From abolitionist Frederick Douglass to Supreme Court Justice Thurgood Marshall, Baltimore has produced generations of leaders whose impact continues to shape the nation. Baltimore Mayor Brandon Scott believes that legacy remains as relevant today as ever.
Speaking with TheGrio during AFRAM’s 50th anniversary celebration, Scott argued that Baltimore’s contributions to Black history, politics and culture are often overlooked despite their lasting influence on the country.
“You can’t tell the history of this country without the history of Black Baltimoreans,” Scott said.
Scott made the remarks while reflecting on Baltimore’s role in shaping Black America, pointing to the city’s long history of producing influential political, legal and civil rights leaders. As national conversations around education, race and leadership continue, he said Baltimore’s history offers lessons that still resonate today.
The mayor pointed to Douglass and Marshall as examples of Baltimoreans whose legacies continue to influence the country decades after their deaths.
“What would this country be without Frederick Douglass? What would this country be without Thurgood Marshall?” Scott said. “Right now, people are trying to break down the education system that we have because of a young Black boy from West Baltimore by the name of Thurgood Marshall.”
Marshall, the first Black justice to serve on the U.S. Supreme Court, successfully argued the landmark Brown v. Board of Education case before joining the nation’s highest court. Douglass, who escaped slavery before becoming one of the country’s most influential abolitionists, spent part of his early life in Baltimore and often credited the city with shaping his understanding of freedom and resistance.
For Scott, Baltimore’s influence is not limited to historical figures. He also pointed to Black political leaders whose impact continues to shape the city today.
Among them are Rep. Kweisi Mfume, D-Md, and the late Representative Elijah Cummings, two political figures Scott said demonstrated what Black leadership could look like at the local and national levels.
“I can wear my hair the way I wear it because Congressman Mfume did it a long time ago,” Scott said. “I can be bold in my Blackness and be unafraid in doing that because he did that a long time ago. Congressman Cummings did that a long time ago.”
Scott said those examples matter because they provide a blueprint for younger generations navigating leadership roles today.
The mayor also pointed to Baltimore’s recent decline in violence as evidence that the city continues to challenge long-standing narratives about Black-led cities. Earlier this year, Baltimore recorded some of its lowest homicide numbers in decades, a milestone city officials have highlighted as the result of sustained investments in public safety and community-based violence prevention efforts.
“It’s my responsibility and those that are here now who are living in a time where we have done stuff that they said was impossible,” Scott said. “We really have the lowest amount of violence that Baltimore has ever seen. In a city led by Black people, pushing the narratives that they say about us to the side and just focusing on.”
The comments come at a time when cities across the country continue to grapple with questions surrounding public safety, education and political leadership. Scott said Baltimore’s history demonstrates the importance of building on the work of previous generations while continuing to push forward.
While AFRAM’s 50th anniversary celebration offered a chance to honor Baltimore’s past, Scott sees the city’s story as one still being written.
“What Baltimore will always do is continue to shape what is happening around the world and around the country,” Scott said. “We just have to keep building on that, especially right now when we see what’s happening all around the country to our brothers and sisters who are not fortunate enough to live in Baltimore.”
