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By Priscilla Wiredu
“Women are smart enough to make these millions, strong enough to bear the children, then get back to business” – Beyonce
Black women continue to strive to make a difference in the world, make a name for themselves, and inspire each other to accomplish their own goals. They have made world-changing inventions that many of us use today, yet we don’t always credit them for it.
Here is a list of five Black female inventors with their best inventions.
Mary Kenner (1912-2006)
Mary Beatrice Davidson Kenner was born on May 7, 1912 in Monroe, North Carolina to a family of intellectuals and inventors. Kenner’s father, Sidney Davidson, patented a clothing presser in 1914 and her grandfather, Robert Phromeberger, invented the tricolor light signal for trains and stretchers with wheels for ambulances. Kenner endured racism her entire life, but she never allowed it to prevent her from using her mind to make inventions, five of which were patented during her lifetime.
Her most notable invention was the sanitary belt, a predecessor for the maxi menstruation pad. Kenner’s invention made the belt adjustable, so women of all sizes could use the belt comfortably. For a later version of the belt, she replaced the clips and connected the middle strap by adding a moisture-resistant pocket to keep the pad or cloth more secure.
Kenner’s invention changed the face of menstruation for women everywhere, as it was an exclusive upgrade from cotton pads and tampons.
Shirley Jackson (1946-)
A renowned physicist with many scientific honors and accolades, Dr. Shirley Ann Jackson conducted many successful experiments in physics and fostered advances in telecommunication research during her time working at Bell Laboratories. Jackson’s scientific research directly contributed to the use of fiber optics, and the invention of the portable fax machine, touch-tone telephone, fiber optic cables, caller ID, and call waiting.
Currently, Dr. Jackson is the president of the Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, the oldest technological research university in the U.S. Her goal is to ensure the institute achieves prominence in the 21st century as a top-tier, world-class technological research university with global reach and global impact.
Theora Stephens
Theora Stephens was a hairdresser who in 1980 or 1983, successfully patented and invented the modern curling iron. Though not much research can be found on Stephens or her invention, her curling iron has dominated hairstyling, not only for Black women, but for all women in the past 40 years.
Patricia Bath (1942-2019)
Patricia E. Bath was an American ophthalmologist and laser scientist who advocated blindness prevention, treatment, and cures. Her most notable invention was the laserphaco, a device used for cataract surgery. She was the first woman chair of Ophthalmology in the U.S. at Drew-UCLA in 1983.
The laserphaco took five years to be perfected before she could apply for a patent. This device has helped several blind individuals regain some of their sight. Dr. Bath never stopped fighting against blindness. In 1977, she created the American Institute for the Prevention of Blindness, an organisation that educates, protects, and reserves the gift of sight. The organisationsupported global initiatives to help newborns with protective eye drops, provide vitamins to malnourished children, and advocate for vaccines, particularly against measles, a disease that can causeblindness.
Valerie Thomas (1943)
Valerie Thomas is a NASA scientist known for developing the image-processing system of NASA’s Landsat, a program that captures information about Earth’s natural resources. In 1976, Thomas experimented with 3D illusions after observing a lightbulb unscrewed from a lamp. Thomas’ curiosity led to her inventing the illusion transmitter, which received a patent in 1980. The system uses a video recorder to take photos of floating images via a concave mirror. The images are then sent to a second camera and projected onto a second concave mirror, creating a 3D optical illusion. NASA used this transmitter for some of its satellite voyages and continues to use it.
Black women have made many incredible contributions to the world with their inventions and patents. Remembering their struggles as women of colour is not all we should do. It is also important to remember their resilience and care for the world as seen through their world-changing devices.
Priscilla Wiredu is a writer for this year’s Black Voice project. An alumni of York University, she graduated with Honors where she studied Social Sciences. She then went on to get an Ontario Graduate certificate in Creative Writing from the Humber School for Writers, and a college certificate in Legal Office Administration at Seneca College. She is currently studying for the LSAT in hopes of going to law school. Her main goal as a Black Voices writer is to ensure Black issues and Black Pride are enunciated through her works.