BLACK MARYLANDERS 2025

The Baltimore Sun celebrates Black History Month by honoring 25 leaders who help shape the state.

March 1, 2025

Collage of diverse Black leaders and community members celebrating Black History Month in Baltimore, featuring individuals in professional and casual settings, including speeches, sports, and community activities, with a bold yellow banner reading 'Black Marylanders' and text commemorating honoring 25 leaders who shape the state.

Each Sunday throughout the month of February, The Baltimore Sun showcased a selection of winners and their stories. This year’s honorees included up-and-comers, established voices and people making marks in new careers. The honorees were chosen by The Sun’s editors and reporters, who cover these topics and communities and see the progress these individuals are making in their fields.

Two of our very own were selected for this honor, Sister Rita Michelle Proctor of the Oblate Sisters of Providence and Messay Hailemariam, Head Football Coach.

Portrait of Sister Rita Michelle Proctor, a leader of the Oblate Sisters of Providence, in front of a landscape painting, wearing glasses and a black habit, smiling and gesturing with her hands.

Sister Rita Michelle Proctor

The Baltimore Sun is highlighting Sister Rita this Black History Month as one of Maryland's influential leaders. Through her years as a nun, the current Superior General of the Oblate Sisters of Providence has challenged and improved generations of children in her roles as everything from a basketball coach and classroom teacher to a hard-driving principal in the city’s Catholic school system.

Check out the full story at The Baltimore Sun:

A man with a beard holding a football in front of a gray background and a logo. He is wearing a black jacket and smiling at the camera. The text overlay reads "Black Marylanders" and "Messay Hailemariam, St. Frances Academy Football Coach."

The Baltimore Sun is acknowledging Messay Hailemariam during Black History Month as one of Maryland’s key changemakers. His Saint Frances Academy football team finished the year ranked No. 8 in the country by MaxPreps. He said that the program’s past seven signing days have produced 182 student-athletes who earned full scholarships to Division I colleges.

Check out the full story at The Baltimore Sun:

Coach Messay Hailemariam

OTHER ARTICLES

Collage of diverse African American leaders and individuals celebrating Black History Month in Baltimore, with text highlighting the event and theme.
A female basketball player in a white jersey with yellow and black accents, number 5, standing on a court during a game.
Two football players from St. Frances high school wearing white jerseys with yellow and gray accents, one with the number 42, standing outdoors with a cloudy sky in the background.
A woman standing next to a small white airplane on a grassy field, holding a headset in her right hand, smiling at the camera.