Naomi Reed and Brittney Martin
Hosts of the "Sugar Land" podcastNaomi Reed and Brittney Martin are the hosts of "Sugar Land,” an investigative series from The Texas Newsroom.
Reed is an anthropology professor at Southwestern University. Her research focuses on race, education, cultural heritage and criminal justice, and she has spent the last decade conducting ethnographic fieldwork in Sugar Land. Reed was raised in Missouri City and grew up in the shadows of Sugar Land’s wealth and reputation as the “sweeter” place to live in Southwest Houston.
Martin is an independent journalist based in Houston. She’s an experienced investigative reporter, researcher and longform narrative writer. Martin was a member of The Dallas Morning News staff named 2017 Pulitzer Prize Finalists in Breaking News Reporting, and she frequently contributes to The Washington Post, Texas Monthly, The Daily Beast and others.
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The remains of others who died under the convict-lease system are scattered throughout Sugar Land, but no one is looking for them. To this day, prison-made goods and services yield the state over $50 million in revenue each year, but prisoners are not paid a cent. What could prevent future abuse in the criminal justice system and beyond? And how can Texas begin to make amends? -
How did these 95 people end up in Sugar Land to begin with? One man’s remarkable life and tragic death reveals the truth about convict leasing in Texas. -
The group in charge of researching remains has made little progress but refuses to cede control. Is it a conspiracy or negligence? -
After the Sugar Land 95 are reburied, Fort Bend ISD says it’s not going to fund any more research on the remains. A new group takes control — but are they the best people for the job? Plus, we start our own search for descendants. -
Research on the cemetery is finally made public, and the findings aren’t just surprising — they’re unbelievable. -
The fight of the century is unfolding in Sugar Land. Should the remains of the Sugar Land 95 be moved so construction on Fort Bend ISD's new school could continue as planned? Or should they be reburied where they were found? -
As archeologists uncover more graves, a new person is added to the team — one who specializes in studying human remains. After a few months, she thinks she knows who these people might be. -
After years of planning, contractors finally break ground on the site of a new school in Sugar Land. But the very next day, someone shows up with a warning: Be on the lookout for bodies.
