Maryland Governor Wes Moore Shares Family's Journey From Jamaica to America

An Improbable Journey

• 💡 Governor Wes Moore acknowledges his journey to leadership as an improbable one, given his background.
• 🎯 He was raised by a single immigrant mother after his father's death and faced early challenges, including having handcuffs on his wrists by age 11.
• 🚀 Despite these beginnings, he joined the army at 17 and pursued higher education, eventually becoming governor.

Family Roots in South Carolina

• 📌 Moore reveals his grandfather was born in Charleston, South Carolina, to parents who immigrated from Jamaica.
• 👨‍🦳 His great-grandfather, Josiah Thomas, was a vocal minister who preached the word of God and urged people to act accordingly.

Facing Threats and Emigration

• ⚠️ Great-grandfather Josiah gained attention not just from his congregation but also from the Ku Klux Klan, leading to death threats against him and his family.
• ✈️ Due to these threats, Josiah Thomas moved his family, including his young son, away from South Carolina and back to Jamaica, with many family members vowing never to return to the U.S. due to the deep pain.

Grandfather's Return to America

• ❤️ Despite the family's pain, Moore's grandfather loved America too much to let the cruelty of a few diminish his love for the country.
• 🇺🇸 He believed in the promise of America and that destiny is in one's own hands, deciding to return to the U.S. as a young man.
• 🎓 He attended Lincoln University, an HBCU, and became the first black minister in the history of the Dutch Reformed Church.
• ✊ When his grandfather faced similar threats to his father, he did not flinch and remained in America until his death at 87.