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MCAAHC Mission
The Maryland Commission on African American History and Culture is committed to discovering, documenting, preserving, collecting, and promoting Maryland’s African American heritage.
The Commission also provides technical assistance to institutions and groups with similar objectives. Through the accomplishment of this mission, the MCAAHC seeks to educate Maryland citizens and visitors to our state about the significance of the African American experience in Maryland.
Latest News
- The Summer 2026 Edition of The Pendulum has officially arrived. 🚨
- MCAAHC August 2026 Public Meeting Notice
- My Reflections on America 250: Statement from Executive Director Chanel C. Johnson
- “Aesthetic Inheritance: Art, Archive and African American Life” Symposium Call for Proposals
- MCAAHC June 2026 Public Meeting Notice
“Aesthetic Inheritance: Art, Archive and African American Life” Symposium Call for Proposals
🔊Registration is Now Open!
Join us October 1–3, 2026, for Aesthetic Inheritance: Art, Archive, and African American Life, a dynamic symposium bringing together scholars, artists, and cultural workers to explore African American art, archives, memory, and historical documentation.
- Opening plenary and artist talk at the Banneker-Douglass-Tubman Museum on October 1
- Film screening at Bowie State University on October 2
- Keynote and sessions at Bowie State University on October 3
Presented in partnership by Bowie State University, the Maryland Commission on African American History and Culture, and the Banneker-Douglass-Tubman Museum, this gathering offers an opportunity to engage in meaningful conversations about art, history, memory, and the archives that help tell our stories.
Thank you to our generous sponsors, Terra Foundation for American Art and Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc., and to our presenters! Register today!
MCAAHC OCTOBER 2026 PUBLIC MEETING
MONDAY, OCTOBER 5, 2026
11:00 AM – 1:00 PM
BUILDING AFRICAN AMERICAN MINDS
TALBOT COUNTY, EASTON, MD
Commissioner Dina Daly, representing Talbot County, was appointed to the Maryland Commission on African American History and Culture in 2025 by Governor Wes Moore. Dina Gomes Daly is the Executive Director of Building African American Minds (BAAM), Inc., a nonprofit she co-founded with her husband, Derick Daly. Since April 2021, she has overseen the organization’s expanding programs that support youth, families, and the broader community in Easton, Maryland. Prior to her current role, Daly served as Director of the Caroline County Department of Social Services, leading critical public assistance programs and guiding the agency through a successful accreditation process. She also held leadership and supervisory positions in child welfare and adult services with both Caroline and Dorchester counties. A licensed certified social worker, Daly holds a Master’s in Social Work from the University of Maryland, Baltimore, and a Bachelor’s degree from Suffolk University in Boston. Originally from São Nicolau, Cabo Verde, she lived in Portugal before immigrating to the United States in 1976. Mrs. Daly has served on numerous local government and nonprofit boards and remains deeply committed to empowering underserved communities through education, mentorship, and social support.
The Pendulum Has Swung!
The Summer 2026 Edition is Now Out
Check out the Winter 2026 edition of The Pendulum, the Maryland Commission on African American History and Culture’s quarterly newsletter.
Inside this edition, you’ll find:
- 🖋️ ‘The Tribute: Black Patriot Monument’ and 🖋️ ‘Marcus Garvey and the Baltimore Connection’ by Commissioner Walter Gill
- 🖋️ ‘Roots 50 Years Later’ by Chris Haley, nephew of Alex Haley and Maryland State Archivist
- 🖋️ Q&A with The Jackson Family Rodeo by Vice Chair Jaelon T. Moaney
- 🖋️BDTM Exhibition Spotlight, ‘She Too, Reasoned this out in her mind’ by Martina Dodd and more!
The Pendulum is edited by the Historical Search, Preservation, and Publications Committee of the MCAAHC.
We are not a DEI Program: We are Defenders of Freedom and Democracy | A Call to Action
Today, the hunt is on to root out “DEI” and so-called “divisive ideologies” from classrooms, libraries, museums, and public institutions across the country. The Maryland Commission on African American History and Culture (MCAAHC) stands as a sentinel for preserving and advancing African American history and culture in Maryland. Read the call to action in the current edition of The Pendulum to learn more and join us in ensuring that the promise of American democracy is not abandoned, but fulfilled.
The African American Heritage Preservation Program (AAHPP) Grant Cycle FY27
The FY2027 African American Heritage Preservation Program (AAHPP) Grant is opening April 2026!
Webinars and workshops are now available for the African American Preservation Program FY27 grant cycle. The FY27 application will open on April 2, 2026 and close on July 1, 2026 at 11:59 PM.
Administered as a partnership between Maryland Historical Trust (MHT) and the Maryland Commission on African American History and Culture (MCAAHC), AAHPP provides $5 million in grants to assist with the preservation of buildings, sites, or communities of historical and cultural importance to the African American experience in Maryland.
Grant Reviewers Wanted – Deadline 6/19/26!
Don’t miss your chance to be a part of the African American Heritage Preservation Program’s grant review panel! The MCAAHC will seek volunteers who are passionate about Maryland’s African American history to assist with reviewing the FY 2027 AAHPP grant applications.
To apply, please click here to submit an application: FY27 AAHPP Review Panel Application.
Questions? Contact Alexandria Anderson, Research & Preservation Specialist, at [email protected].
SHE SPEAKS EXHIBITION AT THE BANNEKER-DOUGLASS-TUBMAN MUSEUM
The Banneker-Douglass-Tubman Museum proudly announces its newest exhibition, She Speaks: Black Women Artists and the Power of Historical Memory–a visionary presentation that examines the 250-year history of the United States of America through a Black Feminist lens.
This exhibition brings together a powerful constellation of contemporary Maryland-based and internationally recognized Black women artists whose deeply personal and politically charged works bear witness to the past, illuminate its impact on the present, and conjure Afrofuturist visions.
<<< Artwork: Fabiola Jean-Louis, Follow the Drinking Gourd (2019), 33 x 26 in | Image courtesy of the artist and Galerie Myrtis
MCAAHC Statewide Book Drive 2025-2026
Now in its third year, MCAAHC invites Marylanders’ contributions to a statewide book drive. Donations of unused books in alignment with the MCAAHC mission are welcomed at sites across the state from Maryland’s Emancipation Day, November 1, 2025, through Juneteenth, June 19, 2026.
The MCAAHC serves to be a voice and venue against the marginalization, false narratives, book banning, and other systemic practices that suppress, subordinate, and misrepresent the history of Maryland African Americans.
MCAAHC LEADERSHIP FOR FY27 ANNOUNCED
Chair Kali-Ahset Amen, Ph.D. and Vice Chair Jaelon T. Moaney continue to hold their respective leadership positions on the Maryland Commission of African American History and Culture. The positions of Chair and Vice Chair were effective July 1, 2026 for the Fiscal year 2027. Congratulations Chair Amen and Vice Chair Moaney!
Engaging with Descendant African American Communities: African Ancestral Human Remains Project
MCAAHC’s Ancestral Remains, Cemetery Research, and Preservation Committee and Maryland Historical Trust (MHT) have launched a project aimed at identifying lineal descendants or communities that are culturally affiliated with the remains of at least 15 individuals of African or possible African descent that are currently housed at the Maryland Archaeological Conservation Laboratory (MAC Lab) in Calvert County, Maryland.
Photo from Echoes of Our Ancestors: Building Bridges Between our Past Present and Our Future event held on June 24, 2025 at Mount Calvary United Methodist Church >>>
Commissioners of the MCAAHC’s Ancestral Remains, Cemetery Research, and Preservation Committee, Maryland Historical Trust, and staff from the MAC Lab are collaborating on a plan consistent with state regulations that will permit these remains of African Descent to be laid to rest.
<<< Map of cemeteries at which remains were found | Courtesy of MHT
Questions? Email Grants Specialist Maleke Glee at [email protected].
We are looking to actively engage with descendant communities in an ethical and inclusive manner and will result in a plan for the respectful reburial of the remains.
Welcoming Our New Research Historians
We welcome five newly hired historians who will support and expand research for the African Ancestral Human Remains Project. Their contribution will help deepen our understanding and honor the lives of those from our past.
- Anne Arundel County, Deep Creek: Alexandra McDougle
- Calvert County, Gott Cemetery: Antonio Austin
- Charles County, Chapel Point: Hess Stinton
- Queen Anne’s County, Bennett’s Point: Mark Auslander
- Wicomico County, Twin Oaks: Arlisha Norwood
MCAAHC Public Meeting Recordings
Missed a public meeting? Check out the recordings uploaded to the Banneker-Douglass-Tubman Museum YouTube channel.
Maryland’s Year of Civil Rights 2024
The Maryland Commission on African American History and Culture (MCAAHC) and Banneker-Douglass Museum are declaring 2024 as “Maryland’s Year of Civil Rights” with exciting and relevant programming, exhibitions, and partnerships.
With 2024 being the 60th anniversary of the signing of the Civil Rights Act (1964), original programming and participation in platforms with community partners will commemorate the milestone year of this groundbreaking legislation. From 1964’s Bell vs. Maryland to 1963’s Treaty of Cambridge, Maryland has been the backdrop to civil rights legislation throughout the years. Additionally, Maryland has been the home to civil rights icons who will forever have a place in the history of this nation, such as Verda Freeman Welcome, Thurgood Marshall, and Gloria Richardson.
Check out the launch event of the initiative featuring guest speakers Gov. Wes Moore, First Lady Dawn Moore, MCAAHC Chair Dr. Edwin T. Johnson, and Dr. Vedet Coleman-Robinson above.
FY26 Public Meeting Schedule
- August 4, 2025
- October 6, 2025
- December 1, 2025
- February 2, 2026
- April 13, 2026
- June 1, 2026
FY27 Public Meeting Schedule
- August 3, 2026
- October 5, 2026
- December 7, 2026
- February 1, 2027
- April 5, 2027
- June 7, 2027
Click here for Public Meeting agendas, minutes, and video recordings.