The Task Force applauds the honoring of those who fought to save the Union, white and black alike. The Task Force notes that we seem little concerned with recognizing that the services of multitudes of others who volunteered to save the Union were refused in the spirit that they were unworthy solely on the basis of race. ln Maryland there presently exists a Maryland Veterans Commission which oversees a Civil War Cemetery, a Maryland Civil War Heritage Commission which in involved with the protection of battlefields, a Governors Commission of Military Monuments, and a Maryland Historical Trust which is largely concerned with the preservation of historic districts, buildings and archaeological sites. ln addition, there exists a Corporation for the Maryland Museum of African American Culture and History in charge of directing the operations a new museum to be constructed in Baltimore near the Inner Harbor and the Maryland Commission on African American History and Culture which, to date, has been mostly involved in directing the operations of the Banneker-Douglass Museum in Annapolis and in sponsoring an annual Dr. Martin Luther King Concert in Baltimore each February. At present, there exists no state commission or other body specifically mandated to coordinate the study, commemoration, and understanding of history and legacy of slavery in Maryland for the benefit of all populations and all regions of Maryland as a whole with a mandate to especially include the civilian casualties of slavery.

The present Task Force operated under very diflicult circumstances in that it was not provided with any budget or staff to carry out any aspects of its study or investigation or study. In presenting its Report to the Governor, the General Assembly, and to the citizens of Maryland, The Task Force finds that across numerous areas ranging from research, education and tourism to working with libraries, museums, cultural parks and grassroots organizations, Maryland has a need for a commission to continue the work began in this Report. For example, to the extent that our society has embraced incomplete and overgeneralized, mythical, and dishonest portrayals of slavery, we need to support and encourage efforts statewide which are directed to setting the record right. To the extent that racism and discrimination continue to be embraced as part of the legacy of slavery, we need to discuss what social justice perspective and reconciliation require.

A commission needs to also keep our state informed about resources, benefits, programs, and initiatives occurring outside of Maryland which might impact and enhance our efforts in-state. This commission needs the resources to establish and maintain an interactive web site that will contain a variety of information relevant to its mission, including information about tourism, curriculum development, and archival resources. The Task Force finds that a commission needs to have networking, coordinating, and advisoty authority to keep us informed with regard to how well we are protecting irreplaceable historical sites, archives, and artifacts relating to the history and legacy of slavery. The Task Force finds that a commission could be useful in periodically advising the Governor and General Assembly on initiatives that may help to redress social hartns of slavery andfor its legacy in Maryland in conciliatory ways.

In the area of formal education, the Task Force linds that the commission could work in an advisory capacity with departments of education on the development of principles and preferred guidelines to support the creation of appropriate instructional materials and teacher training as related to principles of social justice, coupled with multiculturalism and the history and legacy of slavery. Maryland can ill afford the kind of travesty which occurred in Archdale, North Carolina as recently as 1993 when local members of the Sons of Confederate Veterans, a nationwide heritage group, for a time convinced the administration at Randolph Community College that a course should be taught which claimed that "most slaves were happy in captivity."

In the area of youth development, the Task Force finds that commission could assist the State in staying aware of models initiated in Maryland or elsewhere which deserve public support. Moreover, in the area of unequivocally repudiating slavery and commemorating the Middle Passage and those who in bondage made invaluable contributions to the building of Maryland, the Task Force finds that a commission is needed to advise the Governor and General Assembly on establishing one or more official state monuments for this purpose. Moreover, as one of its duties, such commission should maintain a registry of burial grounds in this state thought to primarily represent the resting places of slaves and to make recommendations for how they may be appropriately maintained.