Four individuals to be inducted into Indispensable Role of Blacks at JHU

Kenneth Brown, A&S '70, played basketball, football, and lacrosse at Johns Hopkins University, graduating as a standout student and later becoming the first Black gastroenterologist at Washington Hospital Center. But the award-winning doctor, now deceased, didn't just focus on his career. He mentored countless Black students and community members along the way.

Tameika Lunn, A&S '99, graduated from Johns Hopkins and is now an associate judge for the District Court of Maryland in Baltimore City, known for her unique ability among judges to "personally empathize with her litigants," Catherine Chen, an associate judge in the same court, says. "There's no doubt that her defendants are lucky to have someone so compassionate and understanding hearing their matters."

Both Brown and Lunn are among the four 2024 inductees to the Indispensable Role of Blacks at JHU, a project co-sponsored by the university's Black Faculty and Staff Association, the Office of the President, and the Office of Diversity and Inclusion. The project recognizes Black students, faculty, and staff who have contributed to the university's rich history and brought honor to Johns Hopkins through their achievements.

This year's two other inductees are Adrienne Breckenridge, SOE '03 (MS), an undergraduate academic adviser in the Johns Hopkins Krieger School of Arts and Sciences since 1995, and Anita Norton, who retired in 2023 from her decades-long position as the director of the Online Services Program in the Sheridan Libraries' Entrepreneurial Library Program.

"Anita Norton is a force to be reckoned with," her colleagues Sharon Morris, director of the Regional Library Resource Center at Johns Hopkins, and Barbara Pralle, associate director of Content and Discovery at the Welch Medical Library said in a statement. "She is a visionary leader with superb collaboration and communication skills, all evident in her valuable work with the BFSA and Sheridan Libraries."

Breckenridge garnered similar praise, with her colleague Karen Desser, a senior academic adviser in the Krieger School, saying that "Adrienne's passionate commitment to students and the university has changed many lives."

Calvin Smith, Jr., deputy chief of staff for public safety and BFSA chair, says "the four individuals inducted this year have done or continue to do amazing work, and this project places them prominently in the history of the university."

Detailed profiles of the honorees will be available in May on the BFSA website; profiles of all previous inductees are also available. The induction ceremony and recognition of all inductees will be held on June 21 at 2 p.m. at Levering Hall in the Great Hall during the Juneteenth celebration, and a rotating display of their portraits will go on view across Johns Hopkins' campuses.

To nominate individuals for the next class, use the Indispensable Role of Blacks at JHU nomination form. Nominations are open through October.

All are welcome to participate in the Juneteenth and Indispensable Role of Blacks activities. Please register for additional information.