On Saturday, November 22, 2025, I had the honor of representing the Braxton Institute at A Day of Acknowledgement: Confronting the Legacy of Slavery, held at Maryland Hall in Annapolis. The program centered on a historic moment: County Executive Steuart Pittman’s formal apology for the profound and enduring impacts of slavery on generations of Black Americans. I arrived early that morning with a sense of significance and quiet anticipation, aware that this was more than an event — it was a step toward collective reckoning.
It was a rainy morning, the kind that slows everything down. As 10:00 a.m. approached, the room remained surprisingly sparse. I found myself wondering how such an important moment could draw so few, at least initially. An announcement broke the silence: the program would begin shortly, as many attendees had been delayed by the rain and traffic. Gradually, people began to trickle in. By 10:30, the auditorium had transformed into a full house. The energy shifted — from quiet expectancy to shared presence — and the program began.
Chris Haley, Director for the Study of the Legacy of Slavery in Maryland at the Maryland State Archives, opened the meeting. We watched a short clip from his film “Unmarked,” which documents efforts to preserve and protect Black burial grounds that have fallen into disrepair due to historical social inequities. We heard moving accounts on the history of slavery and lynchings in Maryland by Jane Cox, Richard Allen, Romocille Johnson, Dr. Charles L. Chavis, Lyndra Maxwell, Maya Davis, and Janice Hayes-William.
Angela Wilson representing the Braxton Institute at Historic Ann Arundel County Gathering.
Photo credit: Jessica Ann Mitchell Aiwuyor, National Black Cultural Information Trust
There have been many times when I’ve heard someone say I don’t need/want an apology or an apology means nothing, and I’ll respond -- healing begins with an apology. So I was pleased to hear the final speaker before the apology, Carl Snowden, Convener, of the Caucus of African American Leaders, state in his remarks, “All of the great problems that exist in our nation can be solved by a simple apology; anyone who knows anything about history knows that it must start somewhere.” He acknowledged, “A Luta Continua” -- the struggle continues. Finally, time for the Main Event!
County Executive Steuart Pittman came to the podium and gave a moving and heartfelt speech. Executive Pittman stated that he is a direct descendant of Anne Arundel County Enslavers. His 4th great grandfather, Dr. George Steuart Hume, arrived here from Scottland in 1728 and purchased land in Anne Arundel County. The land that Dr. Hume owned is now the site of the Government House. As Pittman acknowledged, Hume made his fortune in the tobacco industry off the backs of men, women, and children from Africa. Today, Executive Pittman lives in Davidsonville, on land purchased by Dr. Hume in 1747. Around this time Dr. Hume returned to Scottland to claim an inheritance but some of his descendants remained in Anne Arundel County.
When asked how it feels to be a descendant of enslavers, Executive Pittman said he feels shame, sadness, and sometimes a flash of anger about his family history because of the dehumanization, and all because of greed, to make money. As he shared his family history, his voice carried a tremor that suggested that he was deeply moved. He acknowledges that Black history has been erased and done deliberately. After reading an official proclamation, Pittman read what he called an “inadequate but deeply felt apology.” With a tone of deep sincerity, he pledged to never let this history be forgotten.
