Lorenzo Dow Turner: From Lincoln Park to Leading Scholar

Montgomery County Public Libraries to Host Lorenzo Dow Turner Exhibit at the Rockville Memorial Library in January and February 2012

Montgomery County Public Libraries and the Friends of the Library, Rockville Memorial Chapter, will host the “Lorenzo Dow Turner: From Lincoln Park to Leading Scholar” exhibit at the Rockville Memorial Library. The exhibit, presented in collaboration with the Smithsonian Institution, Anacostia Community Museum, takes place from January 5 through February 29, 2012.

Dr. Turner (1890-1972) was the first African American linguist, and a founder of the field of African American Studies. His research demonstrated how African Americans retained linguistic ties with their African past through centuries of slavery and segregation.

Lorenzo Dow Turner was educated in the Montgomery County segregated public schools where his father had a long career as a teacher and principal. The exhibit has a local community connection since the Turner family lived in the Lincoln Park community of Rockville, Maryland.

On Saturday, January 21, at 2:00 p.m. a special program about the exhibit will be held at the Rockville Memorial Library, located at 21 Maryland Avenue in Rockville.

The program features Alcione Amos, Museum Program Specialist at the Anacostia Community Museum. Ms. Amos will talk about the significance of Dr. Turner’s research. The program is free and requires no registration.

For complete information about library programs and events, visit the library website at www.montgomerycountymd.gov/library. # # # Release ID: 11-377 Media Contact: Michele Sellars 240-777-0196 or Dale Pastor 240-777-0170. Lorenzo Dow Turner, 1917. Taken the year Turner graduated from Harvard University with a master's degree. IMAGE CREDIT: Smithsonian Institution