Growing up in Maryland means developing a healthy dose of state pride (petition to make “statriotism” a word). Tied up in that loyalty is an unwavering love of our state flag (in all of its Confederate history) and a refusal to acknowledge any parts of our questionable past. As with many states below the Mason-Dixon Line, Maryland is full of remnants of the Confederacy and its legacy of slavery that are in dire need of scrubbing, much to the chagrin of our more conservative constituents.
Assuming that justice prevails in that arena (and we agree to join the 21st Century), I would like to bring into the spotlight another embarrassing relic from my home – Maryland’s state motto.
In 2016, Maryland’s State Legislature agreed to revisit the words printed across our state seal: “Fatti maschii, parole femine” – manly deeds, womanly words. We adopted this motto in the early 1600s, when the average life expectancy of a person was just under 40 years. The world was a vastly different place, and there was little-to-no talk of gender equality.
Fast forward 400 years, and we deserve a bit better. That said, when the issue finally reached the floor of Maryland’s State Legislature in 2016, they decided that it was simply too important to maintain the noble history of the state – they kept the motto.
As we comb through the founding of our country and grapple with all of the wrongs we have done (e.g. genocide against Indigenous people and slavery), let us not make memory the enemy of progress. Some things simply do not merit commemoration. In a day and age where women can truly do anything, we deserve more than just “womanly words” – we deserve womanly deeds, womanly stories, and womanly leaders.
We should demand more from the powers that be. Maryland has so much beauty and so much culture, and it is high time our motto reflects that.
When the times comes to choose a new motto, may I offer up:
– “Just sprinkle on some Old Bay”
– “Another Natty Boh, hon’?”
– “More than just crabs”
And while we’re at it, “Maryland, My Maryland” was a Confederate battle hymn during the Civil War… our new state song is “Shattered” by O.A.R.
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Mitchell, Henry () The State Arms of the Union, Boston: L. Prang & Co.
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