Lakeland, a once-thriving Black community in Prince George’s County, Maryland, was nearly erased by urban renewal policies that displaced families and dismantled hundreds of Black communities across the country.
Today, the city of College Park is working toward restorative justice, acknowledging past wrongs and seeking to repair harm.
Through it all, Lakelanders remain resilient, preserving their history, celebrating their heritage and ensuring their community’s spirit lives on for future generations.
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So thankful to all who participated in telling the story of Lakeland. ❤
Just about all comments on social media are soft, flowery replies of sympathy for unacceptable behaviors. However, few come to the table with solutions. Do we need permission to discover, on our own, solutions to undesirable behaviors and then publicize them in comments? Today, we have countless ways to search for productive solutions. Productive solutions are the answers and not protests that fuel division and hatred. Gather your family, friends and even your church to brainstorm with you for productive solutions to make life better. Instead of following the money, as the saying goes, follow demonic activities against God’s ways and create a reset. Urban Renewal planners reflect the heart of our forefathers who made treaties with the Native Americans but had no intention of keeping them, and they didn’t. With a little research, you might find that the flood was a man-made problem created by Urban Renewal to force the people to move out so they could steal their land, supposedly “legally.” If so, then you and your group now have facts to expose injustice on your own social media platforms to influence our country to turn back to God's ways. Work to be part of solutions instead of being a soft mattress of sympathy that has no strong foundation to make life better.
Black people all you do is complain
What a blessing to hear the stories. I am William (Sonny) Brooks’ young son & Mike Middleton’s youngest brother and did not have the direct experiences of growing up in Lakeland. But I do appreciate the stories, the history and more importantly the community that has survived and thrived. I never grow tired of hearing the history. – Ricardo Brooks
Bring Lakeland back!! ✊🏾 My ❤ and my first home… 🌳
All you black people do is complain
Although the majority of the story is true, Lakelanders did have a choice to stay or leave and the majority left. Today, unfortunately, Black and White far left liberal leaders are instigating and starting a new race war in the name of money. After years of failed entitlements and as Democrats see these entitlement dollars drying up because of corruption and waste, the new entitlement has become a call for Reparations of free money to keep minorities on the Democrat Plantation. I believe however that most hard working minorities see through the disguise and do not want anything but acknowledgment that these things happened and by means of their own power and opportunity provided to every person they have moved forward to a life of prosperity and privilege on their own right. I am proud to work in Prince George’s Country with a great group of the men and woman who want nothing from their government except to be able to live in peace and freedom like All Americans.
I am frequently in this area within College Park, Maryland. I did not know the history, but now I realize it is the neighborhood that my aunt-in-law lived as a youth. Until I saw the documentary, I couldn’t quite place the formerly black community that she remembers. Much respect to the ongoing legacy. recognized.
"This is AmeriKKKa." ~Daniel Glover
Thank you for sharing this story. Praying Lakeland can persevere ❤🖤💚
Kudos to the folks that put this piece together. 👏🏾 👏🏾👏🏾 It was informative and enjoyable to watch.
That’s how it was when I grew up. Oh, how I long for those days when, if you did something you were not supposed to be doing, your parents knew about it before you got home. And, the neighbors took responsibility to pull you up about it without fear of being assaulted. This stuff going on now is diabolical and makes me very sad.
My Family lived there the Potts family I was born in Lakeland too
My Uncle Mike Middleton still lives there
I grew up in PG County and never heard of Lakeland….thanks for this informative clip and I enjoyed watching it.
My neighbor called Overtown in Miami, fl. Same thing happened as well. They built the highway through our neighborhood.
Heavy
I have lived in PG for over 30 years and have never heard of this. I have even passed Lakeland St hundreds of times and never would have thought something like this had happened here. Thanks for sharing this amazing story.
I went to school there … Paint Branch Elementary ❣️
The US 🇺🇲 government has always been in the business of destroying beautiful, thriving, and stable Black middle-class communities.
LAKELAND❤❤❤❤
AWESOME.
I’m glad I got to hear this story. I wish there were more videos about pg county’s history. We’re literally the black capital of America now it’s time to solidify as the black Mecca of America.
I live in Baltimore. i think this is amazing.