Government Resources on Anti-Racism: National Black American Inventors Day
Black History Month is an annual celebration of achievements by African Americans and a time for recognizing their central role in U.S. history. Take a look through this LibGuide to learn more about Black History Month and National Black American Inventor
Special Focus
Since the Patent and Trademark Resource Center at Fondren Library is part of the Kelley Center for Government Information, Data, and Geospatial Services, the center highlights Black inventors. See this page for resources found at the Kelley Center and elsewhere online.
Black Inventors
Select Publications at the Kelley Center for Government Information
- A Guide to information on Black scientists and inventors byCall Number: Q141 .G85 1985Publication Date: 1985
Online Resources
- 8 Black Inventors Who Made Daily Life Easier Black innovators changed the way we live through their contributions, from the traffic light to the ironing board.
- 14 Black Inventors You Probably Didn’t Know About Many people have read the story of how George Washington Carver invented over 300 products made from peanuts: flour, paste, insulation, paper, wall board, wood stains, soap, shaving cream and skin lotion. Others are familiar with the story of Sarah Breedlove, aka Madam C. J. Walker, the inventor of beauty products and the first woman to become a self-made millionaire in America. And thanks to the Academy Award nominated film, Hidden Figures, we’re now all familiar with the amazing contributions of Katherine Johnson, Dorothy Vaughan, and Mary Jackson. But, did you know that many of the products we use every day were created by black people? Here’s a list of 14 of them that, until now, you probably didn’t know about.
- 300 Years of African-American Invention and Innovation James’s essay highlights the work of several extraordinary black inventors, many largely unrecognized, who made important and lasting innovations in a range of industries. It documents the realities of black technical creativity and pointedly challenges what Sinclair calls the “myth of black disingenuity” — the historical perception that black people were technically incompetent. “Denied the advantages of formal education or university degrees, without the funds to amplify inspiration, and against a strong tide of ingrained ill-will, these African-Americans proved capable of sustained and creative technical accomplishment,” writes James, a renowned curator and historian who for more than 30 years — until her death in 2015 — shaped the work of the Smithsonian Anacostia Community Museum, where she led the collections, exhibitions, and publications programs. “As imperfectly as we know their history, that much is certainly true.”
Articles
- The Colorblind Patent System and Black InventorsAbstract: There is no reliable data on the actual number and proportion of black American patentees because the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office does not currently collect demographic data about patentees. Some solutions include: (1) greater STEM exposure and education; (2) mentorship and social networking; (3) institutional changes in academia and industry so that black inventors have much-needed support; (4) greater exposure to inventors and innovation; (5) access to financial resources; and (6) public policy changes that prevent and remedy discrimination.
- Violence and economic activity: evidence from African American patents, 1870-1940Abstract: Recent studies have examined the effect of political conflict and domestic terrorism on economic and political outcomes. This paper uses the rise in mass violence between 1870 and 1940 as an historical experiment for determining the impact of ethnic and political violence on economic activity, namely patenting. I find that violent acts account for more than 1,100 missing patents compared to 726 actual patents among African American inventors over this period. Valuable patents decline in response to major riots and segregation laws. Absence of the rule of law covaries with declines in patent productivity for white and black inventors, but this decline is significant only for African American inventors. Patenting responds positively to declines in violence. These findings imply that ethnic and political conflict may affect the level, direction, and quality of invention and economic growth over time.
Select Publications at Fondren
Black Inventors, Crafting over 200 Years of Success by
Black Inventors, Crafting Over 200 Years of Success, highlights the work of Black inventors from over seventy countries. The author, Keith C. Holmes, has spent more than twenty years researching Black inventors from countries that include Australia, Bahamas, Barbados, Canada, Cuba, Ethiopia, France, Germany, Ghana, Dominican Republic, Guadeloupe, Guyana, Haiti, Italy, Jamaica, Japan, Kenya, Mozambique, Nigeria, St. Vincent, South Africa, Tanzania, Trinidad and Tobago, the United Kingdom and the United States. Without inventions, innovations, financial resources, materials, muscle and labor saving devices, civilizations cannot exist and flourish. This book documents a number of inventions, patents and labor saving devices conceived by Black inventors. Among many other inventions, pre-enslaved Africans, developed agricultural tools, building materials, medicinal herbs, cloth and weapons. Although historical documents emphasize that millions of Black people arrived in Canada, the Caribbean, Central and South America and the United States under slavery's yoke, it is relatively unknown that thousands of Africans and their descendants developed numerous labor-saving devices and inventions that spawned companies which generated money and jobs, worldwide.
Call Number: T39 .H64 2008ISBN: 9780979957307Publication Date: 2008-01-01
Black Pioneers of Science and Invention by
A readable, perceptive account of the lives of fourteen gifted innovators who have played important roles in scientific and industrial progress. The achievements of Benjamin Banneker, Granville T. Woods, George Washington Carver, and others have made jobs easier, saved countless lives, and in many cases, altered the course of history.
Call Number: Q141 .H2ISBN: 9780152085667Publication Date: 1992-01-02
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