Montgomery County Executive Marc Elrich, Maryland Delegate Jared Solomon, County Councilmember Will Jawando, Coffield’s daughter Myra Coffield, and community leaders unveiled a commemorative plaque honoring the life and legacy of Charlotte Coffield, former president of the Lyttonsville Community Civic Association, on Thursday, June 25, at the Talbot Avenue Bridge in Silver Spring. The ceremony recognized Coffield’s lifelong dedication to preserving the history and cultural heritage of African Americans in the County.
“I knew Charlotte for a long time; she was the epitome of ‘good trouble’ because she would always fight for what’s right,” said County Executive Elrich. “She was the kind of civic activist who was a pleasure to work with. She fought for this community, the nearby Gwendolyn E. Coffield Community Recreation Center named after her sister, and this bridge. She was a wonderful human being; this is something we’re doing to recognize her and make sure that she’s always remembered for what she did in this community. I know the people who live here are going to continue her memory and share with new people who come here about the history of this community, how it became what it was, and what role Charlotte played in making all this possible.”
The Talbot Avenue Bridge has long been a symbol of the County’s complex history of segregation, resilience, and transformation, serving as an enduring reminder of both physical division and racial segregation. For decades, the single‑lane, wooden and steel structure served as the only point of access from the historically Black neighborhood of Lyttonsville in Silver Spring to the surrounding neighborhoods and Washington, D.C…