Black History Month Display Honors Johns Hopkins Pioneer

Alicia Larkins and Nova Smith traveled to the Essex Library recently to utilize its job search resources.

However, once inside, Larkins, of Essex, and Smith, of Middle River, were drawn to a display commemorating Black History Month. The display explored the accomplishments of Johns Hopkins cardiac surgeon and professor  Dr. Levi Watkins.

Dr. Watkins was a member of Dr. Martin Luther King’s young “Crusaders” and was the personal physician of civil rights pioneers Rosa Parks and Rev. Ralph Abernathy.

Watkins served as the first black chief resident in cardiac surgery at Johns Hopkins Hospital, where he performed the world’s first human implantation of the automatic implantable defibrillator in 1980.

Larkins and Smith told library officials they found the display both educational and inspirational.

That was the response librarian Felecia Diggs hoped for when she made the display, which was made possible thanks to donations by the Enoch Pratt Free Library,  The Afro-American Newspaper and Dr. Watkins himself.

Watkins said she tries to create displays for times like Black History Month and Women’s History Month that have a local flavor.

“When people see that someone locally has may a significant impact in a particular field, they can relate to it better,” Diggs said. “We try to find people who are known locally.”

Diggs added that was particularly true with the library’s display of Dr. Watkins. She said there was significant interest in this display before it was even put out for the public to see.

“Dr. Watkins is a great person to highlight because of his role in the civil rights movement and because he’s still alive and people can learn more about his accomplishments,” Diggs said. “I had one woman come up to me when we first advertised to display who couldn’t wait to see it because Dr. Watkins operated on her mom.”

The display will remain open through the first week of March at the Essex Library.