On Maryland Emancipation Day, Anne Arundel County will become the first local jurisdiction to issue a formal apology for its role in perpetuating slavery in the state.

On November 1, 1864, Maryland abolished slavery, nearly a full year before the 13th Amendment was ratified in the United States.

However, the work to understand and correct the impacts of slavery in our state is still being done.

This year, on the 161st anniversary, Anne Arundel County Executive Steuart Pittman will make a formal announcement during the planned "Day of Acknowledgment" event on Saturday, November 1, at Maryland Hall's Bowen Theater in Annapolis.

The formal apology comes at the request of the Anne Arundel County Human Rights Commission, the NAACP, and the Caucus of African American Leaders.

"We felt like

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