Black Journalist: Mary Ann Shadd Cary
Black Journalist: Mary Ann Shadd Cary
Mary Ann Shadd Cary was an abolitionist, journalist, and worked to better the lives of Black men and women.
Mary Ann Shadd Cary was born in Delaware on Oct. 9, 1823. Her Father Abraham was a shoemaker and her mother, Harriet, was a stay-at-home mom, who cared for 13 children. In addition to their everyday work, they were a part of the underground railroad. Therefore, the family put their lives on the line to help their other Africans escape from enslavement.
The family left Delaware because they passed a law banning Black children from attending school. They moved to Pennsylvania, where they continued to participate in the underground railroad. However, with the passing of the Fugitive Slave Act, it soon became illegal for anyone to aid enslaved Africans fleeing a brutal Southern slaveocracy to Northern states, where they faced a slightly different kind of racism. During this time, additionally, some white people would still free Black people and sell them to Southern enslavers. After that law passed, Mary decided that America was not a safe place for Black people, and fled to Ontario, Canada, where Black people had been living for decades.
“She published essays encouraging other Black Americans to join her in Canada, and she supported new arrivals in her community,” according to Women and The American History.
Mary, in 1853, started Canada’s first anti-slavery newspaper, The Provincial Freeman. At the launch of the newspaper, fearing that people would respond negatively to her, she asked two men, one Black, and the other white, to be the faces of the paper. They agreed. After a while, Mary became the face — but she received backlash from her audience and had to resign. Mary continued her work as an abolitionist and fighting for women’s rights — especially Black women. She was not only for ending chattel slavery but also for full equality of Black people, which included the right to vote. She went on to attend Howard University with a law degree. Furthermore, she even started an organization that helped her continue her advocacy for women’s rights. Unfortunately, in 1893, Mary died from stomach cancer.
The Intersection honors Mary for making life better for Black people in the US. You can read more about her here.
Published
What would it look like for residents in Prince George’s County to plant fruit trees in their communities? Though this article isn’t particularly about Prince George’s County — it does allow us to imagine possibilities.
Cities are Planting Trees. Why Not Make Them Fruit Trees?
Excerpt: Garrison Hines would spend all of his time growing food if he could. The ironworker from Philadelphia developed a passion for farming in 2018 when an urban gardener showed him a mulberry tree, which produces fruit similar to blackberries. Although Hines had visited an apple orchard as a kid, that mulberry was the first tree he realized could be harvested near his home. They’re all around the city, the gardener told him. Hines had no idea.
Working on various urban greening projects through a job-training program helped Hines “see the city in a way I’d never seen Philadelphia before.” To him, it became a place that could produce a bounty of food, particularly in neighborhoods like North Philly, where he grew up. After volunteering at Philadelphia Orchard Project, Hines planted his own orchard in 2021. “I already had the site that I wanted to use in mind,” he says. “[It] has been an empty lot my entire life.” Today, he and community volunteers tend to 14 different fruit trees — from apple to elderberry — on that transformed piece of land.
Community Meetings
February 26, 2024 Housing Authority Board of Commissioners Meeting
Date: February 26, 2024
Times: 5:30 p.m. to 8:00 p.m.
Monthly Board Meeting will be held via Go-To-Meeting. If you would like to join, please email mkcrawford@co.pg.md.us for meeting information. If you are unable to join via Go-To-Meeting, you can dial into the tele-conference: Dial In Phone#: 1-866-899-4679 Participant PIN#: 819-222-557
If you have questions, or if you have a disability and require an accommodation, please contact the Housing Authority of Prince George's County at (301) 883-5531 or TTY (301) 883-5428.
Human Rights Commission Meeting
Date: February 26, 2024
Times: 5:30 pm
his regularly scheduled meeting of the Human Rights Commission will take place on Zoom. The Zoom link can be found on the open agenda. Please contact the Clerk to the Commission at jmcochran (at) co.pg.md.us with any accomodation requests no fewer than three days in advance of the meeting.
Agenda Monday February 26 2024 (open).pdf
CCOC February Monthly Meeting
Date: February 28, 2024
Times: 3:00 pm to 4:30 pm
The Prince George’s County Office of Community Relations will partner with the Commission on Common Ownership Communities to host a virtual meeting.
Meeting Zoom Login Link:
ID:846 1185 9070
Passcode:897472
Dial by Location
+1301 715 8592 US (Washington D.C.
1 877 853 5247
Public Hearing - OHR/Boatwright v 10 Roads Express
Date: February 28, 2024
Times: 5:30 pm
This public hearing before the Human Rights Commission will be held over Zoom. The Zoom registration link is: https://mypgc.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZIodeGgrTMpHtUcRYD6S_uS7ZIwQUAjEs9S . Please contact the Clerk to the Commission with any accommodation requests no fewer than three business days before the public hearing at JM Cochran (at) co.pg.md.us or at 240-328-4145.
Social Bio Workshop
Time: Saturdays 1 – 3pm EST
Location: 4719 Silver Hill Rd
Suitland-Silver Hill, MD 20746
About this event
Social Bio Workshop every first Saturday. Family members and friends of defendants come together to work on their cases. We analyze documents and create social biography packets that include photos, character letters, videos, grades, certificates, pay stubs — anything that reveals the defendant’s good qualities, the support of loved ones, and ties to the community. The packets enable judges, prosecutors, probation officers, and the public to see a human being rather than merely a case number or a list of charges.
Register here
Life After Release Free Expungement Clinic Every 1st Saturday of the month.
Time: Tuesdays and Saturdays 1 – 3pm EST
Location: This event’s address is private.
Sign up for more details.
About this event
The criminal records expungement clinic is a chance for members of the community to meet with an attorney to have their criminal records expunged. The goal is to have a petition for expungement drawn up after meeting with an attorney.
This event has been successful in the past, and we’re looking forward to this one. It provides the opportunity for people to walk away on the road to having certain criminal charges off their record. The only requirement is that these be Maryland residence, with the tenacity to see the process through. There might be further qualifications to have a record expunged, but that is what the attorneys are there to assist people in determining.
YOU MUST BE REGISTERED TO RECEIVE SERVICES!
If you are a member of the media and have questions about this, please contact Life After Release at 240.200.4472 or lifeafterreleasemd@gmail.com.
Register here
March 20, 2024 Local Development Council Meeting
Date: March 20, 2024
Times: 7:00 pm
With the addition of MGM Resorts International in our County, a Local Development Council was formed per State law (view Relevant Law). This council allows for public input for several elements of the operation of the gaming licensee.
The LDC meets on the 3rd Wednesday of every month on Zoom. We welcome you to attend to share your concerns or to watch the proceedings.
Register here