Caucus of African American Leaders call for Malkus Bridge name change
CAMBRIDGE, Md. – The name of bridge that many Marylanders and visitors travel on a regular basis is under the microscope.
Calling for Change
The Frederick C. Malkus Bridge is a vital link between Dorchester and Talbot Counties. It’s named for the Democratic state legislator, who served a total of 48 years in the Maryland General Assembly; he was the longest serving legislator in the United States upon his retirement.
When the bridge was named in Malkus’ honor, it was the first to be dedicated after a living Marylander. However, Caucus of African American Leaders convener, Carl Snowden, says with Malkus’ name, comes painful memories for many locals.
“The late state senator was resistant to desegregation [on] Maryland’s Eastern Shore,” Snowden said. “To have a person who was allegedly involved with fighting against desegregation is not indicative that he was representing all Marylanders.”
New Name?
The Caucus is now calling on Maryland Governor Wes Moore and the state’s General Assembly to rename the bridge after civil rights leader Gloria Richardson.
Richardson was one of the leaders of the Cambridge Nonviolent Action Committee, and was the rallying cry that brought together hundreds of protestors at the 1964 George Wallace Protest; fighting back as the National Guard tear-gassed demonstrators.
“She died a few years ago at the age of 99, and what a fitting tribute it would be to rename this bridge in her honor,” Snowden said. “She fought so hard to make sure we have a society where everyone is respected and protected.”
Eyeing Key Bridge
Snowden, however, says the Caucus also has its eye on another important bridge in Maryland; the recently-collapsed Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore.
“Francis Scott Key, which most people know, wrote The Star Spangled Banner,” Snowden said. “But many people would be alarmed and shocked to learn that he was a slaveowner.”
According to the National Parks Service (NPS), Key owned as many as six enslaved people throughout his life. Key also “vehemently opposed abolition,” according to the NPS, but also manumitted, or freed, several slaves.
Looking Ahead
Snowden is no stranger to facing push-back on similar efforts. The caucus helped to secure the removal of the Talbot Boys Statue on the county courthouse lawn. The statue, honoring Talbot County residents who fought for the Confederacy in the Civil War, was moved Cross Keys Battlefield in Virginia in 2022.
On the issue of renaming these two bridges, Snowden expects similar opposition to what was expressed during the Talbot Boys discussions.
“When you spend public tax dollars, and name things after public officials, it should be officials who have represented all Marylanders,” Snowden said. “If there are those who oppose, as I’m sure there will be, they have every right to write to their representatives in the state legislature to indicate their opposition.”
