Avis Ransom Institute

BCYF’s Leadership Institute is named after a Baltimore Legend; that legend is Avis Ransom. 

Avis Spent her life working to create a better Baltimore. Her body of work ranges from working cooperatives to investing in the lives of Baltimore’s youth. Avis was a member of BUILD in its beginnings. She was most proud of its ability to amass grassroots power to eventually have an impact on the state budget. 

She keenly understood the importance of Black people being able to exercise power over the distribution of resources. Avis was one of the lead trainers of BRJA. She has trained many of the most respected minds on racial justice in Baltimore. She had a unique ability to connect anti-racist theory with practical steps toward movement building. She played a central role in the Baltimore Black Workers’ Center and the Baltimore Transit Equity Coalition(BTEC). 

Her work at the Black Workers’ Center focused heavily on equipping Black workers with knowledge about rights and resources to effect change around the conditions they faced on the job. At BTEC, Avis worked tirelessly on the Red Line Transit system that was slated to come to Baltimore. She worked to have the routes be accessible to working class Black people. 

Avis was also the Board President at The Baltimore Algebra Project. At the Algebra Project, Avis spent her time supporting youth taking control of their education and growing into exceptional leaders. Through all of her work there have been two undeniable threads: organizing for Black institutional power in Black communities and intentionally grounding that work in a character of integrity. 

This is why our mission at the Avis Ransom Institute, in addition to building leadership skills, is to prioritize cultivating integrity in the hearts and minds of those who enter into the institute.