Civil rights groups call for collapsed Baltimore bridge to be renamed when it's rebuilt because legacy of national anthem author Francis Scott Key is 'clouded with racism accusations'

Civil rights groups are calling for the collapsed Baltimore bridge to be renamed when it's rebuilt, citing accusations of racism against national anthem author Francis Scott Key.

The Caucus of African American Leaders of Anne Arundel County in Maryland voted unanimously to call for the renaming and will lobby governor Wes Moore on the proposal, as reported by the Baltimore Banner.

The caucus includes civil rights groups such as the NAACP and the National Coalition of 100 Black Women.

Leaders argued that the The Star-Spangled Banner author  -who the collapsed bridge was named after - was a slave owner who wrote lyrics that scholars have said 'demeaned black people.'

They have asked for the bridge to be renamed after late congressman Parren J Mitchel, the first black man from Maryland elected to the US House of Representatives.

Civil rights groups are calling for the collapsed Baltimore bridge to be renamed when it's rebuilt, citing accusations of racism against national anthem author Francis Scott Key

Key was a salve owner and helped create the American Colonization Society, which promoted the emigration of black Americans to Africa

They have asked for the bridge to be renamed after late congressman Parren J Mitchel, the first black man from Maryland elected to the US House of Representatives 

Democratic gov Moore told Fox News he remains 'laser-focused on providing closure to these families, clearing the channel, and rebuilding the bridge.'

However, the Baltimore Banner reported that on Monday Moore told reporters there will 'be a time for that' conversation at a later date. 

While as a lawyer Key helped many black Marylanders obtain their freedom before emancipation, he opposed the idea of free black citizens in the US, helping create the American Colonization Society, which promoted the emigration of black Americans to Africa.

Key is also often quoted as claiming that black Americans are 'a distinct and inferior race of people, which all experience proves to be the greatest evil that afflicts a community.'

However,  the Star Spangled Banner Foundation has claimed the racist quote is 'Incorrectly credited to Key as a first-person expression of his attitudes about race in the United States.'

The foundation added: 'The quote is taken from page 40 of Jefferson Morley's generally insightful 2012 book Snow-Storm in August: Washington City, Francis Scott Key, and the Forgotten Race Riot of 1835).

The Caucus in Maryland has also asked that the the Senator Frederick Malkus Memorial Bridge be renamed after Maryland civil rights icon Gloria Richardson

The group cited the conservative senator's opposition to desegregation in the 1960s and 1970s

Gloria Richardson, head of the Cambridge Nonviolent Action Committee, pushes a National Guardsman's bayonet aside as she moves among a crowd of African Americans to convince them to disperse in Cambridge, Maryland

'Morley, in turn, cites as his sole source a quote in the 1937 biography Francis Scott Key: Life and Times by Edward S. Delaplaine. This biography is the source of confusion as to the quote's speaker.'

Key is also believed to have regretted helping black Americans sue for their freedom, saying at one point it had 'produced for them nothing but evil.'

The Caucus in Maryland has also asked that the the Senator Frederick Malkus Memorial Bridge be renamed after Maryland civil rights icon Gloria Richardson. The group cited the conservative senator's opposition to desegregation in the 1960s and 1970s.

Engineers working to clear the wreckage of the collapsed Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore said Thursday that they expect to be able to restore navigation in and out of the Port of Baltimore by the end of this month. 

The bridge collapsed within seconds on March 26 after being struck by the cargo ship Dali, which lost power shortly after leaving Baltimore, bound for Sri Lanka. The ship issued a mayday alert with just enough time for police to stop traffic, but not enough to save a roadwork crew filling potholes on the bridge.

Authorities believe six workers plunged to their deaths in the Patapsco River; two bodies have been recovered so far. Two others survived.

Authorities believe six workers plunged to their deaths in the Patapsco River; two bodies have been recovered so far. Two others survived

President Joe Biden (C) delivers remarks near the wreckage of the Francis Scott Key Bridge, in the background, while standing with Maryland Governor Wes Moore, right

The US Army Corps of Engineers announced a 'tentative timeline' Thursday, saying in a news release that it expects to open a limited access channel to the port within the next four weeks measuring some 280 feet wide by 35 feet deep.

The channel would support one-way traffic in and out of the port for barge container service and some vessels that move automobiles and farm equipment to and from the port.

The USACE said it is aiming to reopen the permanent, 700-foot-wide by 50-foot-deep federal navigation channel by the end of May, which would restore port access to normal capacity. 

'A fully opened federal channel remains our primary goal, and we will carry out this work with care and precision, with safety as our chief priority,' Lt. Gen. Scott Spellmon, USACE commanding general said in the news release.

Spellmon acknowledged the timelines are 'ambitious' and may still be impacted by adverse weather or 'changes in the complexity of the wreckage.'