County to Formally Apologize for Slavery at NAACP Request

FIRST ON THE DAILY SIGNAL: A Maryland county plans to officially apologize for slavery, The Daily Signal has learned.

Anne Arundel County said it will “issue a formal apology for the profound, far-reaching impact slavery has had on generations of Black Americans” as part of a countywide event celebrating Maryland Emancipation Day.

The county says the apology comes at the request of the NAACP, the county’s human rights commission, and the Caucus of African American Leaders.

“It is long overdue for Anne Arundel County to acknowledge and apologize for its role in supporting and enforcing the institution of slavery,” County Executive Steuart Pittman said on LinkedIn Sunday. 

“As a direct descendant of local enslavers, I understand that there is no way to undo the past, but I cannot end my time in office without responding to this request with an acknowledgment and apology. Our Office of Equity and Human Rights has worked closely with local historians and descendants of enslaved people to ensure this apology is a meaningful step toward repair.”

The program, set to take place on Nov. 1, will also include panels discussing “reparations” and existing programs “that address disparities in health, wealth, and education.”

Anne Arundel County, home to Annapolis, is Maryland’s fourth-largest county, with 2020 census data reporting a population of 588,261, 17.4% of whom were black.

Pittman has held the county’s chief executive office since 2018. 

In 2023, he issued an executive order instructing the county to promote “equity, diversity and inclusion as the guiding principles and core values for every County workplace, program, activity, contract, and decision” and to address “the legacy of policy inequities.”

The event is orchestrated in part by the county’s Office of Equity and Human Rights. That office also operates a “Hate Crimes Prevention Program,” which it says is meant to “develop a comprehensive approach to hate crimes and hate bias incidents prevention, investigation, and prosecution.”