Salisbury Mayor Jake Day has announced the formation of a Truth, Racial Unity, Transformation & Healing (TRUTH) Advisory Committee.

The 13-member body will provide recommendations to Day concerning ways by which the city may further its mission of welcoming and embracing diversity, equity and inclusion by continuing to create a more just and equitable community.

A resolution to establish the TRUTH Advisory Committee was recently given its first reading by the City Council during the week of Jan. 16

“January 18, 2022 is not only the first day that we will gather following the 35th observation of Martin Luther King, Jr. Day – it is also the National Day of Racial Healing,” said Day.

“I can think of no more appropriate day to recognize – as the state of Maryland along with cities and counties from across America have – the need for thoughtful, dedicated members of our community to analyze the impact of injustices of the past that undoubtedly linger in our present, and propose ways to heal, resolve, respond, transform and unite as a diverse community moving forward together.”

The committee, which will meet bi-monthly, will be authorized to submit findings and recommendations to the mayor on a range of topics relating to racial and social justice, and equality.

Under the resolution, the purpose of the committee shall be:

• To advise the mayor of perceived and realized racial injustices and systemic racism extant throughout the city
• To offer policy recommendations to the mayor relating to actions that the Administration may take in pursuit of racial healing, and to offer recommendations that the Mayor may convey to other government bodies throughout Wicomico County and the state of Maryland
• To recommend TRUTH community engagement strategies to the mayor for consideration
• To advise the mayor on forming partnerships with cultural and historic institutions to establish a digital Archive for Cultural and Racial Healing that will document and preserve our journey through the Racial Healing and Transformation process
• To identify and work with community stakeholders to identify opportunities to create a more inclusive and diverse community that embraces our common humanity

“Our community is ready to write its next chapter, and that begins with recognizing the cruelty and injustice that defined our most terrible hours,” Day said.

“Over the past few years, the city of Salisbury has begun the difficult process of reconciliation, beginning with the advocacy to remove – and ultimate removal of – the ill-placed Winder Confederate sign. We’ve seen the establishment of the Lynching Memorial Task Force, and, in partnership with the Equal Justice Initiative, the placement of a memorial marker honoring the 3 men killed in racial terror lynching just steps away. As we commit ourselves to the work of making Salisbury the greatest small city in America, we affirm that equity, inclusion, justice, and opportunity will live here. I look forward to working with the TRUTH Advisory Committee to bring about meaningful change.”