Harford County Executive Bob Cassilly recently highlighted one of the ways the county will be recognizing Black History Month in the Harford Outlook, the County’s eNewsletter.

February is Black History Month and an opportunity to learn about the struggle for racial equality in our community. Harford Community College’s Harford Civil Rights Project, funded in part with a grant from county government, seeks to document and interpret this history, including first-hand accounts from area residents.

Starting this month, and running through June 30, the Hays-Heighe House at HCC is hosting an exhibit about the project. The Harford Civil Rights Project website has even more information, including images and videos that bring these stories to life.

The Harford Civil Rights Project (HCRP) is a free mobile app that allows users to learn about the 20th Century African American civil rights movement in Harford County, Maryland. Located in central Maryland in the greater Baltimore region, civil rights activists, educators, students and others took actions in the 1950s and 1960s that boldly challenged the segregated status quo. They fought to de-segregate public schools, businesses, and hospitals. They participated in a 1961 Freedom Ride, and protested unfair racist housing practices. The movement also included an effort to improve race and push back against unfair employment practices.

The HCRP website and mobile app. includes location-enabled sites where users can learn about key events, individuals and outcomes that illustrate the region’s role in the 20th Century African American civil rights movement. Sites may include text descriptions, images, oral history recordings and other material that illuminate the civil rights history of the greater Harford region.