Maryland governor signs anti-desecration law, earning praise from Bethesda African Cemetery Coalition

ANNAPOLIS, Md.—On May 13, 2026, Maryland Gov. Wes Moore signed SB 233, a law creating legal requirements for the sale, transfer, or government acquisition and disposition of cemeteries. The new law promises to protect vulnerable and historic cemeteries from desecration by providing legal standing for descendant communities and family members to sue if they believe that a sale or other disposition of a cemetery would result in desecration.

To understand why this bill is so important when it comes to civil rights laws regarding burial grounds and its significance, you have to understand the history of Moses Cemetery and Bethesda African Cemetery Coalition (BACC).

The Moses Cemetery is a 200+ year old African cemetery in Bethesda, Md., that has been the victim of what activists say has been a racist and criminal desecration for over ten years. Originally used as a mass grave for enslaved Africans, it became a formal cemetery after emancipation and is the resting place for the remains of generations of Black families.

For decades, Montgomery County officials, the Housing Opportunities Commission (HOC), and the State of Maryland have covered up the atrocities that occurred on River Road in Bethesda and the desecration of Moses Cemetery.

Today, Moses Cemetery is divided into different parcels. The portion owned by HOC remains under a parking lot. The portion owned by 1784 Holdings, a company that’s constructing a storage facility, has been the site of active erasure since 2020. Last year, BACC sued 1784 Holdings for removing funerary objects, possible human remains, and archaeologically relevant soils from the site.

1784 Holdings has also conducted testing and destroyed possible human remains, all without permission from the descendant community. Potential human DNA was found, but the bones were destroyed, and the erasure continues.

BACC was founded by people in the community who said they could not stand idly by as something this horrific was happening right next door. The community banded together to stop the desecration and preserve the history so that people never forget what has happened here.

The bill’s historic importance

BACC board member Rev. Dr. Segun Adebayo, who is pastor of the historic Macedonia Baptist Church, called the desecration “a legacy of Jim Crow and white supremacy.” He said the coalition applauded Gov. Moore for signing this historic legislation. “We hope to continue to work with his office to craft more legislation to protect our ancestors from the barbarism of desecration,” Adebayo said. Many deceased Macedonia Baptist Church members are among those whose graves are being desecrated in various parts of Moses African Cemetery.

Dr. Marsha Coleman-Adebayo, the president of BACC, notes that the new law was signed by Moore approximately three months after adoption of the landmark UN Resolution on the Transatlantic Slave Trade, which it branded as the “gravest” crime against humanity. The resolution passed in the General Assembly with 123 votes in support, 52 abstentions, and three against. Opposing it were the United States, Israel, and Argentina.

“The desecration occurring in Bethesda on River Road is one of the gravest crimes against humanity!” Coleman-Adebayo declared. “Often the best remedy and prevention for a grievous injustice is empowering disenfranchised communities to have their day in court. This is how civil rights laws work.

“This legal accountability has been effective in providing remedies against discrimination and in stopping it before it occurs. It is our hope that with the signing of this historic law, Montgomery County elected officials will work with BACC to stop the desecration of Moses African Cemetery.”

Loopholes remain

BACC was founded, according to its leaders, to stand up for those who couldn’t stand for themselves and be the vanguard for justice that their ancestors need. Coalition members decided to take the battle to the legislative front by crafting a law that would give the descendant community and family members the ability to step in if they believe a sale or other disposition would result in desecration.

As promising as the new law is, additional work is still needed. For example, it exempts cemeteries owned by religious institutions. BACC pledges to work with stakeholders on the implementation of the law and on fixing remaining loopholes in the law so its protections become comprehensive and uniform.

BACC Legislative Director Josh Silver offered: “With the passage of SB 233, victimized communities will have their day in court and will no longer have to wait for years for judicial decisions.

“Justice delayed is justice denied and only facilitates desecration. The fate of Moses Cemetery must never happen again in Maryland. Instead of being flooded daily, how about Moses having a proper memorial and museum built on-site to teach history so history is not repeated nor erased.”

BACC applauded the two sponsors of the bill, Del. Terri Hill and Sen. Johnny Ray Salling, whose leadership made the law possible. Conference committee members, including Del. Lorig Charkoudian, steered the bill through negotiations hours before the end of the legislative session.

BACC also worked very closely with Maryland Cemetery Legislative Advocates (MCLA), who brought their expertise and experience with vulnerable cemeteries to the fight for the new law.

Throughout history, Black people in America have seen how the bodies of our ancestors have constantly been under attack even when it’s their time to rest. We see how profit takes priority over dignity. We see an African Cemetery which has been desecrated for decades. The local African American community buried their loved ones in this cemetery in the 19th and 20th centuries, before KKK violence and discrimination displaced community residents.

Now, the descendant community is showing how to take a stand on the legal front and put an end to the depraved act of desecration so that our ancestors are able to get the justice they deserve to rest peacefully.

We hope you appreciated this article. At People’s World, we believe news and information should be free and accessible to all, but we need your help. Our journalism is free of corporate influence and paywalls because we are totally reader-supported. Only you, our readers and supporters, make this possible. If you enjoy reading People’s World and the stories we bring you, please support our work by donating or becoming a monthly sustainer today. Thank you!