Edith Throckmorton

"I always wanted to help people…I believe in results and I always wanted to improve people's lots and their ways of living. 1974"

"Siempre quise ayudar a la gente… Creo en los resultados y siempre quise mejorar el destino de la gente y su forma de vivir. 1974"

"Bricks through windows do not open doors, but levers in the voting booths do! 1967

¡No se abren las puertas con ladrillos por la ventana, sino con palancas en las cabinas de votación! 1967"

Born at the height of the Jim Crow era, Edith Throckmorton was raised in West Virginia and educated in Pennsylvania. There she was spared segregation practices that were pervasive in classrooms below the Mason-Dixon Line.

Following college, she relocated to Montgomery County in 1933. Edith taught in segregated schools and was promoted to the position of principal at the new Emory Grove Consolidated Colored (Longview) Elementary School in 1950. There she managed the first Black county school to offer kindergarten and special education courses and joined both the county and state levels of the Parent Teacher Association.

Edith was the first African American official elected to serve on the Montgomery County Council of Parent-Teacher Associations. When the schools were integrated, Edith was asked to revert to a teaching position and work under a white principal. In 1959, she resigned in protest, ending her 25-year service in public education.

In retirement, Edith elevated her personal drive for equality to serve a greater community purpose. She finally had the freedom to speak freely of her beliefs:

There was a time…I couldn't speak out. But…now I can say what I want and nobody can touch me. 'Cause I'm saying what I feel."

In 1962, she began her 16-year tenure as president of the Montgomery County Chapter of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP). Her energies were directed to issues of fair housing, equal employment opportunities, and voter rights.

For such outstanding commitment to public service and civil rights, Edith won numerous honors, including the 1981 Unsung Heroine Service Award from the National Women's Conference, NAACP. After her death in 1982, the Ken-Gar Civic Association dedicated this park in her honor.

Nacida en plena época de Jim Crow, Edith Throckmorton se crió en Virginia Occidental y se educó en Pensilvania. Allí se libró de las prácticas de segregación que imperaban en las aulas por debajo de la línea Mason-Dixon.

Después de la universidad, se trasladó al condado de Montgomery en 1939. Edith enseñó en escuelas segradas y fue elevada al puesto de directora de la nueva escuela primaria consolidada de color Emory Grove (Longview) en 1950. Allí dirigió la primera escuela de color del condado que ofrecía cursos preescolares y educación especial y se unió a la Asociación de Padres de Alumnos del condado y del estado.

Edith fue la primera funcionaria afroamericana elegida para formar parte del Consejo de Asociaciones de Padres y Profesores del condado de Montgomery. Cuando las escuelas se integraron, se le pidió a Edith que volveria a ocupar un puesto de profesora y que trabajara a las órdenes de un director de raza blanca. En 1959, renunció como protesta, poniendo fin a sus 25 años de servicio en la educación pública.

Al jubilarse, Edith elevó su impulso personal por la igualdad para servir a un propósito comunitario mayor. Finalmente tuvo la libertad de hablar libremente de sus creencias:

"Hubo una epoca…en que no podía hablar. Pero… ahora puede decir lo que quiero y nadie puedo afectarme. Porque digo lo que siento".

En 1962, comenzó su mandato de 16 años como presidenta de la sección del condado de Montgomery de la Asociación Nacional para el Avance de las Personas de Color (NAACP). Luego dirigío sus energías a cuestiones de vivienda justa, igualdad de oportunidades de empleo y los derechos de los votantes.

Por su destacado compromiso con el servicio público y los derechos civiles, Edith recibió numerosos honores entre ellos el Premio el Servicio de la Heroína Anónima de 1981 de la Conferencia Nacional de Mujeres, NAACP. Tras su muerte in 1982, la Asociación Cívica de Ken-Gar dedicó este parque en su honor.
 
Erected by Montgomery

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Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: African Americans • Civil Rights • Education • Women. In addition, it is included in the Maryland, Montgomery Parks series list. A significant historical year for this entry is 1967.
 
Location. 39° 1.929′ N, 77° 4.783′ W. Marker is in Kensington, Maryland, in Montgomery County. It is at the intersection of Hampden Street and Vaughn Street, on the right when traveling west on Hampden Street. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 3925 Hampden St, Kensington MD 20895, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in the Washington Metropolitan Area. It is also in the American Mid-Atlantic. Globally, it is in the North Atlantic Region, North America, the Western Hemisphere, the Western World, and the Anglosphere. Historically, it finds itself in what was once one of the original Thirteen Colonies and also the Antebellum South.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: Newport Mills (approx. ¼ mile away); Baltimore and Ohio Railroad Bridge Abutment

Photographed by Devry Becker Jones (CC0), March 21, 2026

2. Edith Throckmorton Marker

(approx. ¼ mile away); 9-11 Memorial • KVFD (approx. ¼ mile away); Photos of Historic Kensington (approx. 0.3 miles away); Veterans Memorial (approx. half a mile away); Clum-Kennedy Park (approx. 0.7 miles away); Millstone From Alfred Ray's Property (approx. 0.7 miles away); Garrett Park, MD (approx. 0.8 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Kensington.

 

Photographed by Devry Becker Jones (CC0), March 21, 2026

3. Edith Throckmorton Neighborhood Park

 

 
Credits. This page was last revised on March 21, 2026. It was originally submitted on March 21, 2026, by Devry Becker Jones of Washington, District of Columbia. This page has been viewed 12 times since then. Photos:   1, 2, 3. submitted on March 21, 2026, by Devry Becker Jones of Washington, District of Columbia.