Award Named After Worcester County’s First Superintendent of Colored Schools
Professor Stephen Handy Long, the first Superintendent of Colored Schools in Worcester County, took a bold step by reporting to the Orphans’ Court in Baltimore that the local Pilchard farming family had not been permitting two Black, orphan children to attend school as required by law.
Long’s quest for justice cost him his life as John Pilchard killed the educational pioneer on September 13, 1921. Long’s sacrifice and quest for justice in education lives on in the community and through the establishment of the Stephen Long-Worcester High Pioneers Scholarship.
The Scholarship was established by the Stephen Long-Worcester High Pioneers (SL-WHP), a 501(c)(3) nonprofit dedicated to preserving the legacy of Professor Long. The inaugural $1,000 scholarship was recently awarded to Amir Harmon, a Computer Science major at Morgan State University.
“I believe the scholarship will allow people to learn more about Mr. Long,” said Harmon, who is a native of Snow Hill, Maryland. “Along with the Stephen Long-Worcester High Pioneers, I also feel that naming the scholarship after Mr. Harmon was definitely a great way to keep his legacy going. That was a good thing to do. It’s also a cool way for people to learn about Mr. Harmon who didn’t know too much about him.”
Courtesy Photo
Professor Long was born in Pocomoke City, Maryland in 1865. As a child, Professor Long
moved to Boston, Massachusetts with his uncle. While there, Long attended the white
Boston Public School System where he excelled. In 1893, he earned a bachelor’s degree in Legal
Studies from Lincoln University (Pennsylvania). After completing his undergraduate studies, Prof. Long returned to the Eastern Shore of Maryland. There, he accepted elementary school teaching appointments. First in Somerset County (Fairmount, Maryland) and, finally, in Worcester County (Pocomoke City).
In 1914, the Worcester County Board of Education appointed Professor Long as its first Supervisor of Colored Schools — a position he held with distinction until his untimely death at the hands of Pilchard.
Over 2,000 Maryland citizens, both Black and white, attended Professor Long’s funeral held at the Mt. Zion Methodist Episcopal Church in Pocomoke. The Baltimore Afro-American Newspaper (September 23, 1921) reported that Professor Long’s funeral was so well attended that his casket needed to be displayed on the church’s lawn. Pilchard served only one year of a three-year sentence.
In 1937, 16 years after Long was murdered, the Worcester County Board of Education named Pocomoke’s segregated elementary school in Professor Long’s honor— Stephen Long Elementary School.
SL-WHP was initiated by 15 graduates of the formerly segregated Stephen Long Elementary and/or Worcester High schools, and aims to perpetuate Long’s legacy by supporting deserving, community-focused Worcester County students such as Harmon who are currently attending or planning to attend an Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs).
David Merrill is president of SL-WHP, and said he has a cousin who was mentored by Long. “We started out as a social club of men who graduated in 1970,” said Merrill. “It came to be that we could do more than come together for an opportunity of socialization. We know the area we come from is economically-deprived. The idea came up to see what we could do to become an organization that would give scholarships and uplift the community through education.”
Ronnie L. Collins Sr. serves as vice-president and says the organization has raised $10,000 thus far through its efforts. Noting Harmon was selected because of his impeccable application for the scholarship, Collins says SL-WHP plans to award the scholarship annually.
“I was born in Pocomoke City,” said Collins, who is a professor at Coppin State University. “In fact, I lived probably five minutes from where Long was reportedly killed. It was very racist. While things are changing, our kids are not doing well in school. We wanted to establish a scholarship fund to support them while also preserving the legacy of Mr. Long.”
For more information about SL-WHP including donating to their cause or to inquire about upcoming scholarship opportunities, email the organization at slwhp556@gmail.com.