Family and legacy. Left to Right Kyle Reeder Sitting: Della Tomlin (Step Mom), Calvin Drakeford (Dad), Brittney Drakeford (sister) Standing Right: Oliver Reeder PHOTO: AMIR STOUDAMIRE // PRINCE GEORGE’S SUITE MAGAZINE & MEDIA

Capitol Heights Food Market Owner Ashley Drakeford Represents The Sixth Generation Of A Family Who Has A Legacy Of Service In Prince George’s

By Tiffany Young with Additional Reporting By Brittney Drakeford

PHOTOGRAPHY BY AMIR STOUDAMIRE PRINCE GEORGE’S SUITE MAGAZINE & MEDIA

Like most families this Thanksgiving, the Drakefords will get together for the big dinner. Centered with the big turkey and all the trimmings, the event will be supported by a pre-Thanksgiving dinner meant to assure that all family members get a chance to see and dine together no matter when they come into town or need to leave. The house will be full of laughter, young children scrambling and older folks telling remember when stories - and exaggerating quite a few of them.

And along with the traditional mac & cheese, greens, turkey and sweet potato pie, Aunt Marion (Thomas) makes an oyster dressing that has become a Drakeford family special. Every bit of that dressing will be gone by noon on Black Friday. The weekend is spent with shopping, football, laughing and games like Taboo, Heads Up, Spades and Scrabble. Some even manage to get in some extra sleep.

The Capital Market co-founder Ashley Drakeford is prat of six generations of her family living in Prince George’s and giving back to their neighbors. PHOTO: AMIR STOUDAMIRE // PRINCE GEORGE’S SUITE MAGAZINE & MEDIA

“My family loves get togethers,” says Ashley Drakeford of her family and Thanksgiving. She knows a lot about food, too. Ashley is a co-founder and owner of The Capital Market in Capitol Heights MD. “I’m super grateful that both my Mom side (who passed away), my Dad, and my step mom’s family gets along very well, so many of our celebrations include a lot of people.”

When Ashley’s father, Calvin Drakeford, leads the family in prayer before the meal, like thousands of Prince Georgian families, he will be seeking to connect with the entire family, past and present, ancestors and generations to come in thanks for the blessings of their Maker.

And for the Drakefords, that means six generations of family members who have called the county home.

Ashley Drakeford’s Great-Great-Great-Great-Great-Great Grandparents were longtime Trustees at Ridgely United Methodist Church, which became a historic site in Capitol Heights. Ashley’s family members were once enslaved people in the area, so when she started Capital Market of 20743 in the same neighborhood that her family can trace back to slavery, it was a no-brainer that this would be part of a legacy.

A sixth-generation resident of the county, Ashley’s legacy is the story of the Harrods’ family. The Harrods, who are on her late mother Sharon Drakeford’s side of the family has deep rooted history in the county. It’s a story about community resilience and the strength of an African American family building during the Jim Crow era. Ashley is simply following the lead, growing a community with love.

**Ashley Drakeford (left) and her sister Brittney Drakeford. PHOTOGRAPHY BY AMIR STOUDAMIRE PRINCE GEORGE’S SUITE MAGAZINE & MEDIA**

Legacy is about life and living. It's about learning from the past, living in the present and building for the future. Sharon, the granddaughter of Clarence Harrod, married Calvin Drakeford in 1982. Their union birthed two daughters Ashley and Brittney. As the organizer and co-owner of Capital Market, a community-based farmers’ market, Ashley, her sister Brittney, and cousin, Kyle (Reeder), opened the market because they recognized that there was a lack of access to fresh and healthy produce in Capitol Heights. Known as a food desert, Capitol Heights lost its last grocery store in 2016, but with the help of Capital Market, the Drakeford family is continuing a family tradition of helping their neighbors and finding a solution. The family business dates back to Ashley’s third Great Grandfather, Robert Harrod Sr., who was born just prior to the start of the American Civil War. He was a farmer who owned several acres of land near present-day Martin Luther King Jr. Highway. At the time, this former plantation began to gradually develop into Huntsville in 1899 with the introduction of the Washington, Baltimore, and Annapolis Electric Railway. It was the family’s farm that was situated at the lowest elevation of Hill Road in an area where Ashley’s grandmother, Marion Harrod Reeder, frequently recounted incidents of flooding. While it wasn’t in an ideal area, it gave Robert the opportunity to leave something for his family.

“Upon our Great Grandfather’s death, he willed six acres of land to his children, presumably with the intention that the land would be used to sustain his descendants for generations to come. Most of our family members continued to live on that land until the 1970s,” said Brittney, as she recounts the family’s history in a recent interview.

Ashley Drakeford (left) sells fresh produce to Maryland Delegate Andrea Harrison (right) at Poetry And Produce event in September. Harrison, also a multi-generational resident of Prince Georges is also a regular customer of Capital Market and has two gardens of her own. PHOTO: RAOUL DENNIS // PRINCE GEORGE’S SUITE MAGAZINE & MEDIA

**Brittney Drakeford, Ashley Drakeford, Oliver Reeder (uncle) Jordan Reeder (cousin), & Kyle Reeder (cousin) at The Capital Market**

Growing up in the area, Ashley’s parents made sure she was involved in plenty of community activities. From dance classes to cheerleading, as a kid her schedule was packed, and it was during her childhood when she came to learn how important the dinner table became to have family discussions while partaking in better food options. “While I don't remember any conversations about eating healthy, I do remember my mom always purchasing wheat bread, giving us healthy snacks in our lunches. Also, we all sat down for dinner at the same time, and we would turn the TV off to have conversation. We talked about our day, what we learned and current events. These moments were instrumental in helping me shape my idea of the world and where my place was in it.”

It’s a family business when it comes to community work. In addition to the Capital Market, Ashley, her sister, and cousin are active in the food justice realm. Her cousin Jordan Reeder started a non-profit focusing on black maternal health. They most likely inherited that gift from their grandfather, Robert Harrod Jr. He was one of the men who raised a family on that land. He was also a visionary and community leader in his own right. He served as a Trustee of the Highland Park Rosenwald School for at least a decade starting in 1930. Highland Park was constructed in 1928 and was the second high school for African American students in the county. Robert also served as a Trustee of the Ridgely-Zion Methodist Episcopal Church; a site listed on the National Registry of Historic Places.

“Over the years, our family has been active throughout the community — serving in the military or serving as busboys at the Prince George's Country Club. Today, we’re the descendants of the Harrod family and continue this legacy connecting food, family, farming and faith,” Brittney said.

**Clarence Harrod, son of Robert Harrod Jr, and Sharon Reeder Drakeford, his granddaughter (and Ashley’s mom).**

“We are all very active in advocating for our community and polishing the gems that have gone unnoticed,” Ashley continued.

Ashley and Brittney are members of Cottage City Community Garden and facilitate workshops for the District Heights Youth Services Bureau. Living in the county all her life, Ashley has had mailing addresses in Cheverly, Glenarden and Mitchellville. Growing up, her mother was the President of the Friends of the Glenarden Library and would take her and her sister on volunteer trips to Shepherd's Cove, an emergency shelter for women and children in the county. “Community building and connecting comes naturally to me. I feel as if I’m honoring the legacy of not only my parents but my entire family, they are my village,” Ashley says.

**Great Grandmother : Dorothy Harrod, Grandma Marion Reeder, Grandfather Oliver Hamilton Reeder, Great Grandfather Clarence Harrod at my grandparents wedding.**

Being a sixth-generation county native is not insignificant. As for Ashley, it is knowing that she has a connection to her ancestors. Knowing where they started their roots to create her village, her family is something she is proud of. “I love being able to drive around the county and say this is where my grandma was raised, this is where my family founded a church. That history links us together, and it propels me to continue to succeed in my own way and share their stories. My sister, my cousins, and I are that future linking to the past and continuing the story,” she says.

Cooler By The Dozen: Tevin Thomas, Belinda Thomas, Troy Thomas, Sheila Harrod (Great Aunt), Brittney Drakeford, Sharon Reeder Drakeford(Mom), Kyle Reeder, Marion Thomas (Grandma), Me, Darryl Reeder (Uncle), Oliver Reeder (Uncle) Jordan Reeder (Cousin).

Through the legacy her family has built in the county, Ashley is hoping that helping those in need can go beyond providing access to food. She would like the county to grow when it comes to civic engagement and providing resources to healthy living. “I would also like to see the county create more biking trails in Upper Marlboro, Suitland and Fort Washington.”

Around the table at Thanksgiving, after the prayer, the Drakefords each in turn, says what they are thankful for. Likely, there is a lot on that list and one may wonder how long it takes before the plates get dug into. But the moment is worthy of the wait.

When Ashley isn’t running The Capital Market or spending time with her family, she is hitting the Lake Artemesia trail in College Park on her bike. “It’s a relaxing place to ride. Sometimes, I will just go to the lake and sit out with my blanket and a book to relax.”

Brittney Drakeford is a 2017 Robert Wood Johnson Culture of Health Leader and is a PhD Student at the University of Maryland College Park and former historian assistant for the Prince George’s County Black History program. DRAKEFORD FAMILY PHOTOS APPEAR COURTESY THE DRAKEFORD FAMILY.