Governor Larry Hogan issued posthumous pardons to 34 Maryland lynching victims on May 8, reported the Baltimore Sun. Among them is including Howard Cooper, a 15-year-old Black boy who was dragged from the Baltimore County Jail and hanged outside the Towson jailhouse by a white mob in 1885.
According to Hogan’s office “it was the first time a governor has issued a ‘blanket pardon’ for the victims of racial lynchings.”
TOWSON, MD – MAY 8: Maryland Governor Larry Hogan looks at the historical marker unveiled for the lynching of Howard Cooper during an event held by The Maryland Lynching Memorial Project at the old Baltimore County Jail in Towson, MD on May 8, 2021. (Photo by Will Newton for The Washington Post via Getty Images)
Maryland governor issues posthumous pardons for 34 victims of racial lynching
AP
Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan participates in a panel discussion during the Republican Governors Association annual conference Wednesday, Nov. 18, 2015, in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/Chase Stevens)
By: WMAR Staff
and last updated 2021-05-10 16:18:07-04
TOWSON, Md. â Over the weekend, the governor of Maryland issued full posthumous pardons for 34 victims of racial lynching in the state between 1854 and 1933. It is the first time in history that a governor has issued a blanket pardon for the victims of racial lynchings.
âThe State of Maryland has long been on the forefront of civil rights, dating back to Justice Thurgood Marshallâs legal battle to integrate schools and throughout our national reckoning on race,â said Governor Larry Hogan. âToday, we are once again as together we continue the work to build a more perfect union. My hope is that this action will at least
Maryland Governor Grants Posthumous Pardons To 34 Black Lynching Victims
By Eric McDaniel
May 9, 2021
Thirty-four Black men and boys lynched in Maryland between 1854 and 1933 were granted posthumous pardons by Gov. Larry Hogan on Saturday.
Hogan made the announcement at an event held to memorialize Howard Cooper, a 15-year-old boy who in 1885 was dragged from the Baltimore County Jail and hanged while his criminal case was pending before the U.S. Supreme Court.
Students at the state’s Loch Raven Technical Academy and the Maryland Lynching Memorial Project petitioned the governor earlier this year to pardon Cooper, which led Hogan to instruct his staff to search for all of the available accounts of racist lynching in state.
Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan, far right, Baltimore County Executive John Olszewski and Maryland House Speaker Adrienne Jones stand next to a new historic marker on Saturday in Towson, Md., that memorializes Howard Cooper, a 15-year-old who was dragged from a jailhouse and hanged by a mob in 1885. Brian Witte / AP
Thirty-four Black men and boys lynched in Maryland between 1854 and 1933 were granted posthumous pardons by Gov. Larry Hogan on Saturday.
Hogan made the announcement at an event held to memorialize Howard Cooper, a 15-year-old boy who in 1885 was dragged from the Baltimore County Jail and hanged while his criminal case was pending before the U.S. Supreme Court.
May 9, 2021
Governor Larry Hogan issued a full posthumous pardon for 34 victims of racial lynching in Maryland between 1854 and 1933, on the basis that these extrajudicial killings violated fundamental rights to due process and equal protection of law. It is the first time in history that a governor has issued a blanket pardon for the victims of racial lynchings.
“The State of Maryland has long been on the forefront of civil rights, dating back to Justice Thurgood Marshall’s legal battle to integrate schools and throughout our national reckoning on race,” said Governor Hogan. “Today, we are once again leading the way as we continue the work to build a more perfect union. My hope is that this action will at least in some way help to right these horrific wrongs and perhaps bring a measure of peace to the memories of these individuals, and to their descendants and loved ones.”