RHYS BOWEN: Since I chose not to mention that yesterday was President's Day, I've decided that today is celebrating Black Women's achievement day, since I understand that Black History month is to be removed from the federal calendar. Also women's history month. So I'm highlighting both.
I expect many of you have been equally ignorant about the achievements of women scientists and inventors, especially if they were women of color. In the book I have just finished writing with my daughter Clare we have a female scientist working on virus research, only she has to publish her papers in her husband's name.
This makes me wonder how many inventions really were the work of a wife or a daughter. But the women i'm celebrating today did publish, did get patents and did change the world for the better. Some were born into slavery, all had to fight to even get into a respectable university, but they persevered and deserve to be recognized more broadly.
I won't dwell on the ones we do know about, those three brilliant women who made the space program possible with their mathematical callculatons. All from disadvantaged backgrounds, struggling to balance family and work, battling constant prejudice and yet achieving such remarkable feats!
There are too many women for me to mention them all so I've picked out a few you probably don't know about:
Sara Goode who was born into slavery, invented the fold out bed we now know as the Murphy bed.
Alice Ball invented an injectable treatment for leprosy
Bessie Blount Griffin, while working as a physio-therapist, developed an automatic feeding system for wounded vets from WWI who could no longer feed themselves.
Sarah Boone invented the ironing board as we now know it
Alice Parker invented the natural gas furnace that enabled the central heating system
Marie Van Brittany Brown was worried about security in New York City so she invented the home video security system
In 1928 Marjorie Joyner invented the permanent wave machine for women's hair
More recently Shirley Jackson, who received a doctorate in particle physics, invented fiber-optic cables and touch tone dialing for phones
Dr. Marian Croak is responsible for the voice system that enables us to Zoom and holds over 200 patents
Flossie Wong-Stall was the first researched to clone the HIV virus and thus lead to testing for HIV
Patricia E Bath invented a cataract treatment--the laserphaco probe that made the experience less painful for patients.
As I said, this is just a small sampling of a remarkable number of women. If you have daughters or granddaughters then please look up these women. If you have sons please make sure they know what women of color have achieved, often against incredible odds.
I raise my glass to them all, and to all the unsung women
Many wonderful inventions, Rhys! Thank you for sharing. Although I already knew about some of them, I did not know about the others. I would like to know more about the automatic feeding system. And I look forward to reading the book about the scientist. I am sure that Gussie ahe Sidney would be friends with the scientist lady.
ReplyDeleteAmazing accomplishments all . . . such remarkable women who persevered in spite of circumstances, improving life for all of us . . . imagine how the world could change if we stopped focusing on race or gender and simply celebrated the achievements . . . .
ReplyDeleteAmen to that, Joan
DeleteWhat a stunning list, Rhys. Thank you.
ReplyDeleteAlso, I'm saving this for my Black grandbaby!
DeleteAnd this is just a brief selection. I hope there is a children’s book on the subject for your grandchild
DeleteThere are many wonderful children's books. I have seen children's books about Barack and Michelle Obama. I remember reading a children's book about Harriet Tubman in the 4th grade.
DeleteWhat remarkable women!
ReplyDeleteThank you, Rhys. I feel like we are witnesses to Fahrenheit 451 and you've just recited us your book.
So do I, Judy. I never thought I would witness banned books or cancelled honors
Deletenever thought I would witness banned books either....
DeleteThank you!
ReplyDeleteThank you, Rhys!
ReplyDeleteThank you for sharing what you know about these women’s achievements. Here is a link to President Trump’s official proclamation recognizing February 2025 as Black History Month.
ReplyDeletehttps://it.usembassy.gov/white-house-proclamation-from-president-donald-j-trump-on-national-black-history-month/
Lip service, unfortunately.
DeleteI agree Karen, because the programs to promote people of color and women were dismantled.
DeleteI was going to make a few pithy comments about our the persons who, out of misogyny, fear, greed, political ambitions, and stupidity, are perverting definitions and attacking DEI and "wokeness." But the thought of this is making me too mad and I fear I might end up using a plethora of words a gentleman should not use.
ReplyDeleteAlso, the woman who invented the "mother stare" that makes you want to crawl into a cave and hide when you've done or said something wrong that upset her may or may not have been Black, but I have known some Black women who have perfected that art.
It is beyond comprehension that any white man should think that other genders, colors of skin have anything to do with ability
DeleteWonderful post, Rhys! Thank you so much for this list. I would like to share it on my FB, i.e., I'd like to direct people to JRW and this post.
ReplyDeleteI will always celebrate black history month and women's history month.
Please do share. At the moment when DEI hires are losing jobs the public needs to know
DeleteThanks be for all of these people and for you bringing them to our attention, Rhys. I will always celebrate Black History particularly because my church always focuses on Black History (and will continue to) during throughout the year. No political movement can take that away from me.
ReplyDeleteThank you for highlightimg these women!
ReplyDeleteI had never heard of any of these women, Rhys, and I'm very grateful to you for sharing their names and inventions with me.
ReplyDeleteThis is such a great post today. Thank you for doing the research and sharing it! I’m not sure if this qualifies but the post immediately also got me thinking about the great music and art that many black women have created/invented.music and art that provide me with so much joy!
ReplyDeleteOh yes. That’s another whole post. But we already celebrate Ella Fitzgerald and Maya Angelou( my favorite poet)
DeleteAn amazing list, so deserving of celebration. So much of what we take for granted today was part of someone’s struggle for fulfillment in the past.
ReplyDeleteThank you, Rhys. I also only knew of a couple of these remarkable achievements before today.
ReplyDeleteMy husband, bless him, often says what a crime it is not to give women an equal chance to shine, in so many areas. Because after all, there are more of us than there are men, and in many ways our approach to problems is far more creative than men's are. Why waste all that brainpower and unique viewpoints? Steve always says his mother was the brains of the outfit, while his dad got all the credit. So many women have taken a backseat in that way, and particularly women of color.
Until our generation women have been hampered by constant childbearing, having no say in civic affairs and wearing clothes that were designed to make them frail
DeleteDanielle
ReplyDeleteThank you Rhys. What an impressive list !
Thank you, Rhys! Today is a perfect time for this post.
ReplyDeleteCheck out NPR news online - they have about 4 or 5 stories about Black Women for Black History Month. It is very interesting. And thanks Rhys for the list and info you provided.
ReplyDeleteThank you Rhys; what a lovely post! Thanks for illuminating these unsung women.
ReplyDeleteRhys as an aside, you mentioned the online NYT game Connections when it came up a week or so ago. Spoiler...
ReplyDeleteToday one of the group was British sayings did that come to you right away?
I haven’t done it yet. Just woken up!
DeleteI do connections every day! Rhys, this is terrific. Really really terrific. And I also think of all of the unsung people who just do regular jobs every day – – or try to.
ReplyDeleteConnections drives me crazy but I still do it !
DeleteSpoiler: I am not British but love all things British (except maybe Margaret Thatcher hahah)
Deleteanyway I saw four words that ended in Y and know the Brits like to shorten words so I was able to guess correctly. I know you'll get it right away! And it's the purple category which is the hardest.
From Celia: Thank you Rhys, I wish we could spread your post far and wide. In fact I realize I can.
ReplyDeleteWonderful list Rhys, Thank you. I am pleased to share that at least 2 of these women were from Florida. Shirley Anne Jackson, and Dr, Patricia Bath. Also, Joan Murrell Owens was a coral biologist and teacher from Florida who was the first African American woman to earn a PhD in geology
ReplyDeleteAnother to add to my list. This is inspiring me to put all these and all women of other races who have been overlooked into a book
DeleteFirst of all, I had no idea that two very important dates were being removed from the federal calendar -- I'm in Canada and so I don't hear about all these things. But I'd also like to say that I have recently seen two terrific movies that show the contributions of Black Women in history and I'd highly recommend both. The first is The Six Triple Eight (Netflix). The other is Hidden Figures (also Netflix). These are based on true stories and are beautifully acted and very inspiring. Thanks for posting about this, Rhys.
ReplyDeleteI referred to Hidden figures because now we all know about those amazing women
DeleteJudy the movie Hidden Figures is based on the book. Which was also excellent.
DeleteThank you for this. Here's to their heart, their spirit, their minds and their generosity. May we preserve their memory in stories we tell everyday.
ReplyDeleteThere is a group called Mighty Girls (or close to this). Their posts often pop up in my facebook feed. They highlight stories of women's contributions to science, medicine, art, you name it--and provide links to books on that person/subject sorted by age groups. These show up year-round, for which I'm grateful. Thanks for the list, Rhys!
ReplyDeleteI’ll join now!
DeleteRhys, Thank you for sharing this information. Remarkable women who deserve to be recognized for their accomplishments.
ReplyDeleteDianne Mahoney
Thank you for sharing this list.
ReplyDeleteShirley Jackson capped a brilliant career by becoming the first woman and the first Black scholar to serve as president of Rennsalaer Polytechnic Institute.
ReplyDeleteThank you for sharing this. It's a pity that our racist and mysogynistic president wants to hide the accomplishments of people of color and women.
ReplyDeleteIt is so important that we lift these women up and help make their names known. So much of the history of Black Americans was hidden and especially Black women were overlooked. So lifting them up and reading stories about them to grandbabies is one way to counteract the failure to educate our generation
ReplyDeleteThank you, Rhys. I knew about only a couple of them. I have some reading to do!
ReplyDeleteDebRo
Thank you, Rhys, for this information.
ReplyDeleteI am reminded that Rosa Parks got the idea for a silent protest by finding out about a Canadian Black woman from Halifax, named Viola Desmond, who protested silently in her seat in a movie theatre. Viola Desmond is honoured by having her image on the Canadian $10 bill. She is the only woman, other than Queen Elizabeth II to have her image on our currency. On the back of the $10 bill is the Canadian Museum for Human Rights.
I did not know this! Good for Canada
DeleteWhat a remarkable list, Rhys, thank you so much for sharing. I'm now looking at every convenience in my house and wondering if brilliant women of color are remarkable for the inventions I take for granted.
ReplyDeleteRhys, what an amazing list of women who had to struggle against two giant obstacles, being a woman and being black. I decided to look up the last woman on the list, as your list seemed chronological to see when her discovery occurred. Well, of course, I fell into a rabbit hole about Patricia Bath, who accomplished some impressive firsts--the first Black person train in ophthalmology at Columbia University in 1969; co-founding the American Institute for the Prevention of Blindness in 1976, which established that “eyesight is a basic human right”; invented the Laserphaco Probe to better treat cataracts and patented the device in 1988, becoming the first African American female doctor to receive a medical patent. There are more firsts she accomplished, too.
ReplyDeleteThe reason I wanted to try and look up the most recent woman on your list, Rhys, is because of the current dismantling of DEI (Diversity, Equity, Inclusion) policies. It didn't become DEI until around 2010. Before that the "equal" opportunities for women and people of color and the disabled were referred to as affirmative action and equal rights. But, here's the thing, most of the black women and other women of the 20th century accomplished their achievements fighting an uphill battle all the way. In an article on Patricia Bath in American Chemical Society's publication, it states,
"Despite university policies extolling equality and condemning discrimination, Professor Bath experienced numerous instances of sexism and racism throughout her tenure at both UCLA and Drew. She took her research abroad to Europe. Her work was accepted on its merits at the Laser Medical Center of Berlin, West Germany, the Rothschild Eye Institute of Paris, France, and the Loughborough Institute of Technology, England. At those institutions she achieved her "personal best" in research and laser science, the fruits of which are evidenced by her laser patents on eye surgery."
Of course, DEI policies went on to actually help many people avoid discrimination, including protecting the rights of people of color, the LGBTQ community, the disabled, and others treated unfairly. I'm bringing this up because we have (had) made great strides in equal opportunities--not just for jobs, but for housing and benefits--since the days of the Civil Rights inclusion in our laws. And, now with the current administration dissolving DEI, we are going back to square one, where black women and others can be denied their basic rights. If you're interested in what companies are standing by their DEI policies and what ones aren't, the NAACP is keeping track of this at https://naacp.org/campaigns/black-consumer-advisory
Beautifully put, Kathy
DeleteWhat a wonderful post, Rhys. Now I'm going to read up on these remarkable women!
ReplyDeleteThank you Rhys for sharing this. I know about most of these women...will check out the others. Again, thanks for sharing.
ReplyDelete