A bill that advanced Wednesday in the state Senate would not consign “Maryland, My Maryland” to the playlist of history but it does seek to relegate the official state song to B-side status.Endless enemies of the past...
Senators narrowly gave preliminary approval to legislation that would re-designate the pro-Confederate anthem as the “historic” state song — putting some distance between modern Maryland and 157-year-old lyrics that refer to Unionists as “Northern scum” and label President Abraham Lincoln a “despot.”
The action came after some Republican senators criticized the move as hollow and mounted a defense of a song many critics see as a racist relic. They say one can separate the inspirational verse from outdated political motivations.
Sen. Cheryl Kagan, the bill’s sponsor, defended the measure as a compromise crafted by the Senate Education, Health and Environmental Affairs Committee, which has the unenviable task of handling bills dealing with state symbols.
Thursday, March 15, 2018
'Maryland, My Maryland'? Maybe not. Senate bill aims to strip state song of 'official' status
The Baltimore Sun reports:
