Maryland Lynching Truth and Reconciliation Commission Submitted Written Testimony of President Nora Demleitner, St. John’s College
October 8, 2022
Good morning.
My name is Nora Demleitner. This year, in January 2022, I began my tenure as the 25th president of St. John’s College. Thank you for giving me the opportunity to be here today, to listen and learn, as well as share my perspective on this important topic.
Before joining St. John’s College, I served as the dean of the law schools at Hofstra University and Washington and Lee University. I have been deeply focused on criminal justice issues as well as access and inclusion for under-represented groups in education over the course of my entire career.
As you may know, St. John’s College is the third oldest college in America – behind only Harvard and the College of William and Mary. We were founded in 1696 as King William’s School, and have played an integral role in Maryland’s, and America’s, history.
And, while there is much of that history we can take pride in, we must recognize the moments of darkness, and ensure that they are brought to light
The lynching of Henry Davis in December 1906 is one of those dark moments. What little information we have access to about the incident comes from newspaper reports from the time. Although we do not know everything that happened on that day in December, newspaper reports indicate a crowd assembled on the grounds of the campus and one witness reported that some members of the crowd were dressed in a manner in which students typically dressed. The president of the college later noted that the college was not in session, although this does not preclude the presence of students. The grand jury did not indict anyone, as was sadly all too common for the time. Detectives sent by the governor were not able to uncover the identities of any of the lynch mob. According to contemporaneous reports, the lynching occurred on Brickyard Hill, on a steep bluff overlooking College Creek. Although the extent of participation by members of the college community is still uncertain, even presence in the crowd would be a criminal and immoral act. This event serves as a reminder that great evil is never as far from us and our institutions as we might wish.
Racial justice is important to me, and to the college – a primary tenet of our program is “education for all.” In 2020, the college’s Board of Visitors and Governors took an important step in reckoning with racial justice issues, by establishing two college task forces: the Task Force on Diversity and Inclusion, and the College History Task Force. The former was established to further our understanding of how students from different backgrounds experience the college, and has made multiple recommendations to the college currently being implemented to ensure we are creating an ever-more-inclusive educational environment that is welcoming and open to all students, faculty, staff, and community members, regardless of background. The latter was tasked with researching the college’s past in order to understand its relationship to indigenous and enslaved people, and to make recommendations to the board on how that history should be acknowledged. The work of each task force is ongoing.
As a new leader to the college, I promise to be continually engaged on these issues. I appreciate all of the work that has been done to get to the truth about these atrocities, and I am fully supportive of the Commission’s ongoing efforts.
Thank you,
Nora Demleitner
President, St. John’s College
