I'm writing a book on slavery and the slave trade set in 1760 so I'm sorry but my mind is stuck in the past. These are not Southern sharecroppers. These are Southern Maryland's. Sharecroppers who are partially black and partially Piscataway Indian. I find those families fascinating because under colonial law and then Maryland law up until the civil War, the slavery status of the mother determines the slavery status of the child. How this relates to the Indians is of interest to me if to nobody else. If an African-American slave had a child with Piscataway Indian mother, the child was born free. If the reverse happened and an Indian man had a child with a black woman, the child was born slave.
This slave and free dichotomy in African-American Maryland. History is important because at the onset of the civil War, Maryland had one of the largest populations of free blacks of any state in the nation. At that point. One of the biggest reasons why was the frequent intermarriage between African Americans and Piscataway Indians. One of the other things of interest about the 5th congressional district of which this Southern Prince George's County discussion is focused on. Is that in 1808 the US government made it illegal to import slaves. At that point it was still legal to own slaves. You just couldn't bring any more in. Which meant that every child had a value. In fact, when a child was born, sometimes even before the child was born, a slave owner could borrow money against the child. A child by a black mother was an asset which could be bought or sold or mortgaged. At that point there became a major industry in breeding black women for the value of their children. Now I know this is disgusting and I know it's going to be distressful to some people but this is just just the way it was.
If we take a look at that 1808 to the civil War. The two states for breeding slaves was Virginia was number one and Maryland was number two. If you were to take the map of where the slaves were bred in Maryland and overlaid that map on the 5th congressional district, as it stands today, you would find that they are almost perfectly identical when you think about it. Congressional District 4. Glenn ivy's District was closer to the District of Columbia, fewer large farms and not nearly as suitable for breeding farms. So there was far less of the slave breeding going on in CD4 cd5, including the part that extends into Southern. An Arundel County was the hard and soul of a truly ugly slave trade. The book I'm writing now deals with the horrors of the france Atlantic slave trade. But to my mind Maryland families growing slaves for profit is every bid as objectionable and horrible as the transatlantic slave trade.
I happen to be a direct descendant of of a Union soldier and the daughter of a woman who had been enslaved in Charles County just Southeast of La Plata. I have a lot of cousins in Charles County white and black. Tracing my ancestry back to Charles County has been opening experience.
So I'm sorry if I used a picture that people don't like and if I used a picture that looks too Southern. I'm sorry if peeling back the history of Maryland and our race relations is a problem. I'm just an old guy thinking about the world that I've known and trying to figure out what they never told me growing up.
Your answer is a diversion. This story was about today's black farmers. And you put a picture of sharecroppers from another era. You are a journalist. The picture is part of the journalism. And probably the first impression given to readers. The image you're portraying with the picture has nothing to do with the article, and acts as if black farmers are frozen in a century Plus old paternalistic motif.
Did you publish another feature on the farmer aspect?
What are the issues? Is this in context of data centers and land threat? There was reference to farm market traction so I don’t understand the specific issues. Can you enlighten me?
As for farmers giving up? This is not a Prince George’s County issue.
The state of Maryland neither values small business nor its small and mid sized farms. Period.
To its detriment and is political and economic suicide: small businesses are job creators, represent 99 percent of enterprise and half the private workforce.
And in a state with persistent billion dollar budget shortfalls? Huh?
• The state lost its farm market association in 2020 in COVID with no replacement
• The Office of Tourism Development and the Commerce Department official position: agritourism is a “niche” industry
• The Comptroller Office stated in writing August 2025 they do not measure any on-farm sales related to visitor spending. What is not measured is invisible. What is invisible is neither funded nor promoted.
• Prince George’s is in slightly better position due to hotel infrastructure which is rewarded under the Tourism Promotion Act 2008 grant formula allocation which is weighted to hotel night stays. If it’s not a hotel stay in Maryland? It’s not counted as tourism revenue.
• A six month research project just concluded, established that the state literally has no interoperable shared data framework for multi revenue channel distributed enterprises such as farms which may have a revenue stack across multiple channels: production, wholesale, value added manufacturing, ticketed event sales, retail
• 23 county DMOs do not market shared assets like farms and wineries across county borders. Visitors do not care about “counties” - they make travel decisions based on interests - not “counties” - the state features a named wine trail system which is not promoted or activated with coordinated marketing and events based on-farm - not a one day wine festival held off farm
The Commerce Department Rural Strategy Director should be reminded to check their email inbox.
Dude why do you have a picture of Southern sharecroppers? That's not what this article is about and This is not what black Farmers look like today.
I'm writing a book on slavery and the slave trade set in 1760 so I'm sorry but my mind is stuck in the past. These are not Southern sharecroppers. These are Southern Maryland's. Sharecroppers who are partially black and partially Piscataway Indian. I find those families fascinating because under colonial law and then Maryland law up until the civil War, the slavery status of the mother determines the slavery status of the child. How this relates to the Indians is of interest to me if to nobody else. If an African-American slave had a child with Piscataway Indian mother, the child was born free. If the reverse happened and an Indian man had a child with a black woman, the child was born slave.
This slave and free dichotomy in African-American Maryland. History is important because at the onset of the civil War, Maryland had one of the largest populations of free blacks of any state in the nation. At that point. One of the biggest reasons why was the frequent intermarriage between African Americans and Piscataway Indians. One of the other things of interest about the 5th congressional district of which this Southern Prince George's County discussion is focused on. Is that in 1808 the US government made it illegal to import slaves. At that point it was still legal to own slaves. You just couldn't bring any more in. Which meant that every child had a value. In fact, when a child was born, sometimes even before the child was born, a slave owner could borrow money against the child. A child by a black mother was an asset which could be bought or sold or mortgaged. At that point there became a major industry in breeding black women for the value of their children. Now I know this is disgusting and I know it's going to be distressful to some people but this is just just the way it was.
If we take a look at that 1808 to the civil War. The two states for breeding slaves was Virginia was number one and Maryland was number two. If you were to take the map of where the slaves were bred in Maryland and overlaid that map on the 5th congressional district, as it stands today, you would find that they are almost perfectly identical when you think about it. Congressional District 4. Glenn ivy's District was closer to the District of Columbia, fewer large farms and not nearly as suitable for breeding farms. So there was far less of the slave breeding going on in CD4 cd5, including the part that extends into Southern. An Arundel County was the hard and soul of a truly ugly slave trade. The book I'm writing now deals with the horrors of the france Atlantic slave trade. But to my mind Maryland families growing slaves for profit is every bid as objectionable and horrible as the transatlantic slave trade.
I happen to be a direct descendant of of a Union soldier and the daughter of a woman who had been enslaved in Charles County just Southeast of La Plata. I have a lot of cousins in Charles County white and black. Tracing my ancestry back to Charles County has been opening experience.
So I'm sorry if I used a picture that people don't like and if I used a picture that looks too Southern. I'm sorry if peeling back the history of Maryland and our race relations is a problem. I'm just an old guy thinking about the world that I've known and trying to figure out what they never told me growing up.
Your answer is a diversion. This story was about today's black farmers. And you put a picture of sharecroppers from another era. You are a journalist. The picture is part of the journalism. And probably the first impression given to readers. The image you're portraying with the picture has nothing to do with the article, and acts as if black farmers are frozen in a century Plus old paternalistic motif.
Did you publish another feature on the farmer aspect?
What are the issues? Is this in context of data centers and land threat? There was reference to farm market traction so I don’t understand the specific issues. Can you enlighten me?
As for farmers giving up? This is not a Prince George’s County issue.
The state of Maryland neither values small business nor its small and mid sized farms. Period.
To its detriment and is political and economic suicide: small businesses are job creators, represent 99 percent of enterprise and half the private workforce.
And in a state with persistent billion dollar budget shortfalls? Huh?
• The state lost its farm market association in 2020 in COVID with no replacement
• The Office of Tourism Development and the Commerce Department official position: agritourism is a “niche” industry
• The Comptroller Office stated in writing August 2025 they do not measure any on-farm sales related to visitor spending. What is not measured is invisible. What is invisible is neither funded nor promoted.
• Prince George’s is in slightly better position due to hotel infrastructure which is rewarded under the Tourism Promotion Act 2008 grant formula allocation which is weighted to hotel night stays. If it’s not a hotel stay in Maryland? It’s not counted as tourism revenue.
• A six month research project just concluded, established that the state literally has no interoperable shared data framework for multi revenue channel distributed enterprises such as farms which may have a revenue stack across multiple channels: production, wholesale, value added manufacturing, ticketed event sales, retail
• 23 county DMOs do not market shared assets like farms and wineries across county borders. Visitors do not care about “counties” - they make travel decisions based on interests - not “counties” - the state features a named wine trail system which is not promoted or activated with coordinated marketing and events based on-farm - not a one day wine festival held off farm
The Commerce Department Rural Strategy Director should be reminded to check their email inbox.