Statement from the National Black Cultural Information Trust, Inc. – Maryland’s Reparations Commission Moves Forward After Veto Override

Media Contact:
National Black Cultural Information Trust, Inc.
info@nbcit.org | www.nbcit.org

Waldorf, MD – The National Black Cultural Information Trust, Inc., commends the Maryland General Assembly and the Legislative Black Caucus of Maryland for overriding Governor Wes Moore’s veto and advancing a statewide Maryland Reparations Commission. This decision marks a significant step toward truth-telling, accountability, and repair. It acknowledges that the harms of slavery, Jim Crow, racial segregation, discriminatory housing and lending, mass incarceration, and anti-Black policies were systemic and measurable, with lasting generational consequences.

“A reparations study and commission is substantive, not symbolic. It documents the scope of harm, clarifies the state’s role in creating and sustaining inequities, and establishes a credible foundation for repair. Maryland’s action demonstrates readiness to move beyond rhetoric toward structured policy solutions that address the legacies of chattel slavery and Jim Crow, including racial wealth gaps, educational inequities, health disparities, housing displacement, and the ongoing erosion of Black cultural and community stability,” said Jessica Ann Mitchell Aiwuyor, Executive Director of the National Black Cultural Information Trust, Inc.

The National Black Cultural Information Trust affirms that reparations must be developed with, not just about, impacted communities. Any reparations study should include meaningful community engagement, transparent governance, accessible public hearings, and culturally competent research. The process must address both economic harms and cultural losses, including land, language, institutions, historical memory, and the generational disruption of Black life and opportunity.

We commend the Maryland General Assembly, the Legislative Black Caucus of Maryland, activists, scholars, and advocates who ensured Maryland upholds its responsibility to study and address its history. This override demonstrates that repair is a moral and civic obligation.

We look forward to supporting efforts that enable Maryland residents to participate in the study process, elevate community testimony, protect the historical record, and focus on outcomes that translate research into action. We will continue to advocate for a reparations framework that is rigorous, community-led, and actionable, because study must lead to repair.

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