Wes Moore standing on the shoulders of Jamaican grandfather
Published:Wednesday | July 26, 2023 | 12:06 AMChristopher Serju/Senior Gleaner Writer
It’s a picture he holds in high regard, preserving as it does the precious and enduring memory of his grandmother Winell Thomas filling out the absentee ballot to vote for him. Sadly, she died five days before the polls but her vote was counted among the many Wes Moore got en route to the historical feat of becoming Maryland’s first black governor.
“That picture hangs in my office,” he proudly declared as he spoke with The Gleaner at The Jamaica Pegasus hotel in New Kingston on July 15, ahead of giving the address at the 2023 Commencement Ceremony for the University of the Commonwealth Caribbean on July 16.
It is just one facet of his heritage – the indomitable spirit of his Jamaican ancestors – that Wes Moore is very happy to speak about whenever he gets the chance. His great-grandfather, who emigrated to the United States, beat a hasty retreat back home to Jamaica, at the ‘urging’ of the white supremacist, right-wing terrorist and hate group, the Ku Klux Klan.
Thereafter, family members swore off America and vowed never to set foot in that country again. But his grandfather, James Joshua Thomas, Winell’s husband, had a burning desire to bring his brand of ministry to the US and achieved the distinction of being the first black minister in the history of the Dutch Reform Church. His grandfather’s zeal and passion are fresh in the mind of Moore.
“I think about his path and journey and how it has completely informed my own path and journey. So I am very cognisant of the fact that I stand on very big shoulders of people who came before me, and it is something that I believe has helped to guide my entire life. To understand my journey and that of so many others, you have to understand the journey of those who came before, to include President (Barack) Obama, and I think President Obama did help to shed light and move a measure of progress for the United States in a very important way.”
Moore is a graduate of Valley Forge Military Academy and College, where he received an associate’s degree in 1998, and was commissioned as a second lieutenant in the US Army. Afterward, he earned his bachelor’s in international relations and economics at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, where he graduated Phi Beta Kappa.
While at Johns Hopkins, Moore interned in the office of former Baltimore Mayor Kurt Schmoke and was the first black Rhodes Scholar in the history of Johns Hopkins University. As a Rhodes Scholar, he earned a master’s degree in international relations from Wolfson College at Oxford.
In 2005, Moore was deployed to Afghanistan as a captain with the 82nd Airborne Division, leading soldiers in combat. Immediately upon returning home, Moore served as a White House fellow, advising on issues of national security and international relations.
In 2010, he wrote The Other Wes Moore, a story about the fragile nature of opportunity in America, which became a perennial New York Times bestseller. He went on to write other bestselling books that reflect on issues of race, equity, and opportunity, including his latest book Five Days, which tells the story of Baltimore in the days that followed the death of Freddie Gray in 2015.
Moore describes his role as governor of Maryland as being the equivalent of the first citizen of a parish in Jamaica, such as Trelawny, where his mother, Joy, was born. She spent time in the nearby parishes of St James and Hanover and Moore still has connections with many family members all over the island. Family really was critical to the success of the freshman politician, with sisters Nikki and Shani, along with Joy, campaigning on his behalf.
“It was fun because we saw how on the campaign trail it was very much a family affair where my mom was out knocking on doors, my sisters were knocking on doors. Also, you think about the fact that there are tens of thousands of Jamaicans in Maryland and the level of not just engagement but excitement that we saw from the Jamaican community for our campaign, for our race, for what we were trying to bring to bear, was palpable. So it was a really beautiful time,” he recalled.
According to Moore, in addition to being one of the most affluent states in America, it’s also probably one of the most diverse.
“We like to say that the state of Maryland is very much America in miniature, where everything you would want to find in the United States you find in the state of Maryland. So now I am proud to be their 63rd governor. The relationship between the state of Maryland and Jamaica is a strong one and I am committed to making it even stronger. Just because I know how much Jamaica has to offer, we’re excited to share and highlight how much the people of Maryland have to offer that I think it would be beneficial.
“One of the biggest takeaways from which I continue to take inspiration is that life is not going to be easy and it’s not going to be simple. God never promised us that. What’s promised is salvation and the power of love throughout chaos and anger, and that was something that my grandparents helped to teach me in words and also in deeds.”