The Prince George’s County Lynching Memorial Project has revised its mission statement to honor and show respect for the Africans who were enslaved in America and reflect accuracy in current historical terminology. The specific changes made were: first, to explicitly state our concern with the fates of the Africans who were enslaved and their descendants and to honor their full humanity by not implicitly suggesting they were only “slaves”; and, second, to use the now preferred term of the “institution of slavery” versus “slavery” since the institution or system of slavery and other systemic oppressions are the major causes of current day racial injustices and are a major focus of our work. Selected sources supporting the reasons for this change include the following:
- Choices Program | Why should we use the term “enslaved people” instead of “slaves”?
- Choosing Our Words, Carefully – by Martha S. Jones (substack.com)
- The Vocabulary of Freedom – Underground Railroad Education Center (undergroundrailroadhistory.org)
New Mission Statement
The Prince George’s County Lynching Memorial Project educates the public about the truths of our nation’s continuing legacy of the institution of slavery and its impact on enslaved persons and their descendants, memorializes victims of racial terror lynchings in our county, and advances the cause of racial justice and reconciliation through mutual support and collaboration.