AARCH Shares Mission, Welcomes New Partnerships

AARCH Society continues to expand our partnerships to cultivate new funding streams, increase our donor base, and reach a wider audience and increase awareness of our mission.

Episcopal Diocese of Maryland

The Episcopal Church of Maryland Daughters of the King invited Executive Director Dr. Cheryl Renée Gooch to discuss the Reparations Grant awarded to AARCH Society during the Daughters’ Fall Assembly held at the Bishop Claggett Center. We are grateful to the Daughters, which donated funds to support costs for exhibit lighting and furnishings for the planned AARCH Society African American Heritage Center.

Lafayette Bicentennial in Frederick Committee

AARCH Society partnered with the Lafayette Bicentennial in Frederick Committee to commemorate Marquis Lafayette’s visit to Frederick, MD during his 1824 Farewell Tour of America. Executive Director Dr. Cheryl Renée Gooch was one of three historians who spoke at the event. Her presentation, “Patriotism and Slavery in Frederick County, MD: Before, During and After Marquis Lafayette’s 1824 Visit” drew from materials in AARCH Society’s Collection and included ongoing research about African American patriots from Frederick County who served as soldiers in the War for Independence.

“The participation of AARCH’s Executive Director, Cheryl Gooch, in the recent Lafayette History Symposium provided depth and context to the Marquis de Lafayette’s support for the American Revolution and his visit to Frederick,” said Theresa Michel, Lafayette Bicentennial in Frederick Committee. “As a staunch abolitionist and advocate for equality, he served alongside African American patriots while, 50 years later throughout America, he was a guest at private homes supported by enslaved workers, including the home of his Frederick host, Col. John McPherson. Lafayette strove to resolve this dichotomy in favor of African Americans’ freedom throughout his life.”