Even a century after the
Emancipation Proclamation was signed, Black people were negatively stigmatized
in school history textbooks. Today, Black History Month endeavors to promote
pride to empower the young with a positive self image, despite the fact that while
settlers sought their freedom from Great Britain during colonial times, our
ancestors were captured and taken in bondage from their homelands in Africa to
be treated as mere property in order to build an economic foundation for
America.
During Black History Month we honor
everyone from Nat Turner, who led a slave rebellion, to Martin Luther King, Jr.,
who led the civil rights movement as a champion for peaceful resolution of the
struggles we faced. Along the way many Black people organized in the fight and
dedicated their lives to the cause for freedom and equality. White Abolitionists
also aided these efforts.Collective actions paved the way for a Black man to be elected the 47th President of the United States of America. A historic milestone was reached when people of every ethnic background and gender casted their votes to put Barack Obama in office. This proved to be a testament to the allegiance of one nation, under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for ALL.
Ingenuity is most times born out of
necessity. Below are inventions by Black Americans, some dating back to before
all were free, that enriched life for ALL Americans.
Air conditioning unit; almanac; auto cut-off switch; auto
fishing device; automatic gear shift; baby buggy; bicycle frame; biscuit
cutter; blood bank plasma bag; cellular phone; chamber commode (toilet);
clothes dryer; crop rotation methods; curtain rod; curtain rod support; door
knob; door stop; dry cleaning process; dust pan; egg beater; electric lamp
bulb; elevator; eye protector; exhaust purifier; fire escape ladder; folding
bed; folding chair; fountain pen; furniture caster; gas mask; golf tee; guitar;
hair brush; hand stamp; horse shoe; ice cream scooper; imaging x-ray
spectrometer; insect destroyer gun; ironing board; key chain; lantern; lawn
mower; lawn sprinkler; lemon squeezer; lock; lubricating cup; lunch pail; mail
box; mop; motor; peanut butter; pencil sharpener; phone transmitter; record
player arm; refrigerator; riding saddles; rolling pin; sewing machine; shampoo
headrest; shoe sole machine; spark plug; stethoscope; stove; straightening
comb; street sweeper; sugar refinery machinery; telephony; thermostat control;
traffic light; tricycle; typewriter; and a wood clock to strike on the hour.
This may not be a comprehensive
list, but you get the picture. Is it news to you that they were invented by a
race of people legally banned from learning to read? How many of these items would
be considered obsolete today? Certainly not our cell phones, which are now a
necessity most people take for granted.
We also honor many firsts who broke
through barriers of color. Today, many Black Americans excel in entertainment,
sports, the arts, education, law enforcement, military, politics, medicine,
science, technology, etc.; and we ALL benefit from their contributions.
Just think of all the lives saved
after Daniel Williams performed the first open-heart surgery in the United
States; Otis Boykin invented the pace maker; and
Ben Carson performed the first successful operation to separate craniopathic
twins. Or those lives made more comfortable after Bessie Blount Griffin
invented the first amputee self-feeding device, and Dr. Patricia Bath
transformed eye surgery with her invention of the Cataract Laserphaco Probe.
And for fun, Jerry Lawson designed
the first programmable ROM cartridge-based video game console; and Lonnie G.
Johnson invented the Super Soaker, a pressurized toy water gun which was popular
with children and adults alike in the nineties.
Are you amongst those Americans who
celebrate Black History Month?
http://www.blackinventions.101.comhttp://www.wikipedia.org
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