(ANNE ARUNDEL COUNTY – April 8, 2024) — Carl O. Snowden, Convener of the Caucus of African American Leaders, a consortium of Black organizations including the NAACP, United Black Clergy of Maryland, National Coalition of 100 Black Women, and activists from around Maryland, voted today to ask that two bridges in the state be renamed.
They cited the fact that the Francis Scott Key Bridge was named in honor of a man who enslaved African Americans and wrote lyrics that scholars have indicated demeaned Black people. The CAAL called on Governor Wes Moore and the Maryland General Assembly to rename the bridge in honor of the late Congressman Parren J. Mitchell, the first African American from Maryland elected to the United States House of Representatives.
Further, they are calling on Governor Moore to create a memorial to those who died when the bridge collapsed.
Also, they recommend that Senator Frederick Malkus Memorial Bridge be renamed in honor of the late Gloria Richardson, a pioneer in civil rights and a leader in the State of Maryland.
The late Governor Harry R. Hughes opposed naming the bridge after Senator Malkus because of Malkus’ resistance to desegregation in the 1960s and 1970s.
The Caucus of African American Leaders supported the removal of Chief Judge Roger B. Taney’s statue from the State House under the administration of former Governor Larry Hogan, who, after intense pressure, removed it.
Judge Taney wrote the infamous United States Supreme Court “Dred Scott Decision.” That decision declared, in essence, that Black people had no rights that white people were bound to respect.
Judge Taney’s brother-in-law Francis Scott Key, a lawyer, also wrote disparaging remarks about Black people, claiming that they were “inferior” to white people.
The CAAL supported the successful efforts by the Talbot County NAACP and ACLU to have the “Talbot Boys” Confederate monument removed from the courthouse in Easton, Maryland.
“The collapse of the Francis Scott Key Bridge allows Marylanders and taxpayers to remove names from bridges that do not honor all Marylanders,” said Mr. Snowden.
In the State of Maryland, there has been a grassroots campaign to remove the names of known racists and Confederates from buildings, roads, and military installations.
Last year, the United States Naval Academy removed the name of a member of the Confederacy from a building and renamed a hall in honor of President Jimmy Carter.
“Of course, the naysayers will not be happy, and we anticipate opposition. However, we know we are on the right side of history and will eventually prevail,” said Mr. Snowden.
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