By Megan Sayles
AFRO Staff Writer
msayles@afro.com
Members of the Legislative Black Caucus of Maryland (LBCMD) traveled to Prince George’s County on Sept. 23 to visit the remnants of an unmarked burial ground for at least 230 Black children who died there 150 years ago. The site, overgrown and neglected, lies between the manicured grounds of Cheltenham Veterans Cemetery and state-run Cheltenham Youth Detention Center.
The children who are buried there were imprisoned at the facility when it was known as the House of Reformation and Instruction for Colored Boys. For lawmakers present, the visit was not only a commemoration of the young lives lost but also a call to action to restore and maintain the derelict cemetery and address ongoing inequities in Maryland’s juvenile justice system.
“One of the things that we want to do is make sure that this area is cleaned up,” said state Del. Jheanelle Wilkins (D-Md.-District 20), chair of the LBCMD. “I keep using the word ‘dignity,’ because that’s just really something that strikes me — the lack of dignity in their death and the lack of light around these lives that were taken. We’re making sure that as a Black caucus we take the steps to repair what has taken place.”
The House of Reformation and Instruction for Colored Boys was opened in 1870, four decades after the Maryland General Assembly determined that children needed separate prison facilities from adults. It followed the opening of the House of Refuge in 1850, which was only open to White youth.
The Black children taken there, who were as young as five years old, were largely brought in on minor offenses, like vagrancy, petty theft or running away from home. They were subjected to inhumane conditions, made to learn how to work the fields and even leased out to area farms.
State Del. Michael A. Jackson (D-Md.-District 27), an LBCMD member, noted the difference in the names of the state’s juvenile facilities during that time. Whereas the facility for White children was framed as a place of refuge, the facility for Black children was presented as a place of reform—meant to correct behavior and teach discipline but, in practice, imposing forced labor and punishment.
“Tell me, what are you reforming in people who weren’t allowed to be a person? They weren’t even allowed to be children. What are you reforming in them?” said Jackson. “They were another form of chattel.”
The September visit was not the first by the LBCMD. In the 1970s, then-Del. Troy Brailey, the founder of the caucus, went to the site and denounced its conditions.
However, there are still many who’ve never known of its existence. Members of the LBCMD emphasized that understanding and discussing the history of Cheltenham has become even more important in the face of attacks on Black history by the 47th president and lawmakers across the country.
“There are so many people surrounding who are not aware that this cemetery exists. In this current climate, with the federal administration trying to erase history, we’re walking amongst history right now,” said Del. Jeffrie E. Long Jr. (D-Md.-District 27B). “We have to be very thoughtful in our process moving forward.”
Though some aspects of juvenile justice have improved over time, Cheltenham’s history also serves as a stark reminder to the caucus of the urgent need for continued reform in Maryland’s criminal justice system.
One bill that the caucus will be pushing in the next legislative session seeks to overhaul Maryland’s treatment of juvenile offenders. Introduced by state Sen. Will Smith (D-Md.-District 20), the piece of legislation would raise the age at which juveniles can be automatically charged as adults from 14 to 16 and reduce the number of offenses that currently make 16-year-olds eligible for adult court.
Caucus members have also confirmed that Maryland Gov. Wes Moore has committed initial funding to secure the resources for the restoration and sustained maintenance of the burial ground.
“This is a work of repair. Now that we know what we know, we won’t just sit here and move forward as we were but help do what we can,” said Wilkins. “We won’t be able to bring these lives back, but we can commemorate and make sure that they are treated with dignity and use this as an opportunity to take action.”
