News

New Essay Contest

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The Equal Justice Initiative in partnership with the Prince George’s County Lynching Memorial Project is pleased to announce an upcoming scholarship contest open to 9th – 12th grade students attending public high school in Prince George’s County, where prizes totaling at least $5,000 will be awarded to winning participants. 

Students are asked to examine the history of a topic of racial injustice and to discuss its legacy today. Essays should explain the chosen topic using a specific historical event(s), explore how the injustice persists, and imagine solutions for a future free from racial injustice. Students are encouraged to reflect on how the topic impacts their own lives and communities.

Read more about the contest and how to submit an entry.

Next Meeting: August 21, 2021

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You are invited to participate in the important work in our county of naming truth and moving forward to memorialize victims of racial terror. Email princegeorgescolmp@gmail.com to receive the Zoom link for our meeting this Saturday, 2 – 4 PM.

Juneteenth Events

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No PGCLMP meeting during June

In honor of Juneteenth, the Prince George’s County Lynching Memorial Project will NOT be meeting this month. Look for our next meeting in July.

To encourage all to take advantage of Juneteenth events, please see the options below.

Juneteenth Public Events

In person: City of Greenbelt activities Friday night June 18th and Saturday 19th (see flyer), co-sponsored by Greenbelt Black History and Culture Committee (co-chaired by PGC LMP members Dr. Lois Rosado and Leeann Irwin). 

On-Line: Afro-American Historical and Genealogical Society-Prince George’s County, Maryland Chapter (AAHGS-PGCM) Juneteenth | AAHGS | PG County

Also: 

Parks and Planning may do a virtual Juneteenth event (Check site for details: http://www.pgparks.com/780/Juneteenth)

PG County Library offers several events this month (Check site for details: https://www.pgcmls.info/juneteenth )

MCAAHC / MLTRC Joint Statement on Racial Injustice & Social Equity

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Please see the following statement on Racial Injustice & Social Equity from our partners at Maryland Commission on African American History and Culture and Maryland Lynching Truth and Reconciliation Commission. 

A major lesson from history is that those who do not learn from the past are destined to repeat it. Financial and political power built upon systems driven by racial oppression does not make a sound foundation on which to forge and advance a humane, sustainable future for the United States, and the majority of people in this country are voicing that statement. Maryland, like the United States, has a profound and tortured relationship with systemic racism, and as a result, this state has been an epicenter for protests and calls for Black liberation: from the abolitionist movement to innovations in the arts, education, and civil rights legislation. The legacy continued in 1969 with the MCAAHC, and in 2019 with the MLTRC.

You can download the full statement here:

MCAAHC-MLTRC-Joint-StatementDownload

Article: Why does the Myth of the Confederate Lost Cause Persist?

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Part of our work as the PGCLMP is to name the truth.

This article from author Clint R. Smith III, an excerpt from his recent book, is featured in the upcoming issue of The Atlantic as part of their Inheritance series. He gives an overview of the Lost Cause myth that persists in the minds of many Americans and the ways the truth about slavery, Confederate monuments, and the Civil War are obscured.

Gramling then turned his attention to the present-day controversy about Confederate monuments—to the people who are “trying to take away our symbols.” In 2019, according to a report from the Southern Poverty Law Center, there were nearly 2,000 Confederate monuments, place names, and other symbols in public spaces across the country. A follow-up report after last summer’s racial-justice protests found that more than 160 of those symbols had been removed or renamed in 2020.

Gramling said that this was the work of “the American ISIS.” He looked delighted as the crowd murmured its affirmation. “They are nothing better than ISIS in the Middle East. They are trying to destroy history they don’t like.”

Read the rest of the piece here.

Calling All Volunteers

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On Saturday, March 27 from 11 AM – 3 PM, there is an opportunity for volunteers to explore history and give back at a clean up day for the Tanyard/Franklin Cemetery. Please see the attached flyer for the items to bring and what to expect from this opportunity which will include history about the cemetery. Refreshments will also be provided.

See the flyer below for more details:

Time-to-give-back.-6Download