Annapolis mayor reverses decision not to recognize Black activist after public outcry

Annapolis Mayor Jared Littmann reversed himself and will issue a memorial citation to a Black city activist who died in July, a city spokesperson said Tuesday.

The decision came Tuesday afternoon after dozens of people crowded the Annapolis City Council chambers Monday night, calling on Littmann to reverse his denial of the ceremonial citation.

Philip Omaya Ateto, 48, died after struggling with multiple myeloma, according to his obituary. He fought for environmental causes and “for an end to racism and social injustice.”

After he died, other activists in Annapolis requested that the city formally recognize him with a citation honoring his work. Littmann denied the request.

“The decision on the ceremonial citation was mine, and it was based on my interactions and conversations with him,” said Littmann, a Democrat, during Monday night’s council meeting.

The mayor said he denied the request because Ateto’s “language felt like an attack over religion, and he crossed the line from advocacy for his position over to antisemitism.”

Littmann did not elaborate in his remarks on what that language was or when it happened.

During nearly two hours of public comment, residents and activists defended Ateto’s work, attacked Littmann and urged him to reverse his decision and award a citation to Ateto.

Mitchelle Stephenson, the city spokesperson, said in an email Tuesday that Littmann told staff to issue the memorial citation “as a commitment to placing civic unity and dignity for Annapolis and all residents above all else.”

“The mayor sends his condolences to the family,” she wrote.

Many, including people who identified as Jewish, defended Ateto’s activism regarding to Palestine and his opposition to Israel’s war in Gaza.

The war began after Hamas attacked Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, killing nearly 1,200 people. More than 74,000 people have been killed across Gaza since, according to Palestinian officials.

Some at the meeting said that Anne Arundel County Executive Steuart Pittman issued a citation to Ateto in early October.

One of the speakers who urged Littmann to reverse course was Anne Arundel County Council member Lisa Rodvien, who represents the Annapolis area. She did not identify herself as a council member.

Rodvien said she “absolutely” condemns antisemitism but added that “despising what is happening in Israel does not mean despising Jewish people.”

Steven Waddy, the president of the Anne Arundel County chapter of the NAACP, said Ateto was not antisemitic.

“It’s cruel,” Waddy said. “Denying honor to a man who died too soon is not how we heal division.”

The Rev. Stephen Tillett, pastor at Asbury Broadneck United Methodist Church, urged Littmann to “look past whatever sense of offense you might be feeling.”

Tillett said the Black community felt aggrieved and insulted that the citation was denied to a prominent Black activist.

Several people who spoke said the citation process for Annapolis should not run exclusively through the mayor.

DaJuan Gay, a former Annapolis alderman, said he respects the council and knows the work they do is not easy. Gay said he lost count of the citations that were handed out when he was on the council, but “the system was simple.”

The request would come in, Gay said, and then a person or organization just had to “show up” to receive the citation.

“Why would that change? Why?” Gay asked. “It’s because the mayor has no decency.”

Toward the end of public comment, Liz Glass, who identified herself as Jewish, said she had been on the receiving end of Ateto’s “explicit antisemitic remarks.”

Glass said Ateto called her a “genocidal freak.” There can be “no exceptions” to standing against antisemitism, she added.

After the public comment period, two aldermen, Robert Savidge and Keanuú Smith-Brown, spoke in support of Ateto and said they didn’t know about the citation denial.

“We do need to fix this process,” Savidge said. “It’s not right that one person should decide.”