O?Malley?s cultural march to Annapolis

Wednesday was a day of prayers, oaths, songs, speeches and solemnity. Gov. Martin O?Malley?s “One Maryland” came in many colors and faiths: black, white, pink and brown, a rabbi, an imam, a monsignor, assorted ministers and a Hindu holy man.

Choirs from across the state lifted their voices, including the Morgan State University choir singing “Maryland, My Maryland,” with its veiled reference to Abraham Lincoln as a “despot,” and a singer doing a jazzed-up version of “The Battle Hymn of the Republic.”