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Black like me
Yesterday's black inventors helped make
today's luxuries a possibility
Photo illustration by Joshua Hobson and Ruben DeLuna • THE BATTALION
By Kyle Ross
THE BATTALION
T his month, people all over the country will celebrate
Black History Month. They will recall the misfortunes
and oppressions of black people throughout the years,
mdcelebrate the many triumphs and achievements that often go
unnoticed. There is no better time for the nation to take a peek
into how black people have helped shape science and technology
than now.
According to the U.S. Patent Office, Thomas Jennings is
thought to be the first black person to receive a patent for an
invention. In 1821, Jennings was granted a patent for a dry
cleaning process. Sixty years later, Judy Reed became the first
Hack woman to obtain a patent for a hand-operated machine for
tneading and rolling dough. At that time, slaves were prohibited
[ramreceiving patents, and while free black inventors were
legally able to file, few ever did, probably in fear of the intoler
ance all around them.
Henry Blaire received a patent in 1834 for a seed planter and
another in 1836 for a cotton planter. He is the only person docu-
lented in the U.S. Patent Office records as ‘‘a colored man.”
Eecause Blaire could not write, he signed his patents with an “X.”
Bom in 1856, Granville Woods spent a greater part of his life
(ontributing innovations to the railroad industry. Woods filed 27
ptents ranging from a railway telegraphy system to the auto-
ratictrain airbrake. Due to his contributions, many called him
the "Black Edison.”
From these humble beginnings has come a wave of black inven
ts and their number continues to grow with each passing generation.
Valerie Thomas, a black inventor and retired NASA employee
isone of this generation’s leading women. Growing up in some-
»hat of a modest background, she has become one of the more
successful and influential black women in the science and tech
nology world.
"Igrew up in an area of Baltimore that some may call ‘the
projects,’”Thomas said, “but the development was not like nor
mal project housing. It wasn't a ghetto. It was built more like a
paikand was a wonderful place for a child to grow up. I was
able to wander around and explore the world in front of me.”
Thomas, who worked as a data analyst for NASA and was
project manager for NASA’s image-processing system on
Lauisat, the first satellite to send images to Earth, is credited
with inventing the Illusion Transmitter. Her vision was to create
k-dimensional projections of images without having to use
altering glasses.
“My father was really into photography. He
would develop and even enlarge his own photos ip
the kitchen of our house,” Thomas said. “I would
watch him, even at an early age, and he
would explain how it worked. He also
fixed televisions, and I remember see
ing all the machinery of a broken TV
and wondering how a picture could
come from it. That’s probably when
1 first became interested in optics.”
What gives Thomas and others
like her such a significant amount of
achievement are the challenges
awaiting ethnic minority groups and
women that must be overcome in the
disciplines of science and technology.
“Ethnic minority groups face a lot
of challenges in the engineering
world such as racial profiling, and it
is harder for them to be represented
in the world, period,” said Ashley
Gaines, a representative for the
National Society of Black Engineers
Texas A&M. “Being a woman in the
engineering industry is different
from being a man in engineering
industry. Not better, not worse, but
different. In the professional engi
neering fields, it is filled with men.
It is harder for women to get jobs.
Women have to work extra hard to
be well-respected at their job.”
Despite the struggles of racial
equality in the United States, black
men and women have always offered
their innovations to science and technol
ogy. Without black inventors, we would
not have such things as traffic lights, the
gas mask, the potato chip, the mailbox or the golf tee. We would
n’t have the fire extinguisher, the elevator or the automatic
gearshift. Even the idea of a blood bank and system for long-term
preservation of blood plasma came from a black inventor.
Abraham Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation
in 1865 abolishing slavery everywhere in the United States, but it
wasn’t until 1957 that The Civil Rights Act was written. That’s
less than 50 years ago - a mere blip on the timeline of this
young country.
Thomas is just one of the growing multitudes of black inven
tors finding success in a society that is still walking the path
toward racial and gender equality.
“My advice to young women, or more specifically young
African American women out there, is to seek out organizations
and peer groups that you can relate to,” Thomas said. “And also
make learning a lifetime activity. Never stop taking classes or
seminars or workshops. Never stop learning. It’s worked out
well for me.”
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verltas
WednesdayFebruary 18
“Five Reasons God Exists and
Three Reasons Why It Makes A Difference”
with Dr.William Lane Craig
&
“Is There Scientific Evidence for the
Existence of God?”
with Dr. Walter Bradley
see below for time and location details
WednesdayFebruary 18
“Five Reasons God Exists and Three Reasons Why It Makes A
Difference” with Dr. Wiliam Lane Craig
9:30-11:00 A.M. - Rudder 404
“Is There Scientific Evidence for the Existence of God?”
with Dr. Walter Bradley
7:00 P.M. ■ Rudder Auditorium
ThursdayFebruary 19
Women’s Lunch: “The Role of the Body in the Spiritual Search” with
Lilian Calles Barger (President of Damaris Project),
12:30-1:45 P.M. ■ MSC 231 - RSVP RHildreth@clm.org
“What I Learned from Sex and the City” with Lilian Calles Barger
4:00-5:30 P.M. ■ Rudder 410
“Relativism, Truth, and Tolerance” with Dr. Peter Kreeft -
7:00 P.M. ■ Rudder Auditorium
FridayFebruary 20
Catholicism and Evangelicalism: Are They Compatible?, with Dr. Peter
Kreeft. St Mary’s Catholic Church, 7:00 A.M. (reservations please:
info@aggiecatholic.org) NOTE: This event is not just for Catholics.
Everyone is welcome to attend. There is no charge for the breakfast.
varitas-veritas ■ verito's ■ v^ritn^. vet
February 16-20, 2004
www.veritas.org/TexasA&M