Two inducted into Indispensable Role of Blacks at JHU exhibit

Ivor James Benjamin and Barbara Bates Hopkins have been selected to join the 65 African-American men and women celebrated in the Indispensable Role of Blacks at Johns Hopkins exhibit. Also inducted this year is an iconic photograph of black students on the steps of Shriver Hall.

The digital exhibit is co-sponsored by the Johns Hopkins Black Faculty and Staff Association, the Office of the President, and the Office of Diversity and Inclusion. It recognizes the black students, faculty, and staff who have contributed to the university's rich history and who have brought honor to Johns Hopkins through their achievements.

Image caption: Ivor James Benjamin

"The Indispensable Role of Blacks at Johns Hopkins celebrates the African-American men and women whose tenacity, courage, and intellect allowed them to make a great impact on society," says Anita Norton, co-chair of the exhibit. "Johns Hopkins University challenged them to excel in the opportunities they were afforded when they joined the institution. They all rose above and beyond expectations professionally and have made indelible marks on the world."

The induction ceremony will take place June 21 in conjunction with the BFSA's annual Juneteenth event. Members of the university community can nominate colleagues, students, alumni, and activists to the Indispensable Role of Blacks at Johns Hopkins exhibit online.

More on this year's honorees:

• Ivor James Benjamin, an alumnus of the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine and a practicing cardiologist, currently serves as president of the American Heart Association. He is also chief of the Division of Cardiovascular Medicine and director of the Cardiovascular Center at the Medical College of Wisconsin.

• Barbara Bates Hopkins, a native of Baltimore, is a senior community research coordinator in both the Department of Environmental Health and Engineering at the Bloomberg School of Public Health and the Institute for Clinical and Translational Research at the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine. She was a co-founder of the Day at the Market sponsored by Johns Hopkins, a series of community events providing services and information in an effort to mitigate poor health and promote wellness.

• The iconic photo of black students on the steps of Shriver Hall was taken in 1970, a few years after the university's Black Student Union was formed. John Guess, first chairman of the BSU, is among those pictured.