In the 1930s, '40s and '50s, in a segregated Prince George’s County, local Black communities developed and supported their own recreational activities. Sandlot baseball was hugely popular, and the teams such as the Lakeland White Sox, Laurel All Stars, Glen Arden Braves, Brentwood Flashes and others played to packed crowds on Sunday afternoons. Admission fees were low, quality of play was high. A yearly celebration on Emancipation Day, with a picnic and games all day, capped the season. The local league gave way to the Tri-State League in 1957, which recruited players from all over the region, out-competing the community teams for talent.
Photo: Brentwood Flashes, courtesy of City of Bowie, William A. Aleshire.