Black History Project

This school year, our volunteers have been working on a podcast about a historic murder case that unfolded in 1920-1921 Frederick. The first four episodes were released this morning. Listen, and let us know what you think.

Year 3 – Charles Robinson Podcast During the 2025-2026 school year, fourteen student volunteers researched the case of Charles Robinson—a 16-year-old African American teenager executed for murder in downtown Frederick on February 25, 1921. The students then wrote and recorded a podcast to tell the story of the case. The podcast is...

Shout out to Black History Project volunteer Kessia for her recent service with AARCH. Using information from our year 1 project, she was able to create coloring book pages and share historic information with local children. Great work!

Night Out at Mullinix Park was a fantastic community event!
AARCH Society is especially proud to thank our amazing student volunteer, Kessia Djoko, for bringing her creative idea to life—“AARCH Meets Art.” This interactive activity helped children connect with Frederick’s African American history. Well done, Kessia! Your passion and creativity made a meaningful impact!

Check out this clip (from a longer video about student agency in the Oakdale feeder schools) in which Ms. Ehrlich and two of our student volunteers discuss the year 1 exhibit project.

Student Agency at OHS

The Black History Project officially has a website. Take a look at what we've been up to for the last two years and explore virtual versions of our projects.

Black History Project Working to raise awareness of Maryland’s Black History The Black History Project began in the fall of 2023 at Oakdale High. It is a unique project intended to educate members of the community about Maryland’s Black History. The work is carried out by student volunteers, who sift through primary ...

Special thanks to the The Institute for Common Power for providing the Black History Project with the equipment we need for next year's project. Stay tuned next fall to learn more about our upcoming podcast!

If you were unable to attend the walking tour of Cambridge, Maryland, the students have narrated a virtual version, so you can learn about the city's Black history. Take a look!

Virtual Walking Tour - Cambridge, Maryland Virtual Walking Tour - Cambridge, Maryland Black History Project, 2024-2025

We are less than two weeks away from our student-led tour of Cambridge, Maryland. FCPS teachers will be learning this important history and considering how to integrate it into their classes. Our volunteers can't wait!

Are you familiar with Gloria Richardson? She was the face of the Cambridge Movement and leader of the Cambridge Nonviolent Action Committee (CNAC). She was instrumental in the creation of the Treaty of Cambridge, negotiated by Bobby Kennedy, which would have improved employment opportunities, housing, and education for the Black community. When Cambridge business interests forced the treaty to a vote, she controversially led a boycott of the rederendum: "A first-class citizen does not plead to the white power structure to give him something that the whites have no power to give or take away. Human rights are human rights, not white rights."