I read with interest The Sun’s editorial apology, published in 2022, regarding the paper’s 185 years of oppressive, race-based policies (“We are deeply and profoundly sorry: For decades, The Baltimore Sun promoted policies that oppressed Black Marylanders; we are working to make amends” Feb. 18, 2022). The apology was long overdue. The editorial board’s laundry list of the paper’s offenses was not surprising.

I am an African American student at Morgan State University, and a lifelong resident of the state of Maryland. As a multi-platform production major, I hope to have a career in the communications industry. I have been fortunate, through academic study and my cultural heritage, to embrace and appreciate the many contributions of African Americans to Maryland and to this country. The contributions from great African American Marylanders like Thurgood Marshall, Simeon Booker, Frederick Douglass, Benjamin Banneker, Harriet Tubman, Elijah Cummings and Parren Mitchell are too numerous to discuss. It is obvious from the confessions of your editorial board that your paper has in the past done everything possible to minimize the contributions of the African American community, and to portray my community in a negative light. Your paper failed in many ways. In my view, the paper has failed to provide objective, ethical and accurate information. The paper has failed to be an equal opportunity employer and has failed to adequately denounce racism, discrimination and injustice.

A mere apology is insufficient to address the paper’s wrongdoing. Baltimore City is predominately African American. You can begin to correct your prior mistakes by hiring more journalists, editors and staff. More community-based outreach, with regular community input, is necessary. Your staff and journalists should be held to the highest standards. Every effort should be made to fact check and verify information before publication. Truthful, accurate, non-biased, and objective coverage should be the standard. Finally, a balanced approach would give more credibility to the paper. The public understands the need to be informed of the negative aspects of society. What the public demands, however, is the inclusion of the positive aspects of the community. I believe that many others in the Baltimore community share my views. I hope that The Baltimore Sun will take heed and make a meaningful effort to end the paper’s past history of racist, and discriminatory policies.

— Aaron Chase Williams, Baltimore

The writer is a student at Morgan State University studying multiplatform production.