Two sites full of graves (some unmarked) were discovered last year in Cheltenham, Prince George’s County. The graves held the bodies of over 200 Black youth who had died while being held at the House of Reformation and Instruction for Colored Children.
Lawmakers vowed to take action. The Maryland General Assembly established a commission to study the site and Governor Wes Moore helped install a new road sign marking the site last week.
Montgomery County native Crystal Foretia was a fellow at the Maryland Department of Juvenile Services from 2023 to 2025 (she is currently a student at Yale Law), and led the department’s research for grant applications for funding to restore the gravesites. She joined WAMU’s Morning Edition host Esther Ciammachilli to discuss her work on the House of Reformation and shared her thoughts on this painful legacy.
This interview has been edited for length and clarity…