Against The Grain: Black American Inventors

Innovative endeavors have been the cornerstone of American progress since the country's inception.

For over two centuries, inventions in fields including medicine, agriculture and tech led the US to become one of the world's leading superpowers.

Pioneers like Thomas Edison and Steve Jobs are ensconced in the annals. In honor of National Inventor's Day and Black History Month, here are POC creators who also deserve credit.

C. J. Walker (1867 - 1919)

"Madam" was her title and respect should be put on her name. She was the first Black woman millionaire who invented a line of hair products for Black women.

Garrett Morgan (1877 - 1963)

Anyone who drives a car and has stopped at a light then saw a car blast by should thank Morgan for their survival. He invented the modern traffic signal.

Frederick McKinley (1893 - 1961)

He first introduced air conditioning in theaters. McKinley's major contribution was inventing refrigeration for shipping trucks. He has literally fed every American family.

Percy Lavon Julian (1899-1975)

Julian made his name synthesizing a compound to treat glaucoma. He went on to develop a process to mass-produce hormones such as cortisone and progesterone.

Mary Davidson Kenner (1912-2006)

Kenner is best known for patenting the disposable sanitary napkin. She also claimed the rights to a toilet paper holder and a shower-mounted back washer among others.

Shirley Jackson (1946 - Present)

She was the first Black woman to earn a doctorate at MIT. Jackson then pioneered telecommunications research that led to fiber optic cables and caller ID.

Mark Dean (1957 - Present)

Dean is one of the lesser-known co-inventors of the IBM personal computer and color PC monitor. He also helped create components that let tech to communicate with each other.

Marie Van Brittan Brown (1922-1999)

NYC was not a safe place in the 1960s. Brown, a Queens native, designed CCTV cameras, two-way microphones and other monitors that are still used in security systems.

"Where there is no vision, there is no hope." - George Washington Carver, Black American inventor who developed numerous uses for peanuts and pecans among many other innovations