Dr. Levi Watkins, Jr., MD, Has Been Selected as a "Legacy Recognition Honoree" by the American Academy of Arts and Sciences
By: Donald V. Watkins
Copyrighted on October 10, 2026
On October 9, 2026, renown heart surgeon Dr. Levi Watkins, Jr., MD (1945-2015), was selected as a "Legacy Recognition Honoree" by the American Academy of Arts and Sciences.
Levi, who is my deceased brother, is the second member of the Carmichael/Varnado/Watkins family to become affiliated with the Academy. In 2017, my first-cousin, Dr. Beverly Guy-Sheftall, PhD, was elected as a member of the Academy.
Our family is extremely proud to have two 5th generation family members -- Levi and Beverly -- prominently affiliated with the Academy.
Close family friends Dr. Maya Angelou (1928-2014) and former Texas Congresswoman Barbara Jordan (1936-1996) are also "Legacy Recognition Honorees."
About the Academy
The "Legacy Recognition Program," which was launched in 2023, recognizes individuals who were not members of the Academy and whose accomplishments were overlooked or undervalued due to their race, ethnicity, gender, or sexual orientation.
The American Academy of Arts and Sciences honors excellence and convenes leaders from every field of human endeavor to examine new ideas, address issues of importance to the nation and the world and work together “to cultivate every art and science which may tend to advance the interest, honor, dignity, and happiness of a free, independent, and virtuous people.”
More than 14,500 members have been elected to the Academy since it was founded on May 4, 1780. The 62 original incorporating fellows included John Adams, John Hancock, and Samuel Adams. Benjamin Franklin and George Washington were part of the first class of new members elected in 1781.
About Dr. Beverly Guy-Sheftall
Beverly is a pioneer in the field of black feminist thought and writing. In 1981, Beverly founded and became the first director of the Spelman College Women's Research and Resource Center, where she also instituted a Women's Studies program, both firsts for the college. Two years after opening the center, Beverly co-founded SAGE: A Scholarly Journal on Black Women.
Beverly has written, edited, or co-edited ten books, including Sturdy Black Bridges: Visions of Black Women in Literature, in 1979. This book has become a classic in the field of African American and Women's Studies, along with her 1995 anthology Words of Fire: An Anthology of African American Feminist Thought (1995). She is past President of NWSA (National Women's Studies Association).
In May 2017, Beverly established the Dr. Levi Watkins Jr. Scholars Program as well as a companion lecture series at Spelman to explore contemporary issues of race, gender and sexuality, beginning in 2018. The Scholars program and lecture series were launched with a pledge of $100,000.
Epilogue
Levi's "Legacy Recognition Honoree" status comes as the family continues to plan and prepare for its 200th year bicentennial anniversary in America in 2030.
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