{"id":3434,"date":"2019-06-14T15:05:00","date_gmt":"2019-06-14T22:05:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/news\/stories\/maryland-has-created-a-truth-commission-on-lynchings-can-it-deliver\/"},"modified":"2025-02-15T22:20:48","modified_gmt":"2025-02-16T06:20:48","slug":"maryland-truth-commission-lynchings-faces-obstacles","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/news\/stories\/maryland-truth-commission-lynchings-faces-obstacles\/","title":{"rendered":"Maryland has created a truth commission on lynchings \u2013 can it deliver?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n\n\n    \n                                \n\n  \n    \n\n\n\n\n\n\n<div\n  class=\"cc--component-container cc--article-hero \"\n\n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  >\n  <div class=\"c--component c--article-hero\"\n    \n      >\n\n    \n<div class=\"inner-wrapper\">\n          \n<div class=\"f--field f--image\">\n\n    \n    \n    \n    \n    \n    \n              \n      <img\n                            data-src=\"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2023\/04\/story-3034-768x432.jpg\"\n          data-srcset=\"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2023\/04\/story-3034-768x432.jpg 768w\"          data-sizes=\"(min-width:1200px) 75vw, (min-width:768px) 83vw, 100vw\"          class=\"lazyload\"\n        \n                  alt=\"Maryland has created a truth commission on lynchings \u2013 can it deliver?\"\n        \n        \n                                      \/>\n\n    \n    \n  \n  \n\n<\/div>\n  \n      <div class=\"image-caption\">\n          \n<div class=\"f--field f--description\">\n\n    \n  More than 40 lynchings have been documented in Maryland. (Shutterstock)\n\n\n<\/div>\n    <\/div>\n  \n  <div class=\"text-wrapper\">\n          <nav aria-label=\"Breadcrumb\" class=\"breadcrumbs\">\n        <ul>\n                      <li><a href=\"\/news\/stories\/\">News<\/a><\/li>\n                      <li><a href=\"\/news\/stories\/\/?category=student\">Student<\/a><\/li>\n                  <\/ul>\n      <\/nav>\n    \n              \n<div class=\"f--field f--page-title\">\n\n    \n  <h1>Maryland has created a truth commission on lynchings \u2013 can it deliver?<\/h1>\n\n\n<\/div>\n    \n          <div class=\"subtitle\">\n            \n<div class=\"f--field f--description\">\n\n    \n  A new truth commission aims to investigate lynchings of African Americans but faces obstacles that may prevent full truth and resolution. <strong> [6 min read] <\/strong>\n\n\n<\/div>\n      <\/div>\n    \n           <strong class=\"author-field\"><span >By<\/span><a href=\"mailto:communication@dornsife.usc.edu\">Kelebogile Zvobgo<\/a><\/strong>\n    \n          <span class=\"post-date-field\">June 14, 2019<\/span>\n      <\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n  <\/div><\/div>\n\n  \n    \n\n\n\n\n\n\n<div\n  class=\"cc--component-container cc--social-share \"\n\n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  >\n  <div class=\"c--component c--social-share\"\n    \n      >\n\n    \n  <div class=\"content-wrapper\">\n    <span class=\"a2a_kit a2a_kit_size_32 addtoany_list\" style=\"line-height: 32px;\">\n      <span class=\"title\">\n        Share\n      <\/span>\n                        <a class=\"a2a_button_copy_link\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"\/#copy_link\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" title=\"Link\">\n            <span class=\"a2a_svg a2a_s__default a2a_s_copy_link\">\n              <svg height=\"19\" viewBox=\"0 0 19 19\" width=\"19\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\"><path d=\"m7.43475275 9.52380952-2.17490843 2.26076008c-1.08745421 1.058837-1.68841575 2.518315-1.68841575 4.0350275 0 1.5167124.60096154 2.9475732 1.68841575 4.0350274 1.058837 1.0874543 2.51831502 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xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\"><path d=\"m8.14285714 9.42857143c-.17142857 0-.34285714 0-.51428571.08571428l7.28571427 6.34285719c.3428572.2571428.6857143.2571428.9428572 0l7.2857142-6.34285719c-.0857142-.08571428-.2571428-.08571428-.4285714-.08571428zm-1.28571428 1.11428567v.1714286 8.5714286c0 .6857143.6 1.2857143 1.28571428 1.2857143h14.57142856c.6857143 0 1.2857143-.6 1.2857143-1.2857143v-8.5714286c0-.0857143 0-.0857143 0-.1714286l-7.2 6.3428572c-.7714286.6857143-1.8857143.6857143-2.6571429 0z\" fill-rule=\"evenodd\" transform=\"translate(-6 -9)\"\/><\/svg>\n            <\/span>\n            <span class=\"a2a_label visually-hidden\">Email<\/span>\n          <\/a>\n                  <\/span>\n  <\/div>\n\n  <\/div><\/div>\n \n\n\n\n  \n    \n\n\n\n\n\n\n<div\n  class=\"cc--component-container cc--rich-text \"\n\n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  >\n  <div class=\"c--component c--rich-text\"\n    \n      >\n\n    \n      \n<div class=\"f--field f--wysiwyg\">\n\n    \n  <p>Between 1850 and 1950, thousands of African American men, women and children were victims of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2018\/04\/25\/magazine\/a-lynchings-long-shadow.html\">lynchings<\/a>: public torture and killings carried out by white mobs.<\/p>\n<p>Lynchings were used to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/us-news\/2018\/apr\/26\/lynchings-memorial-us-south-montgomery-alabama\">terrorize and control<\/a> black people, notably in the South following the end of slavery.<\/p>\n<p>Yet despite the prevalence and seriousness of the practice, there has been an \u201c<a href=\"https:\/\/lynchinginamerica.eji.org\/report\/\">astonishing absence of any effort to acknowledge, discuss, or address lynching<\/a>,\u201d reports the <a href=\"https:\/\/eji.org\/\">Equal Justice Initiative<\/a>, the leading organization conducting research on lynchings.<\/p>\n<p>Until now.<\/p>\n<p>In April 2018, the <a href=\"https:\/\/museumandmemorial.eji.org\/memorial\">National Memorial for Peace and Justice<\/a> \u2013 the first lynching memorial in the U.S. \u2013 was opened in Montgomery, Alabama. In December of the same year, the U.S. Senate <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonpost.com\/outlook\/2018\/12\/28\/why-it-took-century-pass-an-anti-lynching-law\/\">unanimously passed a bill<\/a> that defined lynching as a federal crime.<\/p>\n<p>More recently, in April 2019, the state of Maryland <a href=\"https:\/\/legiscan.com\/MD\/text\/HB307\/id\/2005426\/Maryland-2019-HB307-Chaptered.pdf\">established a truth commission<\/a> to investigate the lynchings of at least 40 African Americans between 1854 and 1933.<\/p>\n<p>The legislation that authorized the truth commission, <a href=\"https:\/\/legiscan.com\/MD\/text\/HB307\/id\/2005426\/Maryland-2019-HB307-Chaptered.pdf\">Maryland HB 307<\/a>, was sponsored by Maryland House Delegate <a href=\"http:\/\/mgaleg.maryland.gov\/webmga\/frmMain.aspx?pid=sponpage&amp;tab=subject6&amp;id=pena&amp;stab=01\">Joseline Pe\u00f1a-Melnyk<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>Speaking before the House Judiciary Committee in February 2019, Pe\u00f1a-Melnyk said that the commission would be an opportunity \u201c<a href=\"https:\/\/www.baltimoresun.com\/politics\/bs-md-lynching-commission-hearing-20190211-story.html\">to send the message that the lives of the 40-something people really mattered<\/a>.\u201d Written with the help of the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.mdlynchingmemorial.org\">Maryland Lynching Memorial Project<\/a> and endorsed by the <a href=\"https:\/\/eji.org\/news\/maryland-establishes-first-statewide-commission-on-racial-terror-lynchings\">Equal Justice Initiative<\/a>, the bill passed with strong bipartisan support just two months later.<\/p>\n<p>The commission has the potential to educate the public about <a href=\"https:\/\/www.baltimoresun.com\/news\/maryland\/bs-md-lynching-in-maryland-20180919-htmlstory.html\">dozens<\/a> of lynchings \u2013 some of which occurred with the knowledge or direct involvement of <a href=\"https:\/\/legiscan.com\/MD\/text\/HB307\/id\/2005426\/Maryland-2019-HB307-Chaptered.pdf\">local, county and state government entities<\/a>. The commission can also provide the opportunity for <a href=\"https:\/\/www.baltimoresun.com\/news\/opinion\/oped\/bs-ed-op-0430-lynching-commission-20190429-story.html\">reconciliation<\/a> between the families of those who were responsible and the families of those who were killed.<\/p>\n<p>Can it live up to its promise?<\/p>\n<figure style=\"width: 600px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><a href=\"https:\/\/images.theconversation.com\/files\/279225\/original\/file-20190612-32321-tmaek6.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=1000&amp;fit=clip\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/images.theconversation.com\/files\/279225\/original\/file-20190612-32321-tmaek6.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;fit=clip\" sizes=\"(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px\" srcset=\"https:\/\/images.theconversation.com\/files\/279225\/original\/file-20190612-32321-tmaek6.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=600&amp;h=508&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=1 600w, https:\/\/images.theconversation.com\/files\/279225\/original\/file-20190612-32321-tmaek6.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=30&amp;auto=format&amp;w=600&amp;h=508&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=2 1200w, https:\/\/images.theconversation.com\/files\/279225\/original\/file-20190612-32321-tmaek6.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=15&amp;auto=format&amp;w=600&amp;h=508&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=3 1800w, https:\/\/images.theconversation.com\/files\/279225\/original\/file-20190612-32321-tmaek6.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;h=638&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=1 754w, https:\/\/images.theconversation.com\/files\/279225\/original\/file-20190612-32321-tmaek6.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=30&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;h=638&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=2 1508w, https:\/\/images.theconversation.com\/files\/279225\/original\/file-20190612-32321-tmaek6.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=15&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;h=638&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=3 2262w\" alt=\"Image of Maryland death certificate.\" width=\"600\" height=\"508\" \/><\/a><figcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Death certificate for George Armwood, 22- or 23-year-old lynched in Maryland by a mob. (Maryland State Archives\/Flickr)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<h2>Truth commissions around the world<\/h2>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.zvobgo.com\">I study human rights<\/a>, with a particular interest in institutions that hold individuals, organizations and governments accountable for human rights abuses. My current research focuses on truth commissions and how they can be designed to be effective.<\/p>\n<p>A <a href=\"https:\/\/www.mcgill.ca\/isid\/files\/isid\/priscilla_b._hayner_unspeakable_truths_transitibookzz.org_.pdf\">truth commission<\/a> is a temporary body that investigates different forms and systems of violence that happened in the past. Examples include the commissions that investigated apartheid in <a href=\"http:\/\/www.justice.gov.za\/trc\/\">South Africa<\/a>, the civil war in <a href=\"http:\/\/www.cavr-timorleste.org\/te\/\">Timor-Leste<\/a> and the dictatorship in <a href=\"https:\/\/cja.org\/where-we-work\/chile\/\">Chile<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>Generally, governments establish commissions to examine documents and collect witness testimony. A key goal of commissions is preparing a report that details the facts and traces the legacies of violence and abuse. A second, related goal is reconciliation. In Maryland\u2019s case, this would mean working toward <a href=\"https:\/\/www.tandfonline.com\/doi\/full\/10.1080\/0258934042000280698\">respect, understanding and trust<\/a> of those of other races and their experiences.<\/p>\n<p>Based on <a href=\"https:\/\/www.tandfonline.com\/doi\/full\/10.1080\/14754835.2018.1543017\">my research<\/a> and analyses of truth commissions in <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ictj.org\/sites\/default\/files\/ICTJ-Global-Memorialization-Democracy-2007-English_0.pdf\">Chile<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ictj.org\/our-work\/regions-and-countries\/south-africa\">South Africa<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ictj.org\/news\/10-years-cavr-report-timor-leste-truth\">Timor-Leste<\/a>, I believe that the commission in Maryland has the potential to succeed.<\/p>\n<p>But it faces some big obstacles.<\/p>\n<h2>Truth commissions in the US<\/h2>\n<p>The commission in Maryland will not be the first in the U.S.<\/p>\n<p>In the 1980s, a national commission studied the government\u2019s <a href=\"https:\/\/www.archives.gov\/files\/research\/japanese-americans\/justice-denied\/summary.pdf\">relocation and internment in camps<\/a> of people of Japanese ancestry during World War II. The commission\u2019s work led to both <a href=\"https:\/\/academic.oup.com\/jah\/article\/87\/3\/1134\/871118\">apologies and reparations<\/a> for victims.<\/p>\n<p>In addition, there have been commissions at the local level \u2013 for example, the 2004 commission in <a href=\"http:\/\/www.greensborotrc.org\">North Carolina<\/a> that examined the killing of five anti-Ku Klux Klan demonstrators in Greensboro in 1979. There have also been commissions at the state level \u2013 for example the 2013 commission in <a href=\"http:\/\/www.mainewabanakitrc.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/07\/TRC-Report-Expanded_July2015.pdf\">Maine<\/a> that investigated the separation of indigenous Wabanaki children from their communities since 1960.<\/p>\n<p>However, the commission in Maryland will be the first to research lynchings, which investigative journalist Ida B. Wells in 1909 called the U.S.\u2018s \u201c<a href=\"https:\/\/awpc.cattcenter.iastate.edu\/2017\/03\/09\/mob-murder-in-a-christian-nation-june-1-1909\/\">national crime<\/a>.\u201d<\/p>\n<figure style=\"width: 600px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><a href=\"https:\/\/images.theconversation.com\/files\/279234\/original\/file-20190612-32327-wf8tby.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=1000&amp;fit=clip\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/images.theconversation.com\/files\/279234\/original\/file-20190612-32327-wf8tby.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;fit=clip\" sizes=\"(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px\" srcset=\"https:\/\/images.theconversation.com\/files\/279234\/original\/file-20190612-32327-wf8tby.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=600&amp;h=340&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=1 600w, https:\/\/images.theconversation.com\/files\/279234\/original\/file-20190612-32327-wf8tby.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=30&amp;auto=format&amp;w=600&amp;h=340&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=2 1200w, https:\/\/images.theconversation.com\/files\/279234\/original\/file-20190612-32327-wf8tby.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=15&amp;auto=format&amp;w=600&amp;h=340&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=3 1800w, https:\/\/images.theconversation.com\/files\/279234\/original\/file-20190612-32327-wf8tby.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;h=427&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=1 754w, https:\/\/images.theconversation.com\/files\/279234\/original\/file-20190612-32327-wf8tby.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=30&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;h=427&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=2 1508w, https:\/\/images.theconversation.com\/files\/279234\/original\/file-20190612-32327-wf8tby.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=15&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;h=427&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=3 2262w\" alt=\"Photo of people observing a lynching.\" width=\"600\" height=\"340\" \/><\/a><figcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Lynchings happened across the U.S., including the 1916 lynching of Jesse Washington in Waco, Texas. (Shutterstock)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<h6><\/h6>\n<h2>The truth commission in Maryland<\/h2>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/legiscan.com\/MD\/text\/HB307\/id\/2005426\/Maryland-2019-HB307-Chaptered.pdf\">The Maryland law establishing the commission<\/a> calls for \u201cfull knowledge, understanding, and acceptance of the truth.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>How would a commission accomplish this?<\/p>\n<p>I have found <a href=\"https:\/\/www.zvobgo.com\/research\">in my research<\/a> that a commission needs support from politicians, access to information, and community knowledge and involvement. It appears that the commission in Maryland has \u2013 or will have \u2013 each of these characteristics. In this regard, it is similar to previous successful commissions.<\/p>\n<p>First, similar to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.tandfonline.com\/doi\/full\/10.1080\/14754835.2018.1543017\">South Africa<\/a>, the commission has support from politicians on both sides of the aisle \u2013 in this case, Democrats and Republicans. Bipartisan support affords the commission public legitimacy as it seeks access to court records, historical archives, and local and statewide newspapers. So, it may be harder to politicize the commission\u2019s work.<\/p>\n<p>Second, as in <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ictj.org\/news\/10-years-cavr-report-timor-leste-truth\">Timor-Leste<\/a>, where the commission held hearings in the villages where violence occurred, the commission in Maryland will hold hearings across the state, including in communities where lynchings occurred.<\/p>\n<p>By operating throughout the state, the commission can more easily reach victims\u2019 descendants and collect their stories. Collecting information from as many sources as possible is important to ascertaining the truth.<\/p>\n<p>In addition, the commission will be well positioned to broadly share its work and findings, through the hearings themselves, local news reporting and more. This is key to both truth and reconciliation.<\/p>\n<p>Third, as in <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ictj.org\/sites\/default\/files\/ICTJ-Global-Memorialization-Democracy-2007-English_0.pdf\">Chile<\/a>, the commission in Maryland <a href=\"https:\/\/legiscan.com\/MD\/text\/HB307\/id\/2005426\/Maryland-2019-HB307-Chaptered.pdf\">will receive recommendations from the public, including from victims\u2019 families,<\/a> about erecting memorials and historical markers where lynchings occurred.<\/p>\n<p>Getting families and the wider community involved in this aspect can help provide healing and closure. For more than a century, the pain and trauma they experienced went unacknowledged.<\/p>\n<p>Now, not only does Maryland have the potential to address this pain and trauma, it has the opportunity to memorialize the lynchings so others, too, can know what happened.<\/p>\n<h2>Obstacles to truth and reconciliation<\/h2>\n<p>There are, I believe, obstacles that may prevent the commission from accomplishing all of its goals.<\/p>\n<p>To start, the commission\u2019s limited focus may lead to limited reconciliation. Lynchings represent just one form \u2013 the most extreme form \u2013 of race-based discrimination and violence.<\/p>\n<p>Other forms \u2013 which persist today \u2013 include the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.baltimoresun.com\/news\/crime\/bs-md-ci-youth-assessment-20190417-story.html\">over-policing<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.politico.com\/magazine\/story\/2015\/01\/overcriminalization-of-america-113991\">over-criminalization<\/a>, and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonpost.com\/news\/answer-sheet\/wp\/2017\/03\/15\/mass-incarceration-of-african-americans-affects-the-racial-achievement-gap-report\/?utm_term=.26d1cdc2d464\">mass incarceration of African Americans<\/a>. The commission hasn\u2019t been designed to address these issues or the broader context of racism and violence. So, it\u2019s unclear how the commission will lead to widespread reconciliation.<\/p>\n<p>In addition, while the families of those responsible for lynchings can work with the commission and take the opportunity to make amends to the victims\u2019 families and communities, they may decline to do so. And victims\u2019 families may not be prepared to forgive.<\/p>\n<p>Finally, the commission has been created in a fraught social and political environment. Hate crimes have <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2018\/11\/13\/us\/hate-crimes-fbi-2017.html\">increased<\/a> in recent years throughout the U.S. Some elected officials have <a href=\"http:\/\/time.com\/5461133\/cindy-hyde-smith-public-hanging-lynching\/\">trivialized racial violence \u2013 including lynchings<\/a>. And some race-focused policies, such as reparations, are <a href=\"https:\/\/fivethirtyeight.com\/features\/what-americans-think-about-reparations-and-other-race-related-questions\/\">widely unpopular<\/a> among Americans.<\/p>\n<p>So, while the commission benefits from broad support from government leaders in Maryland, it may not enjoy similar support from the public.<\/p>\n<p>Whether the obstacles I describe will overcome the strengths of the commission remains to be seen. Nevertheless, the commission represents an important first step, and offers a guide for similar efforts in other states.<\/p>\n<p>[ <em><a href=\"https:\/\/theconversation.com\/us\/newsletters?utm_source=TCUS&amp;utm_medium=inline-link&amp;utm_campaign=newsletter-text&amp;utm_content=expertise\">Expertise in your inbox. Sign up for The Conversation\u2019s newsletter and get a digest of academic takes on today\u2019s news, every day.<\/a><\/em> ]<!-- Below is The Conversation's page counter tag. Please DO NOT REMOVE. --><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" style=\"border: none !important; box-shadow: none !important; margin: 0 !important; max-height: 1px !important; max-width: 1px !important; min-height: 1px !important; min-width: 1px !important; opacity: 0 !important; outline: none !important; padding: 0 !important; text-shadow: none !important;\" src=\"https:\/\/counter.theconversation.com\/content\/118154\/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-basic\" alt=\"The Conversation\" width=\"1\" height=\"1\" \/><!-- End of code. If you don't see any code above, please get new code from the Advanced tab after you click the republish button. The page counter does not collect any personal data. More info: http:\/\/theconversation.com\/republishing-guidelines --><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/theconversation.com\/profiles\/kelebogile-zvobgo-741843\">Kelebogile Zvobgo<\/a>, Provost&#8217;s Fellow in the Social Sciences and Ph.D. Candidate, <em><a href=\"http:\/\/theconversation.com\/institutions\/university-of-southern-california-dornsife-college-of-letters-arts-and-sciences-2669\">University of Southern California \u2013 Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n<p>This article is republished from <a href=\"http:\/\/theconversation.com\">The Conversation<\/a> under a Creative Commons license. Read the <a href=\"https:\/\/theconversation.com\/maryland-has-created-a-truth-commission-on-lynchings-can-it-deliver-118154\">original article<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<\/div>\n\n\n  <\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n  \n        \n  \n    \n\n\n\n\n\n\n<div\n  class=\"cc--component-container cc--article-related-stories \"\n\n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  >\n  <div class=\"c--component c--article-related-stories\"\n    \n      >\n\n    \n  <div class=\"inner-wrapper\">\n    \n                  <article>\n              \n<div class=\"f--field f--cta-title\">\n\n    \n  <h3>\n          <a href=\"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/news\/stories\/do-black-families-feel-like-celebrating\/\" \n                        class=\"\" \n      >It\u2019s Black History Month, but do Black families feel like celebrating?<\/a>\n      <\/h3>\n\n\n<\/div>\n        <\/article>\n              <article>\n              \n<div class=\"f--field f--cta-title\">\n\n    \n  <h3>\n          <a href=\"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/news\/stories\/black-history-month-celebration-2021\/\" \n                        class=\"\" \n      >USC celebrates Black History Month<\/a>\n      <\/h3>\n\n\n<\/div>\n        <\/article>\n              <article>\n              \n<div class=\"f--field f--cta-title\">\n\n    \n  <h3>\n          <a href=\"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/news\/stories\/black-history-month-the-role-of-the-black-family\/\" \n                        class=\"\" \n      >This Black History Month, better understand the role of the Black family<\/a>\n      <\/h3>\n\n\n<\/div>\n        <\/article>\n            <\/div>\n\n\n  <\/div><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>A new truth commission aims to investigate lynchings of African Americans but faces obstacles that may prevent full truth and resolution. <strong> [6 min read] <\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":52,"featured_media":3437,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[17],"tags":[495,87,71,164,105,711,60,95,83],"class_list":["post-3434","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-student","tag-african-americans","tag-expert-viewpoint","tag-history","tag-human-rights","tag-politics","tag-race","tag-research","tag-social-sciences","tag-the-conversation"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v28.2 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Maryland has created a truth commission on lynchings \u2013 can it deliver?<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"A new truth commission aims to investigate lynchings of African Americans but faces obstacles that may prevent full truth and resolution. 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