Alive & In Color - The BLK+Cross

Shoutout for highlighting this history! When recognizing June as African-American Appreciation Month consider all the medical achievements the Black Community has contributed to the world!

Vivien Thomas was hired as a janitor - but instead of pushing brooms, he was pioneering solutions in the surgical lab. In the 1940s, he developed the first procedure to treat "blue baby syndrome," a deadly heart defect. He built the tools, perfected the technique, and even coached surgeons through the operation that saved a child’s life.

But history called it the Blalock-Taussig shunt. Vivien’s name was left off the journals, the headlines, and the credit. For decades, he was erased.

His story is more than history - it’s a reminder of how Black brilliance has been overlooked, even when it saves lives. And it’s proof that genius cannot be contained by a title.

Healing starts with knowing. Follow for more.