A new bill aims to bring justice to Black boys buried in hidden graveyard

By Juan Benn Jr. and Katie Mettler, Washington Post

A Washington Post investigation found that at least 230 children died at a state-run facility near the cemetery. The new bill would task a commission with finding answers.

Six months have passed since lawmakers visited a neglected cemetery at the House of Reformation and Instruction for Colored Children — a now-defunct, segregated juvenile detention center in Maryland where hundreds of Black boys died in the late 19th and early 20th centuries — and they still have questions.

“How did so many children die in state custody? What were the conditions that led to their deaths? Were signs ignored?” Del. Jeffrie E. Long Jr. (D-Calvert) asked during a hearing before the House Government, Labor and Elections Committee on Thursday.

As the lead sponsor of a new bill, he’s hoping it will provide some answers.

The legislation establishes the formation of a commission helmed by the Maryland attorney general and tasked with investigating what happened inside the facility on state-owned land in Prince George’s County. Members of the commission will include relatives of the boys who were incarcerated at the House of Reformation and appointeeschosen bystate and local officials, including the Maryland General Assembly and Prince George’s County Executive Aisha Braveboy.

The appointees will work with experts “to conduct archaeological surveys, forensic analysis, historical research and meaningful descendant engagement,” while also coordinating with state agencies to assess the policies that led to the boys’ deaths under the state’s watch, Long said.

“Let’s be very clear. These weren’t just any graves. They were neglected children by the state of Maryland,” said Long, who represents Prince George’s County. 

Read more about the bill.

Discover Black history revealed by those who wouldn’t stay quiet.

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