Annapolis in Anne Arundel County, Maryland — The American Northeast (Mid-Atlantic)
Remembering Congressman Parren J. Mitchell
April 29th 1922 - May 28th 2007
Photographed by Pete Skillman, May 29, 2026
1. Remembering Congressman Parren J. Mitchell Marker
As a Congressman, he successfully created America's federal minority business set-a-side program to assure that women, African Americans, and the business community of color had a fair opportunity to access wealth created from federal business contracts granted to American businesses.
Congressman Mitchell, as a college graduate student, successfully sued the segregated School of Sociology at the University of Maryland at College Park for admission to its Masters Program. He became the University's first African American graduate student from the School of Sociology. The University's Art & Sociology Building is now named after Congressman Mitchell.
Congressman Mitchell was a purple heart recipient, who served under General George S. Patton in the U.S. Army. Although he was elected to Maryland's 7th Congressional District, representing Baltimore City, Congressman Mitchell advocated for African
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Mayor and City Council
Gavin Buckley, Mayor Harry Huntley, Alderman Karma O'Neill, Alderwoman Rhonda Pindell Charles, Alderwoman Rob Savidge, Alderman Brooks Schandelmeier, Alderman DaJuan Gay, Alderman Ross H. Arnett III, Alderman Sheila M. Finlayson, Alderwoman
Elected Officials
Angela Alsobrooks, U.S. Senator Anthony G. Brown, Attorney General Delegate Mike Rogers, Maryland House of Delegates Judge Vickie E. Gipson, Anne Arundel County Orphan's Court Sheriff Everett L. Sesker, Anne Arundel County Wes Moore, Governor Senator Shaneka Henson, Maryland Senate Councilman Eddie Lee, Snow Hill, Maryland Councilman Pete Smith, Anne Arundel County Honorable Courtney Buiniskis, Anne Arundel County, Democratic Central Committee County Executive Steuart Pittman, Anne Arundel County
Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Committee, Inc.
Honorable
Photographed by Pete Skillman, May 29, 2026
2. Remembering Congressman Parren J. Mitchell Marker
Individuals Who Contributed to the Memorial
Larry W. Blum, M.D. Lewis and Deborah Bracy Carol V. Brooks & Family Chief Joseph S. Johnson and Family Honorable Daryl D. Jones, Esq. De Lorma "Dee" Goodwyn Alan J. Hyatt, Esq. Carroll H. Hynson, Jr. and Family Juanita Cage Lewis and Family Donna Parker, M.D. Midgett S. Parker Jr., Esq. Don Quinn, Esq. and Family Kevin J. Simmons and Family Honorable Carl O. Snowden Maurice Tose Germarcco Trayham Marcia V. Ormsby, M.D. Colonel David H. Patterson, Jr. (Retired) Mary Ashanti Judge Claudia Barber Marilyn Annette Barber Baron Bell Faye Belt Jasmine Bland Angelina Brown Melvin and Crystal (Johnson) Brown Honorable Cynthia A. Carter Karen "Candy" Clark
Photographed by Pete Skillman, May 29, 2026
3. Remembering Congressman Parren J. Mitchell Marker
Organizations Who Contributed to the Memorial
Apostle Antonio M. Palmer, Kingdom Celebration Center Caucus of African American Leaders Deputy Chief Gregory Lawrence, BWI Airport Fire Department First Presbyterian Church of Annapolis Kevin J.
Photographed by Pete Skillman, May 29, 2026
4. Remembering Congressman Parren J. Mitchell Marker
"If you believe in fighting racism, you make a commitment for the rest of your life.
There's no getting off that train.
You can't say, 'I've put five years in fighting racism and now I am finished.'
No, you are not finished.
Our job is to fight it every day, to continue to shove it down and when it rises up to shove it down even harder."
1989 speech to the Baltimore teachers union observing the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr.'s birthday.
Carl Snowden
HON. PARREN J. MITCHELL
Of Maryland
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
Tuesday, July 18, 1978
Mr. MITCHELL of Maryland. Mr. Speaker, on Friday, June 9, 1978 the citizens of Anne Arundel County gave a community salute to Carl Snowden. This young man is my friend who has demonstrated concern for the community since he was 16 years old.
Carl Snowden is a lifelong resident of Anne Arundel County. Mr. Snowden, who was born on June 17, 1953, is the son of Mr. and Mrs. William Snowden of Annapolis, Md. He has eight brothers and sisters. He is presently employed as the chief program officer for the Anne Arundel County Community Action Agency and in addition is the host-moderator of WANN radio station's "Community Viewpoint."
Mr. Snowden is a 1971 graduate of Key School, a private institution in Annapolis, Md. He attended the University of the District of Columbia as well as classes at Anne Arundel Community College. At the age of sixteen he took an active interest in human rights and civil rights and has been active ever since. In 1970 he was arrested while protesting discrimination against blacks in Anne Arundel County.
In 1970 he organized a boycott for classes in the area of black studies at Annapolis Senior High School; which later became part of the curriculum at the institution. In 1972 he organized the Poor Peoples Rights Organization, which was designed to improve the plight of poor and black people in Anne Arundel County. In 1973 he worked with Mrs. Martha Wood of the Parents Association in filing a complaint against the Anne Arundel County Public School System for violation of the 1964 Civil Rights Act with HEW who found that the school system was in violation. In 1974, he worked closely with Delegate Kenneth L. Webster (40th Legislative District in Baltimore City) in order to get legislation passed to make the late human rights activist Martin Luther King Jr.'s birthday a legal State holiday. In 1975 he worked with tenants in organizing the longest "rent strike" in the history of the State of Maryland and negotiated over a million dollar settlement for the beleaguered community. In 1976 he joined the black student organization, UJIMA, at Anne Arundel Community College in filing a discrimination complaint with the Maryland Human Relations Commission, which resulted in the college hiring its first full time black faculty members. In addition he worked with other community groups in preserving Mt. Moriah
A.M.E. Church and the Anne Arundel County Legal Aid Bureau; was one of the founders of VOTE, which sponsored the first black political convention in 1977. Mr. Snowden is the third vice president of the Anne Arundel County Branch of the NAACP.
That is quite a record for a man who has just reached the age of 25. I believe you will share my thought that America needs many, many more Carl Snowdens.
"In the coming decades, no sacrifice on our part can be too great; no physical pain can be unbearable; no retreat should ever be considered. Future historians may well never mention our individual names, but they will be forced to speak to our collective spirit and collective struggle for justice, for decency, and for humanity."
"The Struggle Continues!"
Congressman Parren J. Mitchell
July 20, 2005.
[Captions]:
Governor Marvin Mandell signed legislation in 1974, making Maryland the second state in the nation to recognize Dr. King's birthday as a holiday.
Congressman Parren J. Mitchell, Delegate Kenneth L. Webster, and Carl O. Snowden are among those observing the historic moment.
Daryl Jones, a student at the University of Maryland College Park, is seen here with Congressman Parren J. Mitchell. Mr. Jones was later elected to the Anne Arundel County Council, becoming the first African American male elected. Like Congressman Mitchell, he became a public servant.
Parren Mitchell served in the armed services and was a Purple Heart recipient.
Erected 2025.
Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: African Americans • Civil Rights • Patriots & Patriotism. A significant historical date for this entry is April 29, 1922.
Location. 38° 57.771′ N, 76° 30.262′ W. Marker is in Annapolis, Maryland, in Anne Arundel County. It is on Hilltop Lane, on the right when traveling west. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 325 Hilltop Ln, Annapolis MD 21403, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Regionally, this marker is in Central Maryland. It is also in the American Mid-Atlantic, in the Chesapeake Bay Region, and on the Eastern Seaboard. Globally, it is in the North Atlantic Region, North America, the Western Hemisphere, the Western World, and the Anglosphere. Historically, it finds itself in what was once one of the original Thirteen Colonies and also the Antebellum South.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: Primrose Hill (approx. 0.2 miles away); Amos Garrett Park (approx. 0.6 miles away); Barbara Neustadt Park (approx. 0.6 miles away); Ecosystem Restoration (approx. 0.8 miles away); Brown-Leanos Memorial Park (approx. 0.9 miles away); Original Bates Flagpole (approx. 0.9 miles away); Sharpening Our Governing Teeth: The 1708 Charter of Annapolis (approx. 0.9 miles away); Bates: The Center of Community Life (approx. 0.9 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Annapolis.
Also see . . . Parren J. Mitchell Memorial unveiled in Annapolis. News article about the ceremony unveiling the marker. (Submitted on June 1, 2026, by Pete Skillman of Wilmington, Delaware.)
Credits. This page was last revised on June 5, 2026. It was originally submitted on May 29, 2026, by Pete Skillman of Wilmington, Delaware. This page has been viewed 14 times since then. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4. submitted on May 29, 2026, by Pete Skillman of Wilmington, Delaware.
