Baltimore bridge collapse has put the spotlight on Maryland's young Black governor

In Maryland, a complicated and dangerous cleanup effort is starting after the collapse of Baltimore's Francis Scott Key Bridge on Tuesday. The tragedy has put the state's young governor, Wes Moore, in the international spotlight.

Moore, a Democrat, made history last year when he was inaugurated as Maryland's first Black governor.

"Baltimore is being tested right now, but Baltimore has been tested before. And every time we stand up on two feet, we dust ourselves off, and we keep moving forward," Moore said during one of many press conferences this week. The bodies of two construction workers who were on the bridge have been recovered. Four others are missing and presumed dead.

Since the Key Bridge was struck early Tuesday morning by a cargo ship, Moore has been ever-present, visiting the site of the disaster, meeting with families and first responders, and securing federal assistance.

"We are Maryland tough, and Baltimore strong," Moore said on Tuesday morning, at the first press conference after the bridge collapse. Since then, the phrase has caught on, repeated by President Joe Biden, and printed on t-shirts for sale.

A make-or-break moment

"When you look at tragedies and you look at crises, there is a potential that it's either going to lift you up, or pull you down," says Kaye Wise Whitehead, a professor of communication and African American studies at Loyola University Maryland in Baltimore. "We tend to rank some of the greatest presidents and governors based upon what they do during a moment of crisis."

Moore, 45, is only the third Black person to be elected governor of any U.S. state. Though Moore had no prior political experience, he came into office with a lengthy and impressive résumé. He was a college