Aberdeen Proving Ground among other actions. She also founded the Helping Hands Ministry on Level Road in Havre de Grace, which helps those in need with food and other needs.

She earned a bachelor's degree from what is now Bowie State University, and master's degrees from UCLA and Texas Southern University.

Grant retired from teaching in 1996, having taught at several county public schools. She remains active in the Harford community, serving as a board member of the Havre de Grace Colored School Museum and Cultural Center, and as a member of the NAACP and Zeta Phi Beta Sorority, Inc. She regularly participates in various activities and events, sharing her remarkable life story and wisdom in support of civil rights.

More about Grant's life, including oral history segments recorded by Grant, on the Harford Civil Rights Project website and app at harfordcivilrights.org.

The event concluded with the announcement of a new Harford Civil Rights Project student scholarship in Grant's name.