Maryland lynching commission pushes back on Gov Wes Moore reparations veto

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Gov Wes Moore explains he vetoed reparations study bill in order to focus on more immediate action

Gov. Wes Moore explained to radio host Charlamagne that his veto of a reparations-related bill was not a rejection of reparations policy, but to show that the time of mere studies is over, arguing he is a "person of action."

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Members of the Maryland Lynching Truth and Reconciliation Commission pushed back against Gov. Wes Moore’s objection to creating a reparations commission, asserting that their work ties directly to the immediate action he calls for.

"I mean, we're doing it," Nicholas M. Creary, a member of the commission, told Fox News Digital.

"If it goes according to plan. We're going to be getting draft legislation introduced into session this year. So whether he thinks we need to talk about it or do more, my guess is that the reparations commission isn't just going to necessarily study, but they're also going to make recommendations for things to do," Creary added.

The Maryland Lynching Truth and Reconciliation Commission released its final report last month after being established in 2019. The report is described as the first state-sponsored effort in the United States to investigate, document and "reckon with the history of racial terror lynching within its own borders." 

The Maryland Lynching Truth and Reconciliation Commission released its final report last month after being established in 2019. (Getty)

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Moore vetoed an effort to establish the Maryland Reparations Commission. His reasoning for vetoing the commission stemmed from a need for immediate action. The governor penned a letterstating that it was a "difficult decision" and also that "now is not the time for another study."

In an interview with "The Breakfast Club’s" Charlamagne tha God, Moore explained that he is a "person of action."

"Exactly. I mean, listen, what I said was, ‘I'm a person of action. I don't need more studies.’ I’m like, 'We've done four studies over the past 20 years on similar types of elements,'" Moore said in October. "By the way, one of which my wife worked on. And, so, when we're now talking about doing a two-year study on something that I already know the answer to, I'm like, ‘What are we studying?’"

The governor’s veto was overridden by state lawmakers. The Maryland Reparations Commissionwould appoint 23 members to assess local, state and federal policies from the Reconstruction and the Jim Crow eras. The commission will recommend reparations ranging from cash compensation to a statement of apology.

While the members told Fox News Digital that the Maryland Lynching Truth and Reconciliation Commission is separate from the Maryland Reparations Commission, they defended their work, as it is similar. 

Charles Chavis, who is part of the state's Lynching Truth and Reconcilation Commission, said that their work could help address the more immediate issues the governor seeks to solve in regard to racial justice.

Among 84 recommendations, the Maryland Lynching Truth and Reconciliation Commission proposed that state leaders atone for the past through cash payments. The commission recommended that $100,000 per person be issued to descendants of lynching victims after a state-sponsored lynchings study. (OZAN KOSE/AFP via Getty Images)

"When we look at homelessness on the eastern shore – the various issues that have been plaguing Maryland's eastern shore and other areas, there's a direct line that can be drawn with some of these incidents of racial terror and racial violence that have yet to be addressed," Chavis said. "The state has been aware of this. And so to take the governor more on this point, yes, let's do something about it. And I think that is what the legislation is dealing with."

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In their report, the commission concluded that state officials and institutions were complicit in 38 lynchings that followed the Civil War and that the perpetrators were never held accountable in any of the deaths. Among 84 recommendations, the group proposed that state leaders atone for the past through cash payments. The commission recommended that $100,000 per person be issued to descendants of lynching victims.

The recommendations consist of nine categories, including apology and acknowledgment of responsibility, symbolic reparations, material reparations, criminal justice, community healing, mental health, education, media and implementation.

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The commission members said that reparations are bigger than monetary compensation. Commission member David Fakunle said there is no cost to educating the public about the truth of Maryland history.

Maryland Gov. Wes Moore vetoed an effort to establish the Maryland Reparations Commission. His reasoning for vetoing the commission stemmed from a need for immediate action. The governor penned a letter stating that it was a "difficult decision" and also that "now is not the time for another study." (Andrew Harnik/Getty Images)

"There are a lot of these things that can happen with no cost at all, and can certainly be the utilization of resources that are already being applied to certain elements of the state's running, so to speak. And so we have to be patient. We know about patience when it comes to this work," Fakunle told Fox News Digital. "We don't want people to reduce the repair of this legacy to money. That is very limiting, because first and foremost, we should not put a price tag on a person's life, although we are doing it in this case. But what we are acknowledging is that there are so many things that allow this to happen without any accountability."

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Chavis said one of the reasons he’s proud of the report is because it addresses the issues Moore has expressed.

"Our report should do nothing more than provide additional evidence as to why the present day reform is needed. But we can't pretend like these injustices and this harm and the community issues have just happened out of nowhere. They have a history and there's a legacy attached to the community's suffering that needs to be alleviated," Chavis said. 

Moore's office did not immediately respond to a request for comment.