Lynching Truth Commission to Hold Public Hearing

The soil collection and marker placement for lynching victim Benjamin Hance. (St. Mary’s County government photo)

The Maryland Lynching Truth and Reconciliation Commission will hold a public hearing in Leonardtown from 10am to 2pm November 16, as part of its ongoing effort to bring awareness to Maryland’s history of racial violence and to foster reconciliation in the present. Research reveals that two Black men were lynched in Southern Maryland and 38 were lynched across Maryland.

The November hearing will focus on the history of lynching in Southern Maryland, including the killing of Benjamin Hance in St. Mary’s County in 1876 and of Charles Whitley in Calvert County in 1886 (there were no recorded lynchings in Charles County).

Descendants of the victims and aggressors, expert witnesses, community members, scholars, and archivists will have the opportunity to provide testimony and make recommendations for achieving racial healing. Community members are encouraged to submit their testimony to [email protected] or bring their written testimony to be collected at the public hearing.

The event is part of the St. Mary’s County Museum Division’s bi-annual Social Justice & Equity; Equity programming, in commemoration of the November 1, 1864, ratification of the new Maryland Constitution which ended slavery in the state.

Past events have included the soil collection and marker placement for lynching victim Benjamin Hance, and the placement of five Stopping Stone in honor of five Freedom Seekers held in prison at the Old Jail in Leonardtown.

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 in researching cases of lynching throughout the state and holds these public hearings in communities where lynchings took place to shine a light on the dark legacy of lynching in Maryland and its enduring impacts on the Black community and communities of color.

At the heart of the MLTRC mission is the pursuit of justice and healing for the victims of lynching and their descendants.

The hearing will be held at the Leonardtown Library at 23630 Hayden Farm Lane. It will also be live-streamed

Preregistration is required to help manage attendance.

A link to stream the hearing will be posted on MLTRC’s website one day before the hearing.