Prepared for Congressional Black Caucus Foundation Annual Legislative Conference Reparations Roundtable 9/26/25
From the archives of the Lakeland Community Heritage Project and the testimony of Lakelanders, members of a historic African American town in Maryland adjacent to Washington, DC, five recurring themes emerge. These themes describe the strength and vitality of Lakeland before “urban renewal.” Social psychiatrist Mindy Fullilove, M.D., observed that these “Five Pillars” represent all of the necessary components for a healthy urban habitat. Restorative Justice should aim to repair and restore these five pillars which work together, and all are needed, for the well-being of the whole city. Our experience is representative, not unique, and our community-led process for repair can be offered as a model for the 2,500 communities impacted nationally by the disruption of urban renewal.
HOUSING – affordable for families with children, adults, and elders; built with character and style, often by their own hands.
LEARNING – culturally appropriate schools where black children received an excellent education; youth organizations where youth learned strong values and leadership skills from their elders
GATHERING – ample spaces indoor and out for people to gather for community events, picnics and parties; vibrant churches, civic organizations, and clubs.
NATURE – access to the Lake and woods; big yards with gardens, fruit trees, and farm animals for producing healthy, fresh food.
CONNECTIVITY – economic interchange with one another, local, black owned retail businesses that served everyday needs; easy connection to the wider metro area through public transportation on the trolley car and points up and down the east coast through the train station.
The Story of Lakeland, Maryland
From 1900-1970, before it was devastated by urban renewal, Lakeland, Maryland, 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.” In the 1970s urban renewal policies and practices devastated Lakeland: 75% of owner-occupied housing for African Americans was bulldozed and burned. Generational wealth was lost, families were dispersed, a wall divided the community and eliminated access to Lake Artemesia, and all the pillars of the Beloved Community were undermined. Urban renewal provided benefits to the City of College Park, Prince Georges County, and the University of Maryland, but was a heartbreaking loss for Lakelanders. A remnant of Lakelanders remained and along with diaspora descendants has been fighting for healing and restorative justice for 50+years.
In the spring of 2024, The Braxton Institute for Sustainability, Resiliency and Joy, in partnership with the College Park Restorative Justice Commission, the Lakeland Community Historical Project and other community organizations sponsored a series of community gatherings in Lakeland, Maryland (now incorporated into College Park). The gatherings included “Men of Lakeland Tell Their Stories” held at Embry A.M.E. church, a Town Hall with Dr. Mindy Fullilove, book discussions, a time for confidential sharing of Lakelander’s experiences, and culminated in a convening of a representative group of Lakeland leaders to forge a consensus on “Restorative Actions Priorities” (RAPs).
In 2025, the Lakeland community, supported by the Braxton Institute, the African American Redress Network and the Restorative Justice Commission of the City of College amplified the Reparative Action Priorities (RAPs).
Goals & Strategies Derived from Two Years of Community-led Consensus-building for Restorative Action Priorities (RAPs)
Lessons Learned: A Word from Lakeland’s Local Project to National Reparations Leaders
Honor the ancestors. As a first step we documented the history of our community by creating the Lakeland Community Heritage Project (LCHP) Digital Archive. The presence of the archive recorded the existence of things that have been destroyed or erased and has kept the voices of our past servant leaders alive as a living force. The archive makes it impossible to deny the lived experience of our community and its achievements. It is foundational to all that has followed. We recommend the establishment of archives for displaced and/or harmed communities.
Movements for redress and repair must center the leadership of harmed communities and their descendants in identifying the appropriate reparations; break the cycle of benevolent paternalism that overrides African American know-how and experience.
Communities must be prepared to sustain the work of repair for as long as necessary, even if it takes more than one generation: systemic forces of harm were established over generations. Opposition persists and morphs so advocacy must be resilient, accountable to ancestors and future generations. We must cultivate new leaders, run the race and prepare the next generation for the baton pass.
Build communities of resistance that empower, motivate, inspire and sustain one another. Start locally and expand the vision to include community-led reparative movement at state, regional and national levels.
It is imperative to emphasize the cultural value and knowledge base of African American and other harmed communities that carry wisdom about what makes for a healthy, just and thriving society. Consider adopting the “Five Pillars of Beloved Community” as a guideline for the repair of other communities.
Continue to build understanding and support for HR 40, while moving reparative actions forward on local, state, state and regional level. Recognize and advocate for multiple forms that reparations and restorative justice can take in specific situations.
Celebrate every step forward, however small, and take joy in this good work.
Gratitude to Maxine Gross, Rebecca Parker, Sophia Bouwsma, Blair Bowie and Ria Maheshwari for their contributions to this summary.
This collective document and Lakeland’s Five Pillars of Beloved Community © 2024 by Rev. Dr. Rebecca Ann Parker, The Braxton Institute for Sustainability, Resiliency & Joy are licensed under CC BY-NC-ND 4.0.