As we celebrate Black History Month it’s essential to recognize the contributions of pioneers in black history. Without their efforts, it’s entirely possible that Black History Month might not exist in its current form or at all. The following is a list of prominent black figures who’ve helped improve our communities for the better:
Bessie Coleman
Bessie Coleman was a pioneer in the African-American community. She was born on January 26, 1892, in Atlanta, Texas. Her family later moved to Waxahachie, Texas. Coleman had a tough childhood and dropped out of school after the 6th grade because she couldn’t afford it. She took care of her siblings and grandmother. She was very interested in flying and learned all she could talk about it. In the early 1900s, African-Americans didn’t have many rights and couldn’t have many opportunities. Bessie Coleman wanted to be a pilot so badly because she thought it would give her a better life than a laundress or a cook. The airplanes were not made for African-Americans, so no one would teach her how to fly, but she didn’t give up! She moved to France and learned how to fly there with the French Air Force, where they accepted black pilots. Bessie Coleman became America’s first black female pilot and inspired many others. After her death on April 30, 1926, the airport in Waxahachie was named after her.
William Lewis Latimer
William Lewis Latimer was an inventor and draftsman born in Massachusetts in 1848. Latimer had a passion for mechanical drawing, and he eventually went on to become the first African-American patent holder. He obtained his patents for improvements to street lamps, which helped reduce traffic accidents at night. Latimer spent most of his life in Boston and Washington D.C., where he worked for the U.S. Patent Office from 1877-1880 and designed an improved street lamp system that used pressurized gas to light the lamps instead of dangerous oil. After failing to receive proper credit for his work, Latimer left at the patent office and worked independently until a gas explosion destroyed his workshop and equipment in 1883. This is just one of many pioneers that were not given credit for their works during their lifetime but paved the way for future generations to follow in their footsteps as innovators and creators.
George Washington Carver
Dr. George Washington Carver is a name you may not have heard of, but Pioneer in Black History was a man who accomplished great things. Born into slavery in 1864 to parents who had enslaved themselves, George Washington Carver grew up to be an influential scientist who made great strides in agriculture. He established hundreds of products from peanuts and sweet potatoes, including ink, dyes, plastics, cosmetics, and gasoline. His work on crop rotation was rewarded in 1941 with his appointment as a head scientist at Alabama’s Tuskegee Institute. We often hear about the efforts of black scientists like Charles Drew and Garrett Morgan today, but Dr. Carver’s contributions deserve to be celebrated just as much. He worked hard to get his education despite being told that he would never amount to anything. After he earned his Ph.D., he continued advocating for African-Americans by fighting for land grants for black farmers during the Great Depression.
Dr. Carver passed away in 1943 due to complications with pneumonia, but his legacy continues today as people worldwide continue to benefit from his inventions and agricultural practices.
Garrett Morgan Sr
Garrett Morgan Sr. was the first African American to be granted a U.S. patent for his invention of a traffic signal, which he invented in 1923. In the late 1800s, Garrett Morgan Sr. moved to Cleveland, OH, from Kentucky after being told that blacks’ opportunities were better there than in Kentucky. Once in Ohio, Garrett Morgan Sr.’s brother-in-law encouraged him to start his own business and said he could use some of his tools to get created. He began making hair products, soaps, and lotions for people who couldn’t afford it or just wanted something better than what was on the market at the time. Morgan found success in many other areas besides inventing: He opened his business selling and installing heating systems for homes; he owned real estate throughout Ohio. He created other inventions relating to security and safety, including burglar alarms and fire alarms.
Rebecca Lee Crumpler
Dr. Rebecca Lee Crumpler is considered one of the greatest pioneers in African-American history. She is a Civil War veteran, an abolitionist, and the first African-American woman to become a physician. In 1857, Crumpler became the first African American female to earn a medical degree from Syracuse Medical College. After graduation, she opened a practice in New York City, eventually serving as superintendent of nurses at St. Luke’s Hospital. After the war ended in 1865, she returned to Virginia and was appointed matron of the Freedman’s Hospital, the first hospital for formerly enslaved people. While working at Freedman’s Hospital, she helped establish daycare centers for working mothers and children and provided clothing and food for impoverished patients.
David Harris Jr
David Harris Jr. was a pioneering scholar of African-American history. As a Black man in the late 1800s, he made it his life’s work to identify, research, and preserve information about the accomplishments of African Americans during that period. The story of his invention begins in 1855, when he was serving as an enslaved person on the plantation of Colonel John Gatewood in Belmont County, Ohio. Harris was forced to work for long hours on challenging tasks. He dreamed of escaping from slavery, but it seemed impossible for him to do so. In his spare time, he began taking apart pieces of machinery on the farm and putting them back together. He wanted to learn how every part worked by itself and how they all fit together as a whole. By doing this, he developed an interest in mechanics and engineering.
