The Northern Arundel Cultural Preservation Society (NACPS) is reviving an effort to boost public knowledge of local black history, and is hosting an educational tour of historic African American sites in the area on Saturday.
The tour will begin at 9 a.m. at the Lloyd Keaser Center, 5757 Belle Grove Road, and will include various stops, such as Dotson’s Tavern, a longtime social hub in the black community.
NACPS board member Lynda Davis said she wants to call attention to the fact that racial injustice persists and give participants some context for what is happening today.
Davis raised concerns about a state report that showed, of the jurisdictions that provided data, Anne Arundel County had the highest number of reports of hate or bias motivated incidents in 2018. Of the 78 reports in Anne Arundel, 16 were verified, 57 were inconclusive and five were unfounded.
“I really hope people connect the dots between past and present,” Davis said.
Recently an effigy that looked to be hung from its neck was found on a tree on the former Dotson’s Tavern property.
The man who hung the effigy told police it was a Halloween prop he hung on a tree he thought he owned, but former County Councilman Daryl Jones, who said he owns the property, said the effigy was offensive and on his land. Jones was the first black man elected to serve on the Anne Arundel County Council. County police opened a investigation as it being a possible hate incident.
NACPS will tell stories about how racism has impacted the county’s history throughout the whole tour, Davis said, and she hopes that educating people of the history may prevent it from repeating itself in any way.
A tour bus will transport the group from stop-to-stop throughout the day, and the group will make a stop to eat packed lunches together.
Davis said attendees are asked to make a donation of $10, which will support their spot on the tour, and “The Historical and Educational Tour of African American Enclaves and Sites in Northern Anne Arundel County” booklet.
For more information, contact Lynda Davis at lyndadvis@aol.com.
