AG Brown announced appointments to the Commission on the House of Reformation and Instruction for Colored Children following the passage of Senate Bill 776/House Bill 552 during the 2026 General Assembly. Between the 1870s and 1941, hundreds of Black children, some as young as five years old, died while confined at the House of Reformation and Instruction for Colored Children, a state-supported facility in Cheltenham, Prince George’s County. Their graves remain largely unmarked on the grounds of the former institution, adjacent to the manicured Cheltenham State Veterans Cemetery.  

“For decades, the remains of hundreds of Black children have lain in unmarked graves on the grounds of a shuttered institution that was supposed to keep them safe. We will not let these children be lost to history. This commission reflects Maryland’s commitment to confronting its painful history honestly and ensuring that those who were failed by this State are not forgotten by it." -AG Brown