Wes Moore Sworn In, Becoming MD's First Black Governor

ANNAPOLIS, MD — Wes Moore, Maryland's first Black governor and a first-time public office holder, was inaugurated Wednesday in a star-studded ceremony at the Maryland Statehouse in Annapolis that also paid homage to the state's Black history.

Moore, a Democrat who succeeds Republican Gov. Larry Hogan, is the only currently-serving Black governor in the United States. He's also the third Black governor to serve in the country's history.

Aruna Miller also made history Wednesday when she became the first woman of color to serve as Maryland's lieutenant governor. She is also the first South Asian woman to hold the position in any state.

During his inauguration speech, Moore referenced the state's past and acknowledged its history of slavery.

"We are blocks away from the Annapolis docks, where so many enslaved people arrived in this country against their will. And we are standing in front of a capitol building built by their hands," Moore said.

"We have made uneven and unimaginable progress since then," the governor added. "It is a history created by generations of people whose own history was lost, stolen or never recorded. And it is a shared history — our history — made by people who, over the last two centuries, regardless of their origin story to Maryland, fought to build a state, and a country, that works for everybody."

Before his inaugural speech, Moore attended a wreath-laying ceremony at the Annapolis City Dock, once a regional slave port and the site of a memorial to enslaved African Kunta Kinte, who arrived there in 1767 and was written about in Alex Haley's book "Roots."

Moore was joined by other Black leaders at the ceremony on a bright sunny morning, including Maryland Rep. Kweisi Mfume, Attorney General Anthony Brown, former Lt. Gov. Michael Steele, and former Massachusetts Gov. Deval Patrick, who was the second Black governor elected in the nation's history in 2006. Virginia's Douglas Wilder was the first Black governor elected in 1989, and Moore is the nation's third.

"I feel lifted up and encouraged that Black talent has been recognized and has an opportunity to come forward," Patrick said in an interview with The Associated Press after the ceremony.

Former NAACP president Ben Jealous, Baltimore Mayor Brandon Scott and former Lt. Gov. Kathleen Kennedy Townsend also attended.

Also spotted at the inauguration was Oprah Winfrey, who endorsed Moore during his campaign.

Moore took the oath of office looking out on Lawyers Mall and a statue of U.S. Supreme Court Justice Thurgood Marshall. He took his oath using a Bible owned by Frederick Douglass, a Marylander who escaped slavery on the state's Eastern Shore before becoming an author and famed abolitionist.

Prior to serving as governor, Moore served in Afghanistan as an Army officer. He was a White House fellow in the State Department and interned for the Department of Homeland Security, the Baltimore Sun reported.

Additionally, Moore worked as an investment banker, wrote a bestselling book and led the anti-poverty nonprofit Robin Hood Foundation.

Moore lived in Montgomery County until his family moved to New York City when he was 3 years old. He returned to Maryland when he was 16 and lived in Anne Arundel County, attended Valley Forge Military College, the Johns Hopkins University and studied at Oxford University as a Rhodes scholar.

Moore, his wife, Dawn, and their two children currently live in Baltimore.

Moore defeated Republican and Donald Trump-backed candidate Dan Cox in November. Cox conceded the race after The Associated Press called it for Moore and urged the governor-elect to support first responders, lower taxes and avoid future lockdowns.

Following his win, Moore vowed to bring Marylanders together.

"When I was an Army captain and led soldiers into combat in Afghanistan, we lived by a simple principle: Leave no one behind," Moore told supporters at his victory party in downtown Baltimore. "But for too long in Maryland, too many of our families and neighbors have been left behind."

Moore reaffirmed his vow Wednesday during his inauguration speech.

"For those who did not vote for me, I will work to earn your support. For those who did, I will work to keep it," Moore said. "Now, to work together, it means we must also get to know each other again. To come together across lines of difference, both real and perceived, to build uncommon coalitions."

"Because the simple fact is we need each other," Moore continued. "We all have a role to play."

The Associated Press contributed reporting to this story.