He was passionately devoted to his cause right until the last. Vincent O. Leggett, founder and president of Blacks of the Chesapeake, passed away this weekend at the age of 71.
Many around the Bay were caught off guard by the news on Sunday, including Anne Arundel County Executive Steuart Pittman, who said in a statement on social media, “I was shocked and deeply saddened to find out this morning that our beloved Admiral of the Chesapeake, and Blacks of the Chesapeake founder, Vincent Omar Leggett has passed away. Please embrace Vincent and his family in your Prayers and your Light this afternoon and in the coming days.”
Leggett grew up in Baltimore, attending Edmondson / Westside Senior High before earning degrees at Morgan State, Central Michigan, and Rutgers universities.
He served the Chesapeake Bay community in a variety of ways, as an educator, chaplain, through government relations, public affairs and urban planning. In addition to Blacks of the Chesapeake, Leggett was president and CEO of consulting firm Leggett Group USA.
He has been among the select few to receive the honorary title of Admiral of the Chesapeake from a Maryland governor.
In 1994, Leggett founded the Blacks of the Chesapeake Foundation to document “African-Americans who have worked and continue to work in the maritime and seafood processing industries in the Chesapeake Bay region… an integral part of this area’s rich culture and heritage.”
Leggett has authored books including The Chesapeake Bay Through Ebony Eyes, a history of African-American contributions in the Chesapeake’s maritime industries with seafood recipes, poetry, photographs and sketches. He also wrote Blacks of the Chesapeake, An Integral Part of Maritime History, a photographic history of African-Americans at work as ship captains, sail makers, watermen, and seafood processing plant employees.
In one of Leggett’s most enthusiastic and tireless recent projects, he and others worked to restore public access to the last undeveloped section of Elktonia Beach and Carr’s Beach, historically Black beaches in Annapolis that are rife with cultural history.
Leggett worked closely with Chesapeake Conservancy, the City of Annapolis, and other partners to regain access and begin developing historic exhibits at the site of the beaches. It became an official park in 2022. As recently as July 2023, Leggett and his partners announced a federal grant of $50,000 for a collection of exhibits.
“Vince’s impact will forever resonate at Elktonia-Carr’s Beach Heritage Park in Annapolis, Maryland, one of his proudest and most enduring achievements,” said Chesapeake Conservancy President and CEO Joel Dunn.
As Dunn said, “Vince was not only a dedicated historian and gifted storyteller but also a visionary leader who championed the preservation of Black history, culture and contributions to the Chesapeake Bay region… Vince’s work transcended the archives and pages of history books—he built bridges connecting people and communities, fostered understanding and inspired a collective commitment to justice and equity.”
We at Chesapeake Bay Magazine last interviewed Leggett in July, marking the passing of the “last Black skipjack captain of the Bay”, Kermit Travers. Leggett was generous with his time to help preserve Black history, and CBM mourns his loss. If you have a Bay memory to share about Vince Leggett, please email [email protected].
