Black History Month: A Celebration of Excellence and Achievement

I would be remiss if I didn’t dedicate at least one blog post during Black History Month to commemorate the legacy of African-American achievement.  (You can read last year’s Black History post here.) When I contemplated what to write, I began simply compiling a list of contributions Black people have made to society and the world. As I continued to add more and more I realized the list itself says it all.

Now if you were raised by uber-self-identity conscious parents like I was, then most of these noted here you’ll yawn through because you’ve heard about them many times over in Black History Month commentaries throughout the years. However there are quite a few people, even as old as I am, that are surprised to hear of all the inventions and collaborations that produced services, procedures and products we use and are afforded daily. So read through the list and I’ll “meet” you at the end, okay? Here we go…

Ice Cream Scoop – Alfred A. Cralle

Traffic Light and Gas Mask – Garret A. Morgan

Super Soaker Water Gun – Lonnie G. Johnson

The Potato Chip – George Crum

Microphones (in cell phones, hearing aids and professional mics) – James Edward West

Gamma Electrical Cell used in Cell Phones – Dr. Henry T. Sampson

1st Successful Open Heart Surgery – Daniel H. Williams

Light Bulb Carbon Filament, the Electric Lamp and assisted in drafting the patent for the telephone – Lewis Latimer

Peanut Butter – George Washington Carver

Touch-tone Telephone, Caller ID and Fiber Optic Cable  – Dr. Shirley Jackson (1st Black Woman to earn PhD at MIT)

Automatic Gear Shifts – Richard Spikes

Closed Circuit Television Security – Marie Ban Brittan Brown

Major developments in the efficiency of the IBM Computer, the Pacemaker, and everyday electronics – Otis Boykin

First large scale Blood Banks and Blood Plasma Programs – Dr. Charles Drew

Over 135 VoIP (voice over Internet Protocol) Patents – Marian R. Croak

Shockwave, online video, genesis of web animation (the Gif) – Lisa Gelobter

Development of the world’s fastest computer – Philip Emeagwalie

Laser Cataract Removal – Dr. Patricia Bath

The Dustpan and Brush – Lloyd P. Ray

Shoe-lasting patent that made shoe production more efficient and cost effective – Jan Matzeliger

Safety features of the modern elevator (like automatic doors) – Alexander Miles

The clothes dryer – George T. Sampson

The Ironing Board – Sarah Boone

Mobile Refrigeration – Frederick McKinley Jones

Railway Crossing Signal and the Squeeze Mop – Thomas Stewart

Video Gaming Console – Jerry Lawson

3-D Movie Graphics and co-founder of Silicon Graphics – Dr. Marc Hannah

Street Mailbox – Philip B. Downing

The Fireproof Safe – Henry Brown

Cardopad (touch-screen medical tablet for heart examinations) – Arthur Zang

The Modern Lawnmower – John Burr

The Hot Comb – Annie Minerva Turnbo Pope Malone

Upgraded Hot Comb Patent – Walter Sammons

The Gas Furnace – Alice Parker

The Lawn Sprinkler – Joseph H. Smith

And then there are the “firsts”…

Mayor of a Major City – Carl Stokes, 1967

Govenor – L. Douglas Wilder, 1989

United States Secretary of State – Colin Powell, 2001

United States President – Barack Obama, 2009 (More on this at another time)

United States Supreme Court Justice – Thurgood Marshall, 1967

Nobel Peace Prize Winner – Ralph J. Bunche, 1950

Congressional Medal of Honor – Sgt. William H. Carney, 1900

Military General – Benjamin O. Davis, Sr., 1940

Astronaut to travel in space – Guion Bluford, 1983

Male Grammy Award Winner – Count Basie, 1958

Female Grammy Award Winner – Ella Fitzgerald, 1958

Principal Dancer in a major Dance Company – Arthur Mitchel, 1958, New York City Ballet

Film Director – Oscar Micheaux, 1919

Oscar – Hattie McDaniel, 1940

Best Actor Oscar – Sidney Poitier, 1963

Best Actress Oscar – Halle Berry, 2001

Star of a Network Television Show – Bill Cosby, 1965

Evening News Anchor – Max Robinson, 1978

Female Television Show Host – Oprah Winfrey, 1986

NFL Football Coach – Fritz Pollard, 1922-1937

Wimbledon Tennis Champion – Althea Gibson, 1957

Male Tennis Champion – Arthur Ashe, 1968

Millionaire – Robert Abbott, Chicago Defender Founder, 1905

Billionaire – Robert Johnson, 2001

Licensed Pilot – Bessie Coleman, 1921

First enslaved African-American to file and win a freedom suit – Elizabeth Freeman (Thanks for sharing Monique Wilhite!)

Whew!!! I’m tired after reading all that, aren’t you? Haha! Of course I did a little research prior to writing this, and each year during this time I learn something new. Now there are some who are not fans of Black History Month. But I say this to that… For a race of people who have been discredited, disenfranchised, discounted, robbed, cheated and suppressed without end, to take 28/29 days out of the year to pay homage to these notable inventions, developments, achievements, accomplishments and firsts; considering the unimaginable obstacles encountered to “win” and “overcome,” is at the very least, a respectful and honorable gesture. I will always take the opportunity of this month to salute Black people who have advanced and excelled above and beyond imaginations and expectations. I hope you will too!