Brotherhood of Liberty, ca. 1900

Photo taken in front of the home of Reverend Johnson (center, top row); also present are attorneys H.S. Cummings, G. Pendleton, Ashby Hawkins, and C.C. Fitzgerald
Harry Scythe Cummings Photo Collection, Courtesy of Maryland Center for History and Culture

Transcription: A major organization that championed equitable education of Black students in Baltimore City was The Mutual United Brotherhood of Liberty. The Brotherhood of Liberty was founded by Rev. Harvey Johnson and several clergymen and was the first Civil Rights organization in Baltimore and one of the first in the nation.

Visual Description: A golden sepia-toned photograph worn on the edges and held together with yellowing tape shows a portrait of eleven African American lawyers and two ministers circa 1900. The picture was taken in the 1900 block of Druid Hill Ave at the home of Reverend Harvey Johnson. They are all dressed in suits with ties and bowties. The three in the front row have bowler hats clasped in their hands. The expressions of the men are mixed from serious, to proud, one smiles and another looks off in the distance.