U of Maryland Legal Studies Research Paper No. 2025-09
The Maryland Lynching Truth and Reconciliation Commission (MLTRC) held a public hearing in Baltimore on April 4th and 5th, 2025, to examine institutional responsibility and legislative remedies to address the legacy of racial terror lynchings in Maryland. This hearing was an important step in the Commission’s mission to confront the State’s history of racial violence and foster justice and reconciliation for affected communities. Established in 2019 through House Bill 307, the MLTRC is the first statewide commission of its kind in the nation. The Commission works with local historians to research cases of lynching throughout the State and holds hearings to shine a light on the dark legacy of lynching in Maryland and its enduring impact. Since its start, the Commission has hosted thirteen public hearings that covered all seventeen counties in Maryland where a documented lynching of an African American occurred, connected with numerous descendants of lynching victims and lynching perpetrators, and received dozens of recommendations from communities affected by this history. The hearings on April 4th and 5th brought together expert witnesses, scholars, and community activists to provide testimony and recommendations on how Maryland can address its legacy of racial terror lynchings, prevent similar events from occurring, and foster racial healing. This written testimony was presented by Professor Matiangai Sirleaf to the MLTRC it details: the impact of Maryland’s legacy of racial terror lynchings, Black People’s anti-lynching rights claims, the legal framework for reparations, comparative global and domestic examples of reparations for historical violence and provides guidance for fashioning a reparations program aimed at addressing the harm of racial terror lynchings.