MD HJ8

Maryland formally apologizes for 38 documented cases of racial terror lynchings that occurred in the state between 1854 and 1933, as well as any undiscovered cases and attempted lynchings

The state acknowledges its complicity through failing to protect Black residents, failing to pass anti-lynching legislation in 1898 and 1933, and colluding with government entities to conceal perpetrators' identities

No perpetrators were ever held accountable for these crimes, and the only prior formal apology came from the State's Attorney for Calvert County

The resolution commits Maryland to implementing reparative actions recommended by the Maryland Lynching Truth and Reconciliation Commission, including preventing recurrence of racially motivated harms

The state recognizes the resilience of Black families and communities harmed by racial terror lynchings and their lasting legacies