One dark aspect of American history – lynchings, has received little attention. Civil rights attorney Bryan Stevenson wants to erect markers at the site of every lynching in the states that joined the Confederacy.
House Bill 173 is my attempt to recognize Maryland’s lynchings in an appropriate way. My press release follows.
George Armwood was the last known lynching victim in Maryland. Armwood’s tragic death inspired the careers of two of Maryland’s foremost civil rights leaders, Clarence Mitchell Jr. and Parren J. Mitchell.
Delegate Samuel I. “Sandy” Rosenberg has introduced House Bill 173 to establish the Commission on the Solemn Remembrance of the Victims of Lynching. The commission would study and make recommendations regarding the construction of appropriate markers or memorials for Armwood and other lynching victims. These findings would be reported to the Governor and the General Assembly by December 1, 2016.
Approximately forty known lynchings occurred in Maryland between 1854 and 1933, according to research conducted by the Maryland State Archives. The true number is unknown and research could reveal other instances.
The Armwood lynching was the first story that Clarence Mitchell Jr. covered as a cub reporter for the Baltimore Afro-American. Relating this incident to his family and younger brother prompted Parren’s interest in civil rights.
“Mob rule and violence deprived citizens of equal protection and due process under the law,” declared Delegate Rosenberg. “We should learn from our history, not forget or ignore it.”
Public memorials and historical markers remembering the victims of lynching in Maryland would provide greater context to modern race relations. Currently, there are only a few historical markers of lynching sites throughout the country.
In 1994, the Thurgood Marshall statue in front of the Maryland State House was erected to memorialize his distinguished civil rights career. Established through the Thurgood Marshall Memorial Statue Commission, the statute is a symbol of the struggle for equal protection under the law. Like the Marshall statue, historical markers regarding lynching would add to our knowledge and understanding of our history.
The Commission on the Solemn Remembrance of the Victims of Lynching would formalize research efforts to expand knowledge about the African-American legacy in Maryland. In collaboration with the State Archivist, the Maryland Historical Trust, the Maryland Historical Society, as well as local museums, the Commission would make recommendations to the General Assembly on the construction of public memorials and historical markers for the victims of lynching.
Recent tragic events like the Charleston church shooting have highlighted the need for a productive discussion on race relations. In an effort to reconcile the past, local governments and citizen groups throughout the country have begun efforts to research and document the history of lynching. Information about this time in history is essential to provide context about the African American experience.
This valuable information would also help to expand educational outreach programs and publically accessible online resources through State Archives.
