A. Philip Randolph Institute Baltimore Chapter

03/08/2026

02/17/2026

Celebrating Black History
Did you know.....
Dr. Vivien T. Thomas was an African American renowned scientist known for his work to develop a new cardiac surgery technique at the Johns Hopkins Hospital in the 1940s. Dr. Thomas steadfastly designed and tested anastomosis of the subclavian artery to the pulmonary artery, resulting in the landmark “blue baby” operation in 1944 .
He was a high school graduate and never had the opportunity to enroll in medical school or earn an advanced degree, Dr. Thomas spent his career as a pioneering research and surgical assistant. He was awarded an honorary doctorate by Johns Hopkins University in 1976 and named instructor of surgery in the School of Medicine.

02/16/2026

Celebrating Black History
Did you know.....
Janet Collins was an accomplished and acclaimed dancer and choreographer. In 1951, Ms. Collins broke the color line with the Metropolitan Opera when she made her debut as the leading dancer in the Met’s production of “Aïda.” She became the first African American prima ballerina with the Metropolitan Opera.

02/15/2026

Celebrating Black History
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Dr. Ralph J. Bunche played an essential role in the creation of the United Nations. He served as an advisor to the US delegation at the 1945 San Francisco conference and assisted with the drafting of key chapters of the United Nations charter. In 1950, Dr. Bunche was the first African American to be awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for negotiating a cease-fire armistic between Israelis and Arabs during the war which followed the creation of the state of Israel in 1948. Dr. Bunche championed civil and human rights both in the US and internationally. He marched with Dr. King in the 1963 March on Washington and in 1965 during the Selma to Montgomery March across the Edmund Pettus Bridge.

02/14/2026

Celebrating Black History
Did you know........
Hattie Scott Peterson grew up in Norfolk, Virginia, and despite the barriers she faced as a black woman in the early 1900s, she loved math and sciences. After high school she worked in the U.S. Government Accounting Office (during World War II). She attended Howard University, and in 1946, earned her Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering, becoming the first African American woman in the U.S. to do so. She moved to Sacramento, California, and in 1947 she began working for the U.S. Geological Survey doing surveying and cartographic engineering. In 1954, she became the first woman engineer to work for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) focusing on flood risk reduction, navigation projects, and other civil engineering tasks that protect people and their land from water damage. Hattie was a strong mentor and advocate. She supported women entering engineering and physical sciences at a time when few thought that was possible. In addition to leaving an endowment to Howard University that continues to create scholarships, she was honored by USACE Sacramento with an inspirational award in her name. She left a lasting legacy.

02/13/2026

Celebrating Black History
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Reginald F. Lewis was a business pioneer and philanthropist. He was the first person to attend Harvard Law School without formally applying. Lewis graduated from Harvard Law School and rose to prominence as a lawyer, financier, and leader of the global food company (TLC Beatrice International). He was the first African American ever to close an overseas billion dollar leveraged buyout deal. Lewis founded Wallace, Murphy, Thorpe and Lewis, the first African American law firm on Wall Street. A highly trained corporate attorney, he set aside time, and leveraged his expertise as a lawyer, to work as an activist, supporting the civil rights movement. Lewis used his wealth to help support the African American community and became one of the first major funders to Jesse Jackson’s campaign. As a philanthropist, he donated $3 million to Harvard Law School, the largest donation by an individual to the school at the time. Reginald F. Lewis grew up in Baltimore, Maryland and attended Dunbar High School.

02/12/2026

Celebrating Black History
Did you know.....
Dr. James McCune Smith was the first African American to earn a medical degree. Smith attended the University of Glasgow obtaining his bachelor's, master's and medical degrees. Upon returning to the U.S., Smith opened the country's first Black-owned pharmacy and became the first African American to publish in a peer-reviewed medical journal.

02/11/2026

Celebrating Black History
Did you know......
Ethel Waters was a blues singer and actress. She was the first African American to star in her own television show and be nominated for a Primetime Emmy Award.
Waters became the first African American woman to integrate broadway when composer Irving Berlin awarded her a starring role in his broadway musical "As Thousands Cheer". She soon became one of the highest paid actresses on broadway regardless of race. Her broadway acclaim led to a career in film and later television, including an appearance in the all-black film, Cabin in the Sky, which stared Lena Horne and was directed by Vincente Minnelli.

02/09/2026

Celebrating Black History
Did you know.....
Philip B. Downing designed a metal box with four legs, which he patented on October 27, 1891. What we know as a mailbox, he named a “street letter box”.
Until this point, anyone wishing to send mail usually had to travel to the post office. Downing’s invention would allow for nearby drop-offs and pick-ups for both letter carriers and mailers.
It included a feature that kept bad weather, such as rain and snow, from damaging the mail. It also included a safety feature that made the mail secure until it was picked up by postal employees.

02/08/2026

Celebrating Black History
Did you know......
Gabrielle "Gabby" Douglas is a gymnast who, at the 2012 Olympic Games in London, became both the first American to claim gold medals in the team and individual all-around events and the first African American to win the all-around title.
"Gold medals are made out of your sweat, blood and tears, and effort in the gym every day, and sacrificing a lot.”
Gabrielle Douglas