Black Creators

A recent patron question about Black inventors made me come across some interesting materials and stories I wanted to share!

Ann Lowe designed Jackie Kennedy’s wedding dress, among many other accomplishments

• “Considered one of America’s most significant designers…”, a biography from the National Museum of African American History and Culture
• Fancy Party Gowns, a children’s book by Deborah Blumenthal

Edward A. Bouchet was the first African-American to receive a doctorate in the United States

Thomas Alva Edison invented the light bulb, but it was Lewis Latimer who developed and improved the filament that made electric lighting practical. Alexander Graham Bell invented the telephone, but it was Lewis who did the patent drawings that made its production possible. While the names of Edison and Bell are known to the everyday school child, Lewis Latimer, like many other people of color, has been denied his rightful place in history. – Claire Schulman

Read more in Lewis Latimer’s biography.

Patricia Bath patented the Laserphaco Probe to remove cataracts.

• Check out her kid-friendly page in Good Night Stories for Rebel Girls: 100 Real-Life Tales of Black Girl Magic
• She was also inducted into The National Inventors Hall of Fame in 2021 along with engineer Marian Croak

Called the Grandfather of Vogue, Willi Ninja was a dancer and choreographer who gave the dance style greater visibility.

• Anthem experimental music video
• Ninja’s New York Times obituary

Haben Girma is a civil rights lawyer, a disability activist, and the first Deafblind woman to graduate from Harvard Law School.

She uses her education and experience to create access and opportunities for other people with disabilities.

• Check out Girma’s autobiography – Haben: The Deafblind Woman Who Conquered Harvard Law
• Read a short biography of Girma in Disability in American Life: An Encyclopedia of Concepts, Policies, and Controversies

There are so many cool people! If you want to learn about more…

• Books, ebooks, and videos about African American inventors at Clark College Libraries
• 16 Queer Black Trailblazers Who Made History
• African American creators with disabilities