Lakeland Background

 

LAkeland - the beloved community

Lakeland once embodied all the pillars of a healthy urban environment. From 1900-1970, before it was devastated by “Urban Renewal,” Lakeland, the Beloved Community, was a thriving, close-knit African American neighborhood, founded as a self-sustaining town whose citizens worked together for generations to build a vibrant and strong community. Neighbors cared for neighbors in an atmosphere of trust and respect; they watched over one another and all the children. They created security and rootedness. “We were loved,” one descendant said, and “we were safe.” This sense of belonging and security was the cornerstone of Lakeland's vibrant community.

The Reparations for Lakeland Now! campaign calls for Lakeland’s Five Pillars of Community to be restored. These pillars include:

  1. Housing - Affordable, build with character, self-built

  2. Nature - Lake, woods, yards, gardens, livestock

  3. Learning - Excellent and culturally-appropriate schools, value-based youth organizations

  4. Gathering - community spaces, picnics, parties, vibrant organizations

  5. Connectivity - economic exchange, black-owned businesses, public transportation.

Reparations for Lakeland Now! Timeline

June 9, 2020

The City of College Park’s Mayor and Council passed Resolution 20-R-16 renouncing systemic racism and declaring support of Black lives. Read the full proclamation here.

August 2023

“400 Years of African-American History Commission Convening” sponsored by the United States Department of the Interior in Hampton, Virginia. This was the first federally-hosted convening on Reparations.

November 21, 2023

Dr. Joanne M. Braxton, President of the Braxton Institute for Sustainability, Resiliency and Joy, made a report to the Commission on a substantial grant received by the Braxton Institute from the Decolonizing Wealth Foundation (DWF) in support of obtaining Reparations for Lakeland Now!. Dr. Braxton outlined some of the key features of the campaign and introduced the Reparations for Lakeland Now! team. She also thanked the College Park Restorative Justice Commission for picking up some of the unfunded aspects of the campaign, such as the residency by Mindy Fullilove. 2024 “For Love of Lakeland” reparations education project announced.

November 30-December 2, 2023

“Evanston National Reparations Symposium for State and Local Reparations” sponsored by FirstRepair.
Representatives of the Braxton Institute and the College Park Restorative Justice Commission attended the second annual Reparations Conference in Evanston, Illinois, together with other members of the Reparations for Lakeland Now! team.

January 23, 2024

Dr. Braxton and Braxton Institute VP Richael Faithful attended the Restorative Justice Commission of the City of College Park, Maryland. The Commission formally recognized collaborations with the Lakeland Community Heritage Project and the Braxton Institute in support of to carry out the mission of the College Park Restorative Commission.

March-July, 2024

For Love of Lakeland: Reparations Education Project