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LETTER "G" IN "AGAINST"

Black Inventions - G

"I had the letter G and I wanted it to represent the "genius" in the Black community. In my letter, I decided to incorporate Black inventions. The banjo was the first idea, and the earliest account of the instrument was from African slaves. The banjo is followed by the blue notes, which also derived from African slave songs and the Harlem Renaissance. Peanuts are in reference to George Washington Carver, who invented many peanut products we have today. Augustus Jackson invented ice cream and Lewis Latimer created and patented the light bulb filament for the incandescent lightbulb. Willis Johnson patented the egg beater. Phillip Downing patented the "street letter box" or mail box, and George Alcorn worked on imaging x-ray spectrometers which earned him the 1984 NASA/GSFC Inventor of the Year Award. Jerry Lawson is credited for the modern take on video game cartridges, and Benjamin Banneker patented the Farmer's Almanac. The improved horseshoe was invented by Oscar E. Brown, and the mop was invented by Thomas Stewart. Lonnie Johnson created the first super soaker; Lydia Newman created the hairbrush and Madame C.J. Walker created hair care products along with the straightening comb. Garrett Morgan created a host of inventions: hair straightening cream, traffic light, and the gas mask. George Crum created potato chips; J.L. Love created the pencil sharpener, and Lloyd Ray created the improved dust pan. Charles Drew is known for blood banking and blood transfusions. Lastly, Thomas J. Martin patented the improved fire extinguisher. This letter not only raises awareness of black inventions of daily life, but also educates the person who looks at it."

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- Paula Jordan-Mayo, illustrator

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