Testimony on Bill to Repeal and Replace the Maryland State Song

Today I testified in Annapolis at the State Senate Committee on Education, Health, and Environment, sitting next to State Senator Cheryl Kagan who is sponsoring SB 222. 

Senator Kagan did a terrific job explaining why we should repeal our current state song because it glorifies the Confederacy, and I tried to help her with the results of my research on all state songs. I pointed out that our state is the only one that has a song that calls our people cowards for failing to join the Confederacy, cheers for those who murdered U.S. soldiers, and has outlived it usefulness. 

Senators on the Maryland Senate Education, Health, and Environment Committee seemed to be sympathetic to getting rid of the state song in its current form. The only question was whether to merely change the words or completely eliminate the melody and lyrics of the state song and hold a contest for a new one. Hopefully, negotiations will continue and we'll have a good result.