“I will not allow my life’s light to be determined by the darkness that surrounds me,” Sojourner Truth
Black Labor is for All
By Wes Hessel & Cate-Rees Hessel
A Labor of Love, and Dedication…
The theme for this year’s Black History Month celebration speaks volumes. “African Americans and Labor” reminds us that Black men and women were kidnapped from their distant homeland and brought to the American colonies as slaves; slaves whose children and grandchildren would suffer the same fate, locked into lives of misery because of their skin color for the next 150 years. From that first load of human cargo in 1619, Black history has become our nation’s history. The Black contribution to the building of the United States has been great, but for the most part has gone unrecognized and uncompensated. As Black History Month begins let’s take a few minutes to acknowledge just a few of those contributors and their incredible contributions to our country.
United They Stand
African Americans have championed worker’s rights, right along with civil rights, for a significant part of U.S. history. In 1925, A. Philip Randolph, a civil rights activist and labor organizer founded the Brotherhood of Sleeping Car Porters and Maids, the first Black union to be recognized by the AF of L. Improvements for the American worker has been an integral part of the civil rights movement, and people of color continue to be leaders on this issue. Of course, these aren’t the only areas where African Americans stand out.
From Early On, Into The Future
First, there were the former slaves or “free-men” who protested the institutions of slavery and racism. Dred Scott, Sojourner Truth, Frederick Douglass, Harriet Tubman, Booker T. Washington – challenged the status quo, each leading the struggle for human and civil rights. After those pioneers came innovators such as George Washington Carver and scholars like W.E.B. Du Bois.
Improving Lives
In addition to the well-known and prolific work of “Doctor” Carver, many others, whose names may be unrecognized by the average American, labored tirelessly to improve the lives of others. Garrett Morgan invented an improvement for sewing machines, an early chemical hair straightener, the forerunner of the modern gas mask, and the first automatic, three-aspect traffic signal. Ahead of him, the first African-American to receive a patent, Thomas L. Jennings, had created an improved method of dry-cleaning delicate garments. Elijah McCoy, an inventor extraordinaire was granted 57 patents, one of which was for that beloved grass watering device, the lawn sprinkler, and another was the basic idea of the portable ironing board. Sarah Boone improved on McCoy’s version of the ironing board giving it its now standard shape that we use today for our pressing engagements. And what about black chemist Percy Julian, who held more than 130 chemical patents.
Heating Up and Chilling Out
Alexander Miles designed the earliest mechanism for automatic doors in elevators. Lewis Latimer drafted a better railroad car bathroom, then improved on Edison’s vacuum interior light bulbs, deriving the carbon filament of the standard incandescent fixture. The idea of the self-propelled street sweeper was patented by Charles B. Brooks, as well as an early ticket puncher which collected the little pieces from the holes it made. Alice H. Parker created the first natural gas central furnace. Frederick McKinley Jones came up with the refrigeration units found on the tops of trucks transporting perishable items. James E. West worked with his Bell Labs partner to invent the foil electret version of the microphone, a significantly cheaper one to produce than the condenser models that preceded it.
Still Going…
Marie Van Brittan Brown was an American nurse, her husband Albert L. Brown, was an electronics technician. Together they created a video surveillance setup through a door’s peephole with features that are found in many current security systems. You can thank Mark Dean for leading his team at IBM to develop the original PC, color computer monitors, and the first gigahertz speed processor chip. Patricia Bath became the first female African-American doctor to receive a patent in 1986 for a laser device used to treat cataracts.
Final Frontiers
Matthew Henson was a Black explorer that reached the North Pole before Peary. In 1891, Henson became part of a group headed by then-Lieutenant Robert E. Peary; together they made multiple trips through Greenland. After several failed attempts together, he was with Peary in 1908 on the first successful trip to the North Pole, actually arriving at the top of the world before the famed explorer himself. *It has been since shown that Peary/Henson were at least 69 miles from the true North Pole.
Flying Color
During World War II, African-American aviators distinguished themselves as part of the famed and very much segregated “Tuskegee Airmen.” For example, Lt. Col. Lee Archer and Wendell Pruitt, were known as, “The Gruesome Twosome,” for their deadly efficiency against Nazi pilots. On a day in October 1944, Archer personally shot down three enemy planes in about 10 minutes, while simultaneously bombing supply trains running between Slovakia and Hungary. In 1945, Archer received the Distinguished Flying Cross for his gallantry.
On A Wing And A Prayer…
Those who have been to O’Hare Airport have encountered Bessie Coleman Drive. It is named for one of the first female aviators, an African-American woman who received her international pilot’s license in 1921. Jesse LeRoy Brown was inspired by Ms. Coleman and other early Black pilots, becoming one of the first African-American Navy pilots. He was a squadron leader in the Korean War until he lost his life in the line of duty. One of his white team members crash-landed his own plane in a valiant effort to help Brown, who was trapped in his downed plane’s burning wreckage.
Fight Makes Right
Civil rights, of course, have always been at the center of black activism. Most of us have heard of Malcolm X, as well as the great Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and his wife, Coretta Scott King and the decades long efforts of John Lewis, one of the leaders of the infamous “Selma” march, and his decades of faithful service as a U.S. Congressman. Of course who doesn’t recognize the name of Jesse Jackson, one time presidential candidate and founder of the Rainbow Coalition and Operation PUSH. Most are unfamiliar however with the name of Medgar Evers, the NAACP’s first field secretary in Mississippi, who because of his dedicated work for equal rights was shot down in his driveway in 1963.
Breached Barriers in Bureaucracy
African-Americans have made steady advancements in both the military and the U.S. government. Colin Powell, former head of the Joint Chiefs of Staff became the first black Secretary of State. Condoleezza Rice became the first Black female National Security Adviser, then the first female African-American Secretary of State. Former U.S. Senator Barack Obama smashed through the highest political barrier to become our first President of color in 2008. Shirley Chisholm was actually the first African-American woman to run for President for a major party in 1972, after being the first black woman elected to the U.S. Congress in 1968. In 2020, Joe Biden chose Senator Kamala Harris, as his running mate, who when the votes were counted became our first female, South Asian, and Black Vice President of the United States. In the judiciary, Thurgood Marshall was an American civil rights lawyer and jurist who became the first black associate justice, serving from 1967 until 1991. It wasn’t until 2022 when Ketanji Brown Jackson was sworn in that we had the first female black justice on the Supreme Court.
Music To Our Ears
Modern music owes so much to so many talented black artists. Early 20th century artists like Blind Lemon Jefferson, Bessie Smith, Skip James, Howlin Wolf, Lead Belly, and Muddy Waters, were all known for their compelling vocals, and socially conscious lyrics. The list of legendary black musicians continues to grow, Duke Ellington, Louis Armstrong, Billie Holiday, Nat King Cole, Miles Davis, Chuck Berry, Ray Charles, James Brown, Quincy Jones, Jimi Hendrix, Aretha Franklin, Lena Horne, Diana Ross, Stevie Wonder, Donna Summer, Michael Jackson, Kendrick Lamar, Usher, John Legend, Alicia Keys, Chatka Khan, just to name a few. And who can ignore the current queen of the red carpet, Beyoncé who holds the record for the most RIAA-certified titles by a female artist, black or white.
Stars of Stage And Screen
Sidney Poitier took home the first Oscar as a Black Actor, having previously been the first man of color to be nominated. Halle Berry was the first African-American woman to win an Academy Award. Movie and television screens have been dominated by Richard Roundtree, Morgan Freeman, Clarence Williams III, Don Cheadle, Forest Whitaker, Samuel L. Jackson, Wesley Snipes, Denzel Washington, James Earl Jones, and Laurence Fishburne, amongst many other excellent black actors. Actresses of color such as Josephine Baker, Dorothy Dandridge, Hattie McDaniel, Ethel Waters, Ruby Dee, Diahann Carroll, Pam Grier, Angela Bassett, Cicely Tyson, Alfie Woodard, Whoopi Goldberg, Queen Latifah, Halle Berry, Viola Davis, Gabrielle Union, Kerry Washington, Taraji P. Henson, and Regina King lit up the stage and screen. And Oprah Winfrey the multi-talented actress, author, lifestyle and entertainment czarina is in a class of her own. There are writers of poetry – Langston Hughes, Gwendolyn Brooks; prose – Toni Morrison, Octavia E. Butler, Zora Neale Hurston, Alice Walker; or both – Maya Angelou, James Baldwin. No matter the era Black artists and entertainers continue to delight audiences.
Moving Behind the Camera
Tyler Perry is black. He is also an actor, writer, producer, and director. Most Americans are familiar with Perry for creating and portraying the beloved character Madea, a street smart senior citizen. That franchise has reportedly grossed over $660 million. In the 1990’s Perry was doing live theater before moving to film and television in the 2000s. In 2019, he opened Tyler Perry Studios in Atlanta, Georgia, the first major film studio owned by an African American.
Sporting Excellence
Running in the Shadow of Hate
In the late 1920’s and early 1930’s black runner Eddie Tolan was the man to beat in the 100m and 200m sprints. In 1929, while attending the University of Michigan, Tolan had set the world record for the 100-yard dash at 9.5 seconds. He then went on to the national college championship for the 220-yard dash in 1931. In the Olympic trials for 1932, he placed second in the 100m and 200m races to fellow athletic giant Ralph Metcalfe, but won gold in both contests at the 1932 Olympics. Four years later, Metcalfe was the runner-up to the now legendary Jesse Owens at the 1936 Olympics. Track and field superstar Jesse Owens won four gold medals at the 1936 Olympics in Berlin, despite the Nazi “white supremacy” shadow hanging over the games.
Keep Up the Good Work(s)
Whether it be in music, writing, law, science, finance, business, or athletics African Americans keep setting new heights. proving their ability to do amazing work under often trying circumstances. Each February we celebrate black history – we need to look to our black brothers and sisters not only in February, but all throughout the year for examples of leadership, hard work, and championing what is right.
