Print Coverage: Forgotten Children Initiative
Since the public announcement of the rediscovery of the House of Reformation burial site on July 17, 2025, waves of news attention have followed. We’ll include links to text-based news articles below as they are published. You can find podcasts and television segments in their respective news sections.
‘A crime scene’: US researchers examine unmarked graves of dozens of Black children
Read the story by France24 reporter Victoria Lavelle.
Cheltenham’s Lost Graves Spark Push for Juvenile Justice Reform
Read the story by Megan Sayles on the National Newspaper Publishers Association.
Search begins to find families of Black boys buried at abandoned Md. site
Maryland Senator fights for deceased Cheltenham juveniles, pushes juvenile justice reform
Read the story in Maryland’s Capitol News Service (12/11/25)
Cheltenham’s lost ‘Not fit for a dog’: Maryland reformatory boys died through years of disease, neglect spark push for juvenile justice reform
Read the story in Maryland’s Capitol News Service (12/11/25)
How CNS Analyzed Cheltenham Data
Read the story in Maryland’s Capitol News Service (12/11/25)
Print Coverage Following the Initial Visit to the House of Reformation Site by State Senator Will Smith, Jr. on 7/17/25:
The existence of the burial ground was publicly announced on July 17, 2025 following a visit to the cemetery by Maryland State Senator Will Smith (Chair of Maryland Senate’s Judicial Proceedings Committee), Vinny Schiraldi (former DJS Secretary) and Marc Schindler (former DJS Assistant Secretary & Chief of Staff).
Graves near site of Maryland reform school for Black children rediscovered
230 dead Black boys. A ‘secret cemetery.’ Officials knew, and didn’t act.
Read the Front page story in The Washington Post (9/22/25)(7/17/25)
Graves Near Youth Prison Spotlight Maryland’s Legacy of Injustice
Read the Story in Black Press USA (7/21/25) and in the San Diego Voice (7/23/25)
Sen. Will Smith: Sins of the past remind us we need to reform the present
Read the Op-ed in the Baltimore Sun by Senator Smith (7/23/25)
Maryland must reckon with its juvenile justice past to protect today’s youth
Read the Op-ed in the Maryland Afro by Marc Schindler (9/2/25)
Cheltenham’s lost graves spark push for juvenile justice reform
Read the Feature story in Maryland’s Afro newspaper (8/7/25)
Maryland To Memorialize Nearly 100 Newly Discovered Unmarked Graves Of Black Children
Read the Story in Black Enterprise (7/23/25)
Sen. Will Smith Visits Forgotten Graves Of Black Youth At Former Maryland Juvenile Facility
Read the Story in The Baynet (7/30/25)
Unmarked graves of children expose an uncomfortable truth for Maryland
Print Coverage Following the Visit to the House of Reformation Site by the Maryland Legislative Black Caucus on 9/23/25:
Two months after the public announcement in July 2025, the Maryland Legislative Black Caucus visited the House of Reformation Site in September 2025. Their visit renewed media attention and brought even more focus to the forgotten children buried there.
Members of Md. Black Caucus vow action to restore neglected graveyard
Lawmakers vow to reclaim, redeem forgotten cemetery for Black youth
Read the Story in Maryland Matter (9/23/25)
Members of the Maryland Black Caucus visit grave site of Black boys buried at Cheltenham Veteran Cemetary
Explore the Photo essay in Intersection Magazine (9/27/25)
Graveyard For Black Boys Who Died in Maryland Detention To Be Restored
Read the Story in Chicago Defender (9/25/25) and in the Michigan Chronicle (9/25/25)
Maryland lawmakers seek to honor Black children buried in unmarked graves
Graves of imprisoned Black children inspire reform in Maryland
Read the Feature story in Maryland’s Afro newspaper (9/26/25)
Maryland lawmakers vow to restore abandoned graveyard where over 200 Black boys are buried
Forgotten Cemetery For Black Boys In Maryland Detention Center Finally Unearthed To Public
Read the Story in Black Enterprise (9/28/25)