Joanne M. Braxton, Ph.D, Founder and CEO, Braxton Institute Photo Credit: Nicole Oxendine
The Braxton Institute celebrates the Maryland Lynching Truth and Reconciliation Commission (MLTRC), the first state-sponsored effort in the United States to investigate, document, and reckon with the history of racial terror lynchings. The Commission’s Final Report was submitted to the Governor and the General Assembly in December 2025. On Wednesday, January 14, the commission held a virtual briefing hosted by members of the Commission - providing the public with an overview of the key findings and recommendations, a Q&A, and recommendations on how we the people can support this extensive project requiring more than six years of scholarship, community engagement, and research of Maryland's history of racial terror lynching between 1854 and 1933. The report documents the stories of 38 victims and makes “84 comprehensive recommendations for repair and reconciliation.”
We give special thanks to Dr. David Fakunle, Chair, a longtime friend of the Lakeland community and the Braxton Institute. Other members of the Commission include Dr. Charles L. Chavis, Vice Chair, David Armenti, Linsey Baker, Iris Leigh Barnes, Simone Barrett, Michelle Coles, Dr. Nicholas Creary, Dr. Holly Fisher-Hickman, Maya Davis, Chris Haley, Elizabeth Hughes, Amy Mifflin, Carl Snowden, Dr. Marshall Stevenson, Stephanie Suereth, Teisha Dupre, and Robert T. Parker. We celebrate these leaders and give thanks for their labor and their history-making reparative witness! Our deep gratitude also extends to those professionals in the Attorney General's office and colleagues at Bowie State University who shepherded the project. These beloveds include Kristin McFarlane, Sophie Asike, Will Schwarz, Ann Asare, Brianna Griffin, and Trish Floyd, who recently joined the Braxton Institute team as a Senior Adviser. We give thanks!