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Black History Month: National Historic Site helps families connect with their history

"I just want to say, standing on this ground, how grateful I am to my ancestors. They brought me a mighty long way," Goldring said.

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Study links descendants of enslaved people with their history

Descendants of enslaved people are learning about their history at the Hampton National Historic Site in Baltimore County.

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'What better holiday': Historic Black neighborhood in Towson set to host its first Juneteenth music festival

'What better holiday': Historic Black neighborhood in Towson set to host its first Juneteenth music festival
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Memorial Episcopal Church removes plaques of slave-owning founders

There's been much talk about institutions and businesses doing their part to address racism. A west Baltimore church is beginning a journey to understand its past and atone for the men and women their founding rectors and families enslaved. The Memorial Episcopal Church started its journey in 2017. It wasn't until one of its current leaders revealed her own family had been enslaved that their efforts picked up momentum. "I think about the resilience of my folks, how they survived with the work and the labor," said the Rev. Natalie Conway, deacon of Memorial Episcopal Church in Bolton Hill.Conway recounted finding out that her great-great-grandmother, Harriett Cromwell, was enslaved at the Hampton National Historic Site, formerly Hampton Plantation in Towson off Dulaney Valley Road."They called her Hattie, and when she was manumitted in 1828, she had a 1-year-old son with her who was able to go with her. Anyone 2 and up had to stay here," Conway said.Anyone up to age 35 -- in other words, those who could work -- had to stay. Conway learned of her family connection to the plantation two years ago while she and her brother were looking into their genealogy. They found out members of their family, the Cromwells, were among the 450 slaves that worked the plantation. That led to an "a-ha" moment."I had been sitting in the back of the church on one of the pews that if I looked up I could see the plaques, and the plaques were dedicated to Charles Ridgely Howard, and I was like, 'Oh, my goodness,'" Conway said."Charles Ridgely Howard was the founding rector of Memorial. His mother, Sophia Ridgely, was born here as was Charles. Sophia married James Howard. They lived here at Hampton plantation," said the Rev. Grey Maggiano, rector at the Memorial Episcopal Church.Sophia Ridgely gave a gift of $5,000 to build the church. Maggiano asked Conway to tell her story to the congregation."I encouraged her to tell their story because I knew it would be the thing to drive this change, not only within our church, but in the diocese, but in the city," Maggiano said.Conway opened up to the church. She and members of the congregation held a healing ceremony at the Hampton site. And later, the church leadership and members talked about what used to hang in the back of the church. In June 2020, a unanimous decision was made to remove plaques honoring Charles Ridgely Howard."You have to keep the history, but I don't think the history of what was done here should be in a place of peace," Conway said.The plaques have been placed outside of the church, but the scars of the past remain. Memorial is now taking a close look at its own history. It has started a five-year reparations initiative committing a $100,000 a year."That is going to focus on organizations and individuals that are doing work in four areas in west Baltimore in our ZIP code, where we have been responsible for harm," Conway said.Conway is active in making that happen. Still, she is in awe that she drove past this plantation for years and it was her faith that finally brought her face to face with her past."I want to picture folks, what they were doing, how they were doing it," Conway said.

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