Maryland Commission on African American History and Culture

Maryland Commission on African American History and Culture
Name	Maryland Commission on African American History and Culture
Formation	1987
Type	State-level cultural commission
Headquarters	Baltimore, Maryland
Leader title	Executive Director

Maryland Commission on African American History and Culture is a state-authorized body created to identify, preserve, and promote the African American historical record in Maryland (state), including material culture, sites, and commemorations tied to the experiences of African Americans from the colonial era through the Civil Rights Movement and into contemporary cultural expression. The Commission connects heritage preservation, public history, and cultural tourism within frameworks shaped by federal programs such as the National Park Service's National Historic Landmarks program and state institutions like the Maryland Historical Trust and the Maryland State Archives. Its work intersects with organizations and figures spanning the Atlantic slave trade, antebellum leaders, Reconstruction politicians, civil rights activists, and contemporary scholars and artists.

History

The Commission was established amid late 20th-century heritage movements influenced by precedents such as the Civil Rights Movement, the founding of the National Museum of African American History and Culture, and state commissions in places like Virginia and North Carolina. Early activity engaged historians affiliated with the Johns Hopkins University, the University of Maryland, College Park, and curators from the Maryland Historical Trust to document plantation sites linked to families such as the Calvert family, and to identify material related to figures like Frederick Douglass, Harriet Tubman, Thurgood Marshall, and Patsy Mink. During the 1990s and 2000s the Commission collaborated with federal agencies including the National Endowment for the Humanities and cultural programs inspired by the Americans with Disabilities Act accessibility initiatives and the Historic Sites Act of 1935.

Mission and Responsibilities

The Commission’s mandate includes survey and inventory work similar to projects conducted by the Historic American Buildings Survey, nominating properties to the National Register of Historic Places, interpreting sites associated with people such as Eubie Blake, Cab Calloway, Joan Little, Benjamin Banneker, and Brigadier General Edward "The Black Lion" Villepigue (note: editorial groups often examine local military histories). Responsibilities extend to commemoration of events like the Annapolis Convention (1786), recognition of maritime histories tied to the Transatlantic slave trade, and educational outreach paralleling programs run by the Smithsonian Institution, Library of Congress, and state historic museums.

Organizational Structure and Leadership

Governance mirrors appointments found in other state cultural agencies, with commissioners nominated by the Governor of Maryland and confirmed via legislative procedures involving the Maryland General Assembly. Leadership roles include an Executive Director and staff who coordinate with directors at institutions such as the Reginald F. Lewis Museum of Maryland African American History & Culture, the National Great Blacks In Wax Museum, and municipal preservation offices in Baltimore (city), Annapolis, and Frederick, Maryland. The Commission partners with university centers like the Merriweather Post Pavilion's programming partners, the University of Maryland, Baltimore County's public history programs, and community stakeholders including local chapters of The Links, Incorporated, NAACP, and the Prince George's County Historical Society.

Programs and Initiatives

Programs range from marker programs comparable to the Blue Plaques tradition and the Maryland Historical Trust highway marker program, to oral history initiatives modeled on the Federal Writers' Project and the Library of Congress's Veterans History Project. Initiatives have documented sites associated with the Underground Railroad, created curricula about the life of Frederick Douglass and Harriet Tubman, and organized commemorative events for anniversaries of the Baltimore Riot of 1861 and the Annapolis Riot (1969). Collaborative projects with the National Park Service have included thematic studies on enslaved labor at plantations linked to the Carroll family and maritime labor histories tied to the Chesapeake Bay and the Port of Baltimore.

Grants, Funding, and Partnerships

Funding sources include state appropriations authorized by the Maryland Department of Budget and Management, project grants from the National Endowment for the Humanities, and partnerships with philanthropic entities such as the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation and the Ford Foundation. The Commission administers competitive grants for preservation and interpretation projects, often collaborating with municipal entities like the City of Baltimore, university museums such as the Peabody Institute, and nonprofit partners including the AARP Foundation and regional historical societies in Harford County and Wicomico County.

Notable Projects and Sites

Highlighted projects have included nominations for properties tied to Frederick Douglass's residences in Anacostia-related studies, preservation of sites connected to Harriet Tubman on the Eastern Shore, interpretive plans for the Reginald F. Lewis Museum, and documentation of jazz heritage linked to performers like Eubie Blake, Cab Calloway, Billie Holiday, and Dizzy Gillespie in Baltimore's neighborhoods. The Commission has assisted in the stewardship of historic African American churches such as First Baptist Church (Baltimore), community cemeteries including those with burials of Civil War veterans, and industrial sites tied to Black labor history in places like Sparrows Point and the Baltimore & Ohio Railroad yards.

Controversies and Criticism

Critiques have covered perceived underfunding similar to disputes involving the National Endowment for the Arts and debates over interpretive priorities akin to controversies at the Smithsonian Institution and municipal museums. Stakeholders have contested decisions about which sites receive grant support, invoking comparisons to preservation battles over sites associated with the Calvert family, the removal of monuments linked to Confederate memory, and public history disputes involving scholars from the University of Maryland, Baltimore County and community activists in West Baltimore. Additional criticism addresses transparency in appointment processes tied to the Governor of Maryland and the Commission’s balance between tourism development and preservation ethics championed by groups like Preservation Maryland.

Category:History of Maryland Category:African-American history in Maryland