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Maryland Commission on African American History and Culture
Background

The Maryland Commission on African American History and Culture originated in 1969 as the Maryland Commission on Negro History and Culture. In 1971, it was assigned to Morgan State College by Executive Order. Under the Department of Economic and Community Development, the Commission was renamed in 1974 as the Commission on Afro-American and Indian History and Culture and was renamed the Commission on Afro-American History and Culture in 1976. It became part of the Department of Housing and Community Development in 1987 and was redesignated as the Commission on African American History and Culture in 1992. In 2005, the Commission became part of the Maryland Department of Planning.

Duties of the Commission

Statutory duties of the Commission include:

initiating, directing, and coordinating projects that further the understanding of African American history and culture;

surveying historic buildings, sites, artifacts, archives, and repositories, and publishing and disseminating the results;

planning, coordinating, and implementing the State's annual official observance of the Martin Luther King, Jr., holiday;

receiving and administering any available federal or private money to plan and execute commemorative and educational activities in connection with the observance of the Martin Luther King, Jr., holiday;

operating the Banneker-Douglass Museum in Annapolis to house and display photographs, objects, oral history tapes, artifacts, and other materials of African American historic and cultural significance;

locating, preserving, and disseminating to the public information about significant buildings and sites relating to African American history and culture; and

publishing an annual report and any other material that the Commission considers necessary.

Members of the Commission

The Commission consists of nine members appointed by the Governor with the advice and consent of the Senate for terms of 4 years each. Appointees represent the entire Maryland community and are required to have a knowledge of African American culture and history, to be sensitive to the problems of minority communities, and to be connected with agencies working to integrate minority history and culture into the history of Maryland and our American culture. The Commissioners elect annually a chairman and vice-chairman from among the members of the Commission.

Commissioners currently include:

John W. Franklin, Chairman, (2004-2008)

Mary L. Brown, Esq., (2006-2010)
Dr. Charles M. Christian (2005-2009)
Walter B. Hill, Jr., Ph.D., (2004-2008)
Cheryl Janifer LaRoche, Ph.D., (2007-2011)
Theodore H. Mack, (2007 - 2011)
Anita Neal Powell, (2006-2010)
Newell Quinton, (2005-2009)

For More Information

For more information about the work of the Commission, contact Executive Director Tonya Hardy at 410-216-6190. The Commission may also be reached c/o Banneker-Douglass Museum, 84 Franklin Street, Annapolis, MD 21401.

Additional Resources

• MCAAHC Annual Report for 1999 Adobe Acrobat document

• MCAAHC Annual Report for 2001 Adobe Acrobat document

• MCAAHC Annual Report for 2002 Adobe Acrobat document

• MCAAHC Annual Report for 2003 Adobe Acrobat document

• MCAAHC Annual Report for 2004 Adobe Acrobat document

Last updated: March 14, 2008