The Commission seeks to sincerely and honestly take up issues relating to the impact of slavery, including the development of such phenomena as institutionalized racism. Bringing together people of all walks from throughout the State of Maryland will do this. The hurt and societal dysfunctions that linger from slavery are disproportionately found among African Americans in the working-class, in the inner cities, and in rural communities. These matters need to be dealt with by scholars and by people engaged in direct and sensitive hands-on work, especially among African American youth. The Commission is an unprecedented mechanism by which the State can both enhance the preservation of slavery’s history and address major societal problems that have a direct relationship to its legacy.