Dear MoveOn member,
What do the COVID-19 vaccine, ice cream, central heating, stoplights,
mailboxes, and phone and computer screens all have in common?
Black American inventors.
That's right, Black Americans developed these life-changing and lifesaving
inventions.
And yet most Americans know none of the names or stories of the people
responsible. Not one.
So often in our history, the Black people behind the inventions and
innovations that define our lives are made invisible and forgotten by
history.
Each of us, John, needs to be a part of changing that, chipping
away at white supremacy, and centering Black Americans.
That's why MoveOn partnered with an amazing Black artist, Elly Rodgers, to
create this Black History Month sticker honoring Black American inventors,
and we’re giving them away for free—while supplies last.
[ [link removed] ]Just click here or on the image below to get your "Black minds change
lives" sticker now!
[ [link removed] ][IMG]
Alice H. Walker was working as a cook in New Jersey in 1919 when she
patented a central heating system that led to the creation of modern home
heating systems used across the globe.^1
Garrett Morgan, the son of formerly enslaved parents, had only an
elementary school education when he created the stoplight that is still
used at intersections today.^2
Mark Dean led the team of computer scientists at IBM who invented color
computer monitors—the technology that allowed for modern computers and
smartphones.^3
Valerie Thomas is the NASA physicist who invented a transmitter in 1980
that could project 3D images onto a screen, thus paving the way for the 3D
movies playing in theaters today.^4
And in 2020, Dr. Kizzmekia Corbett became the lead scientist at the
National Institutes of Health’s Vaccine Research Center. Her work led to
the creation of the mRNA COVID-19 vaccine.^5
These are just a few of the innumerable Black inventors whose creations
have touched our lives—and yet most of them go uncredited, erased by a
culture of white supremacy that refuses to treat Black people and people
of color fairly.
[ [link removed] ]Will you help share their stories by ordering your free sticker,
displaying it proudly, and sharing this message with your family and
friends?
John, while we take time this Black History Month to honor the
incredible contributions to our society made by Black Americans, we must
also ground ourselves in the current moment.
Black people and people of color continue to be targeted and murdered by
police working within a systemically racist law enforcement system.
Right-wing politicians around the country are focusing their culture war
efforts on banning an accurate recounting of American history.
Black women are three times more likely than white women to die from
pregnancy-related complications, often due to structural racism and
implicit bias within our health care system.^6
And so much more.
–Kelly, Rahna, Oscar, Amy, and the rest of the team
Sources:
1. "Alice H. Parker," Lemelson-MIT, accessed February 17, 2023
[link removed]
2. "Garrett Morgan," Biography, June 3, 2021
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3. "Mark Dean," Biography, January 13, 2021
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4. "21 innovative women of color and the game-changing inventions they
designed," Revolt, March 22, 2022
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5. "Discover Science podcast: Kizzmekia Corbett on going where you are
loved," Nevada Today, May 19, 2022
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6. "Working Together to Reduce Black Maternal Mortality," Centers for
Disease Control and Prevention, April 6, 2022
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Want to support MoveOn's work? Together, we must work to end the
filibuster, codify abortion rights into law, and defend our freedoms, our
families, and our futures. We can accomplish all this and more, but only
if we work together.
Will you chip in right now to power our critical work?
[ [link removed] ]Click here to chip in $3, or whatever you can afford.
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