Bill > HJ8

This joint resolution formally apologizes and acknowledges the State of Maryland's complicity and negligence in allowing racial terror lynchings, which were acts of violence and murder, often without due process, targeting Black individuals between 1854 and 1933, with 38 documented cases and no perpetrators held accountable. The resolution recognizes the State's failure to protect Black Marylanders, its role in facilitating these crimes, its collusion with other government entities to conceal perpetrators, and its failure to pass anti-lynching legislation, all of which contributed to the dehumanization of Black people, the destruction of their communities, and a breakdown of trust with governmental bodies. It also acknowledges the resilience of Black families and communities despite these harms and commits the State to taking reparative actions as recommended by the Maryland Lynching Truth and Reconciliation Commission, an entity established to research these historical injustices and propose solutions rooted in restorative justice.

Government Affairs

https://mgaleg.maryland.gov/mgawebsite/Legislation/Details/HJ0008?ys=2026RS