Throughout history, American women of African descent have made remarkable and significant contributions to science, invention, engineering, and medicine. They’ve made fascinating discoveries, have created many useful tools and have made significant contributions to society and humanity. Despite these accomplishments, many are well known, yet many are not. Given the social and economic barriers they have faced before and after slavery, it is impossible to know to what extent African-American women have contributed to these fields. These Black women stars made many inventions, discoveries, improved technology, advanced medicine and psychology and much more.
They succeeded in developing new technologies despite obstacles, such as resistance to developing their products and other forms of systemic racism. I call them Stars, just as I call the Black men of invention, discoveries, medicine and engineering Stars. It is their determination and dedication that our eyesight has improved, thanks to Patricia Bath, we now know about heart disease and its causes, thanks to Marie Maynard Daly and we have central heat, thanks to Alice Parker. Alice Ball’s remarkable treatment for leprosy was a monumental event, it changed the way people viewed this disease, yet she is not on many minds, when talking about scientific achievements.
This is the tip of the iceberg, there are so many more. It doesn’t matter, whether it’s engineering, medicine or inventions, these Black women Stars are strong-willed and a part of our heritage. They cover a wide range, from the Civil War era, I introduce Rebecca Lee Crumpler who became the first African American woman to earn a medical degree in 1864. There were also inventors during this time such as Judy Reed who is considered the first Black woman to receive a U.S. Patent, for a device created to knead and shape dough. The Black women stars really took off during the 20th century, with significant breakthroughs across various platforms. Here, in my opinion, I present a few of these remarkable women.
