Henry & Isabella Randall Entrepreneur Park
4506 Rhode Island Avenue

Below is an excerpt of the keynote speech given by Perry Paylor (Executive Director, Redevelopment Authority of Prince George's County) at the 2025 ribbon-cutting to open Henry & Isabella Randall Entrepreneur Park.

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It’s a true honor to stand with you today as we celebrate not just the opening of a new pocket park, but the unveiling of a powerful story—one rooted in resilience, self-determination, and the pioneering spirit of Black entrepreneurship in Prince George's County.

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To Mayor and Town Council members, to our community partners, to the residents of North Brentwood, to Anacostia Trails Heritage Area, and to the incredible team at the Redevelopment Authority, thank you for the privilege of joining you on this historic day.

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Today, we recognize a community that has always led with courage, creativity, and a commitment to building opportunity for itself and for future generations. And nowhere is that legacy more present than in North Brentwood: the first African American incorporated town in Prince George's County, founded in 1924.

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Entrepreneur Park is more than open green space. It is sacred ground, telling a story that deserves to be remembered, honored and passed down.

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From the 1920s through the 1960s, African Americans across this state faced deep discrimination, segregation, and the systematic denial of basic goods and services.

 

But here, in North Brentwood, this determined, proud, visionary community charted its own path. When others closed their doors, Black North Brentwood residents:

• Provided medical care in their homes.

• Opened grocery counters and beauty salons.

• Operated barbershops, shoe repair shops, trash collection services.

• Delivered ice and coal.

• Met essential needs through community ingenuity.

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These weren't just businesses. They were acts of survival, leadership, and economic empowerment representing a community saying, "We will not wait to be served, we will serve ourselves." Entrepreneur Park stands today as a living tribute to that spirit.

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This very parcel of land has its own story to tell.

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It was first owned by Henry Randall: a Black entrepreneur who helped shape the early DNA of this community. Later, it became the home and office of Dr. William Spiller, who cared for residents with compassion and dignity.

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In the late 1990s, that home caught fire. The remains sat here for years, a painful reminder of what once was. But, today—because of vision, partnership, and commitment—we reclaim this land. Not with debris. Not with abandonment. But with purpose, beauty, history, and hope.

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Entrepreneur Park connects the past to the present-and sets a vision for the future. It reminds our young people that entrepreneurship did not begin with startups or apps. It began right here—with families who used their skills, their homes, and their courage to build an economy when society tried to deny them one.

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Innovation is not new here. Ingenuity is not new here. Determination is not new here. Greatness has always been here.

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As we prepare to cut the ribbon, let us take a moment to reflect… This park stands on the shoulders of entrepreneurs who built, with limited means but unlimited vision. It honors those who served their community when others denied them service. It reminds us that progress is strongest when it honors the past and invests in the future.

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So today, we dedicate Entrepreneur Park:

• To the pioneers of North Brentwood.

• To the entrepreneurs who built this community from the ground up.

• To the families who refused to give up.

• And to the next generation of innovators who will carry their legacy forward.

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Thank you, and congratulations to the Town of North Brentwood on this extraordinary achievement.

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