Greenbelt council to send governor letter offering partnership on reparations work

The Greenbelt City Council voted to send a revised letter to Maryland’s governor about the statewide reparations process and the work of Greenbelt’s Reparations Commission. The council asked staff to add language that emphasizes partnership between the state and Greenbelt’s local commission and to explicitly reference Indigenous peoples alongside African Americans.

Councilmember Pompey described the state legislation creating a statewide reparations committee and noted the governor vetoed that bill. Pompey told the council the city should remind the governor of Greenbelt’s local work and seek a cooperative relationship should the state process move forward. Other council members urged a tone of partnership rather than confrontation and recommended waiting until the legislature’s likely veto‑override effort concludes; representatives of the city manager and several councilmembers said they still favored sending the letter now, framed as collaborative.

Councilmember Pompey moved and council approved a motion to send the letter with the proposed edits, including a paragraph tying the statewide work to Greenbelt’s existing efforts and an explicit mention of Indigenous peoples. Councilmembers emphasized the letter would not preclude future engagement with the legislature and that more substantive coordination could follow if the state override proceeds.

The motion carried on a voice vote.