By Rev. Dr. Heber Brown III
In any conversation about healing from the horrific legacy of slavery, there lingers the question of what comes next. We all know that slavery created devastating harms. Particularly with current threats to the true telling of history, it is significant when our government recognizes and acknowledges this. But what happens after an apology?
This is what I found myself wondering upon learning of Anne Arundel County Executive Steuart Pittman’s November 2025 “Day of Acknowledgement: Confronting the Legacy of Slavery.” After discovering that he is a descendant of enslavers, Pittman delivered a formal apology on behalf of the county for their role in slavery. He confronted the truth of his ancestors and pledged to ensure this history is never forgotten.
It is easy for some to applaud this White man for his words, but we must look further. Pittman’s recognition is important, and I am glad to uplift such acknowledgements as his, but it is far from perfect. Pittman did not decide to do this on his own. The action was requested by the Anne Arundel County Human Rights Commission, the NAACP and the Caucus of African American Leaders. Giving these Black people the same and more attention can show that civil rights advocates, community leaders and descendants of enslaved people have been asking for action—now and long before the official apology.
We must also ask ourselves why the timing was such. Pittman is term-limited and in his final year of office. There was little risk for him to make such an apology. The event was originally scheduled to coincide with Maryland Emancipation Day on Nov. 1, 2025, but was reportedly rescheduled to accommodate more attendees. The final date was the Saturday before Thanksgiving, when many are already out of town or distracted by the holiday, and coverage was limited. I do not pretend to know the thought process behind these decisions; I only wonder if they might have dampened the end result.
Beyond the circumstances, an apology should only be the first line, not the full conversation. Many recognize a complete apology to contain at least four parts: an acknowledgement of wrongdoing, explaining what was wrong (without excuses, to take responsibility and show you know why an apology is warranted), an expression of genuine remorse and changed behavior with an offer of repair. It is this last step, offering repair and taking action to heal the harm, which is missing from this situation. Until reparations are included in the process, it is not a complete apology.
So, how can the county complete this apology? They can continue the conversation by taking the actions that local advocates have been recommending. They can look to Janice Hayes-Williams, a seventh generation descendant of enslaved people. At the event, she spoke on the need for atonement. County leaders can bring her in– and the many people like her– to truly listen to what they have to say. To repair and heal, our leaders must hear from those who have been harmed.
We can listen to leaders like Carl Snowden, a convener for the Caucus of African American Leaders, who is encouraging the next administration to develop a process for reparations. We can uplift the lessons and recommendations of Lawrence Brown, a professor at Morgan State University, whose expertise advises that apologies must be followed with financial recompense for the comprehensive harms they made.
Members of the community, and those of us with a platform in our communities, can connect with each other and unite to make it clear that we want repair. We can encourage our lawmakers to continue supporting the legislation to create a Maryland Reparations Commission, and to take the next step toward action when that part of the conversation concludes.
There will always be next steps in the conversation; with such atrocities, harms will linger and no apology will fully fill the needs. We welcome the apologies, but ask that our leaders follow them with action, listening to the voices of those affected and keeping the discussion going. The conversation is not yet over. Let’s keep talking and stay committed to the work of repair.
The opinions expressed in this commentary are those of the writer and not necessarily those of the AFRO.
