Reginald F. Lewis Museum inching closer to permanent exhibit displaying the tragic truths of lynching
BALTIMORE -- The Reginald F Lewis Museum is inching closer to creating a new permanent exhibit to recognize the history of lynching in Maryland and the victims.
Senator Chris Van Hollen made an appearance at a conference Saturday at the museum to discuss how this new monument could garner worldwide attention.
The Maryland Lynching Memorial Project nonprofit was created to uncover the truth about the state's lynching history of African Americans.
Diving into the late 19th century and early 20th century reports, they found at least 38 lynched victims. Volunteers read each name aloud at the conference held at the museum Saturday morning.
"We recognize our country is crippled by 400 years of white supremacy," Maryland Lynching Memorial Project President Will Schwarz said. "And we want to make it better."
Senator Chris Van Hollen helped attain $650,000 to help create a permanent exhibit at the museum to memorialize lynched victims.
"We need to shine a light on the dark corners of our history that we would rather look away from in order to seek truth and seek reconciliation," Van Hollen said.
Van Hollen also noted how Congress passed the Emmett Till Antilynching Act.
President Joe Biden signed the act back in March and it became the first federal law to criminalize lynching.
Terry Anne Scott is an author and says she has been studying lynching for the past 25 years. She highlighted parts of her book called "Lynching and Leisure."
She said the present looks uncomfortably similar to the past as racial healing is still needed.
"Lynching never stopped," she said. "Lynching continues to be used as a form of racialized social violence and control."
Back in June, the nonprofit estimated the planning and construction process of the exhibit would take 18 months.
The museum hopes it will be a monument to attract people around the world to Baltimore.
