Black Star of the Month

This section will update you monthly on Black movers and shakers. This section will be filled with leaders and members of the community who have contributed to Black culture and history.

April, 2020

Langston Hughes

James Mercer Langston Hughes was an American poet, social activist, novelist, playwright, and columnist from Joplin, Missouri. He was mostly known as an American writer who was an important figure in the Harlem Renaissance and who focused his writings on the African American experience. His writings ranged from poetry and plays to novels and newspaper columns. Langston Hughes published a collection of short stories, "The Ways of White Folks", and became heavily involved in theatrical works. He wrote poetry until his death in 1967. He reflected and engaged with the Black Power movement and, specifically, members of the Black Panther Party. Prior to his death, he wrote "The Panther and the Lash", which was published posthumously in 1967.

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March, 2020

Alice Allison Dunnigan

This month we recognize a woman who many are unfamiliar with. Alice Allison Dunnigan found her love for writing at the age of thirteen when she began writing one-sentence news items for the local Owensboro Enterprise newspaper. Dunnigan then became the first African-American female correspondent to receive White House credentials, and the first black female member of the Senate and House of Representatives press galleries.

In 1947 she became the chief of the Associated Negro Press which allowed her to become the first female African American to follow a President's campaign. She served as an education consultant of the President's Committee on Equal Employment Opportunity until 1965. Dunnigan was an African-American journalist, civil rights activist and author.

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September, 2018

Sarah E. Goode

Sarah Goode (1855-1905) was not only an entrepreneur, but was an inventor. In fact she was the second Black woman to receive a United States patent, which she received for a folding bed in 1885. This folding bed collapsed into a functional roll top desk and also served as a precursor for the Murphy bed which was known as the "wall bed."

In 2012, as apart of her legacy, the south side of Chicago opened the Sarah E. Goode STEM Academy, a science and math-focused high school.

A Little History:

American slaves were prohibited from holding property. This prohibition included patents for their own inventions. Though the patent provision in the Constitution was race-neutral, slaves were not considered citizens. As a result, laws were created to prevent slaves from applying and receiving patents. As a matter of fact, in 1857 the U.S. commissioner of patents officially ruled that inventions by slaves could not be patented, therefore, slave owners often took credit for their slaves' inventions.

One well-documented example is the cotton scraper. A Black inventor by the name of Ned invented an effective, innovative cotton scraper, however, his slave master attempted to patent the invention. Because the slave master was not the actual inventor, and the actual inventor was a slave, the application was rejected.

This is just one example of the many inventions created by Black people and appropriated by slave owners as their own. Black inventors have made major contributions to the advancement of technology and science but were unable to reap any of the benefits associated with their inventions.

Below is a flash back picture of Sarah Goode's invention.

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August, 2018

Muhammad Ali

Muhammad Ali (1942-2016) was an American heavyweight champion boxer and leader who was known for his outspokenness on issues of race, religion and politics during his career.

To sum up who Muhammad Ali was, I've provided a short biography for your view below. Enjoy!