NEWS RELEASE

June 18, 2020

Washington, D. C.

PRINCE GEORGES COUNTY, MD GOVERNMENT DOESN’T WANT AFRICAN AMERICAN OWNER TO USE THE WORD “CHITLIN” IN THE NAME OF HER BUSINESS

Over 25 years ago Shauna Anderson created the Chitlin Market.  Her Chitlin Market staff sold the best cleaned and tender chitlins and shipped the chitlins across the United States. Sales at the market totaled over one million dollars.  The business was created to hire people who did not believe that they had skills to do other work but who knew how to clean chitterlings.  The first group of applicants totaled 150.  Shauna told her employees that they had to want something more in life. Shauna, a former Internal Revenue Service Instructor, then trained the staff on how to come off of any public assistance, buy houses and cars, and to become a productive member of society. NBC4 Washington carried the story, did live shots, promoting the business.  The Washington Post ran many stories. The Smithsonian Institution Museum and Center for African American History installed The Chitlin Market, Hyattsville, MD into the museum. Positive news reports were shown all over the nation.   Many U. S. Congressmen and celebrities were customers. And then the Prince Georges County MD government shut the business down. The employees lost their jobs. Shauna received a call from a government insider. The caller said “We don’t mind you selling chitterlings but you must take the word “Chitlin” out of the name of your business.” The Prince Georges County Council rezoned The Chitlin Market back to residential.

Actor/Comedian J. Anthony Brown is currently producing a documentary on The Chitlin Market. 

For more information, please contact Angela Holmes on 240-755-8119. 

www.chitlinmarket.com