Lakeland – College Park’s historic African American community is fighting to sustain itself.
By Anika Stikeleather
Every day, students overlook the intersection of Baltimore Avenue and Lakeland Road en route to Looney’s Pub or McDonald’s. But to local community members, turning into Lakeland means coming home to family.
In 1903, Lakeland became an established African American community with a local school and two churches. For nearly 70 years, Lakeland grew as an entirely self-supporting community during an era of segregation. It provided access to education, housing, local businesses, and a safe, closely connected neighborhood. Lakeland became a hub for black communities in the greater College Park region during this time.
In the 1970s, urban renewal efforts, including the construction of Lake Artemesia, destroyed 104 of the 150 homes and displaced two-thirds of its residents. Lakeland has never been the same.
Despite increased collaboration between Lakeland and the city of College Park to establish a form of justice in recent years, continued development along Route 1 threatens the community that remains. Today, many University of Maryland students live in Lakeland without realizing it. Across campus, few students recognize the history writing itself next door.
The intersection of Baltimore Avenue and Lakeland Road, with Schuster cranes in the background working on the Rambler College Park development, on the morning of September 22, 2025. Photo by Anika Stikeleather.Robert Thurston, president of the Lakeland Civic Association, looks over Lakeland community photos on the evening of April 28, 2025, in The Parren Mitchell Art-Sociology Building Collaboratory with Quint Gregory’s museum team in preparation for a Lakeland exhibit at the College Park Aviation Museum next year. Photo by Anika Stikeleather.
[African Americans] they’ll always go, they’ll tell whoever, whichever, if you’re a Lakelander, ‘you’re different.’ That difference is how we grew up, what nurtured us, the deeper parts of who we are. – Lakeland community member Keith Webster
Webster waits for the car after a meeting with Gregory ran longer than expected on the evening of April 28, 2025. Photo by Anika Stikeleather.Lakeland resident Willie Sellers bastes cuts of pork with his own iteration of a family recipe on the afternoon of May 10, 2025. Photo by Anika Stikeleather.Sellers and his cousin Marsha Campbell discuss upcoming house renovation plans in their backyard on the afternoon of May 10, 2025. Photo by Anika Stikeleather.The Maryland-National Capital Park Police attempted to shut down the Lakeland Day festivities, citing missing permits. College Park Mayor Fazlul Kabir, District 2 Councilmember Llatetra Brown Esters, Lakelanders Robert Thurston and resident Patricia “Bunny” Middleton attempted to reach an agreement on the morning of August 23, 2025. Photo by Anika Stikeleather.The annual Lakeland Day celebration continues on the evening of August 23, 2025, at Lakeland Community Park. Photo by Anika Stikeleather.
I think people understand that you can’t go back to what it once was. But what can the city do and others do to sustain this, sustain where it is, and tell the story. – Esters
Alfonzo Fields and Marlene Gibson laugh while dancing at Lakeland Day on the evening of August 23, 2025, at Lakeland Community Park. Photo by Anika Stikeleather.University of Maryland football coach Mike Locksley, and the great-grandson of Lakeland resident Pleasant Brown, addresses community members at Lakeland Day in the afternoon of August 23, 2025, at Lakeland Community Park. Terps quarterback Malik Washington and other players accompanied Locksley. Photo by Anika Stikeleather.A young Lakelander eats corn on the afternoon of August 23, 2025, at Lakeland Community Park. Photo by Anika Stikeleather.Students walk past the “A Path Forward” mural underneath U.S. Route 1 on the morning of Sept. 22, 2025. The mural showcases significant landmarks and notable individuals in Lakeland’s history. Photo by Anika Stikeleather.
Featured Image: The recently installed Lakeland College Park community center sign on the outside of the building on the evening of May 1, 2025. Photo by Anika Stikeleather.
