From Silence to Connection: Forgotten Children Family Gathering this Past Weekend

Posted in Announcements FCI-Blog News

This weekend marked a profound moment of remembrance and connection.

Between the late 1800s and 1940, hundreds of Black boys were confined at the Maryland House of Reformation for Colored Children—many for minor or non-criminal reasons. After death while in state custody (whether through murder or neglect), approximately  230 and possibly as many as 300 of these children were buried in an unmarked and long-neglected gravesite nearby. For generations, families were not informed, records were incomplete, and graves were mostly left unmarked. Through genealogical research and outreach, many families are only now learning that a child in their family was one of these forgotten children.

This past weekend, approximately 30 relatives of six of these boys came together for the first time to honor the boys’ memories and speak their names at the burial site. The gathering, From Silence to Connection: Families Gathering to Honor the Forgotten Children of the House of Reformation, was filled with grief, love, truth-telling, care, respect and dignity. Families met one another, shared stories, visited the burial site and participated in a powerful memorial service, where family members and supporters spoke the names of children who had been denied dignity in life and in death.

The two-day gathering centered family voices, historical truth, and collective remembrance. It reflects the Forgotten Children Initiative’s commitment to restoring dignity, naming harm, and supporting families who were denied answers for generations. And to ensuring that tragedies like this never happen again, with children in today’s youth justice and child welfare systems getting the services and supports they need. 

History may have forgotten them. Their families have not.
And now, neither will we.  The work is just beginning.  

Thank You to the Families and Our Partners

The first family gathering of CYJ’s Forgotten Children Initiative would not have been possible without an extraordinary group of partners and collaborators.

We are deeply grateful to the families who traveled, shared their stories, and led this moment with grace and strength. We also thank those who walked alongside them—offering wisdom, care, and lived experience—including descendants connected to Historic Sotterley and Georgetown’s GU272 as well as a justice reform leader from Georgetown who had been incarcerated in that same facility as a child in the 1990s.

Our appreciation as well to colleagues and partners who supported this work behind the scenes, including those advancing historical research, genealogical work, and emerging efforts to map gravesites, and tell these children’s stories with dignity.

This gathering was not an ending—it was a beginning. We move forward together, committed to remembrance, accountability, and honoring families who were denied answers for far too long.

Photo Gallery: Consecrating the Burial Sites

The gathering culminated in a powerful memorial service, where family members and supporters spoke the names of children, ordained clergy, family members and a person formerly incarcerated in the facility consecrated the burial grounds with libations, flowers, and prayer, and all joined in song. You can find a photo gallery of the consecrated burial grounds here.

Additional Resources

Learn more on the Forgotten Children Initiative hub, and through the resources below.