African American Scientist and Inventor Day
Throughout history, Black scientists and inventors have made groundbreaking and field-defining contributions to science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM), often working against and overcoming systemic barriers, racism, sexism, and discrimination to improve all of our lives. Their work continues to shape the world in remarkable ways. Here, I highlight some prominent figures across STEM disciplines, with the acknowledgement that no individual blog post could paint a complete picture of the ways in which Black scientists and inventors have impacted the world.
Kenneth Bancroft Clark2(1914 – 2005) and Mamie Phipps Clark1 (1917 – 1983)
Dr. Kenneth Clark and Dr. Mamie Phipps Clark were pioneers in the fields of race and desegregation science and psychology. A powerhouse marriage of the minds, the Clarks spent their academic careers demonstrating that there was nothing “equal” about the “separate but equal” ideologies of the pre-Civil Rights era United States.
Dr. Mamie Clark had first-hand knowledge of the plight of segregation on Black students, having grown up in Jim Crow-era Arkansas where she attended segregated primary schools. After graduating high school, Mamie Clark attended Howard University, a historically Black college in Washington, D.C, on a merit scholarship. It was at Howard that Mamie Clark met Kenneth Clark, an enterprising young psychology major who convinced Mamie to switch from her teacher-preparation program in physics and math to psychology. After eloping with Kenneth during her senior year at Howard, Mamie went on to pursue her master’s in psychology at Howard and, later, joined Kenneth in the Psychology Ph.D. program at Colombia University.
Although born in the Panama Canal Zone, Kenneth Clark grew up in Harlem, NY. His post-secondary education history is intricately entwined with Mamie Clark’s. At Colombia, during his Ph.D. in Psychology, Kenneth was mentored by Francis Cecil Sumner, considered the “father of Black psychology” in the United States for his critiques of the 1920s American educational system being largely unsupportive for Black students. This academic upbringing, coupled with Mamie Clarks’ interest in desegregation, led to the Clarks’ primary academic focus.
Most notably, based on the results of Dr. Mamie Clark’s master’s thesis, the Clarks published multiple research manuscripts that detailed the realities of segregated education for Black students. Famously, the Clarks demonstrated that, in segregated environments, Black school children internalized negative thoughts and feelings about Black people, including themselves. That is, when shown two baby dolls (one white and one Black), and asked to point at which doll embodied positive attributes (e.g., good, smart, pretty), most Black schoolchildren pointed to the White doll–an indication that their segregated education was substantially impacting the way they viewed themselves. This advancement in our understanding of Black schoolchildren development was used in the landmark Roe v. Wade school desegregation U.S. Supreme Court decision. The Clarks’ inquisitive, critical scientific minds are part of the reason why schools are integrated today.
For further information on other Black psychologists, I recommend my four-part TikTok series, Awesome Black Psychologists You Didn’t Learn About in School Even Though You Learned About Freud and He Sucked.
Patricia Bath3,4 (1942 – 2019)
Dr. Patricia Bath was a physician, ophthalmologist, inventor, and self-proclaimed “nerd” who changed the way that cataracts are removed, making the procedure faster and more accurate in returning sight to the nearly-blind. Dr. Bath was born in New York, NY and became interested in medicine in childhood, attending a cancer research workshop sponsored by the National Science Foundation at the age of 16–her results from this workshop were featured in the New York Times. After graduating high school in two years, she attended Hunter College, earning a bachelor’s degree in chemistry. Afterwards, she attended Howard University School of Medicine, and completed her internship and residency with hospitals and clinics affiliated with Colombia University, including Harlem Hospital Center near where she was raised.
Dr. Bath was the first Black American to complete a residency in ophthalmology, and went on to complete a fellowship in corneal surgery at Colombia University. Continuing her ceiling-breaking streak, Dr. Bath became the first woman faculty member of the UCLA Department of Ophthalmology and, later, the first woman chair of the ophthalmology training program in 1983. After years of research and invention, she patented the Laserphaco Probe in 1988–cementing her status as the first Black woman physician to patent a medical device in U.S. history. Dr. Bath’s invention of the Laserphaco Probe, a first-of-its-kind device to incorporate lasers into ophthalmological surgery, leaves behind a legacy of substantial improvement for eye surgery that has directly improved health outcomes for patients.
Otis Boykin5,6 (1920 – 1982)
Otis Boykin was born and raised in Dallas, TX to a homemaking mother and a Baptist preacher father. After graduating from high school as valedictorian, Boykin attended Fisk University, a historically Black university in Nashville, TN, where he majored in physics and chemistry. In 1941, Boykin left Fisk without a degree to take a job as a clerk for an electronics manufacturing company out of Chicago, IL. From there, Boykin was hired as a lab assistant for the former research director of the manufacturing company for which he worked. After working up the electronics manufacturing ladder, Boykin finally settled into a role as a research engineer with P.J. Nilsen Research Laboratories.
In 1949, Boykin, alongside the former research director who had hired him as a laboratory assistant some 8 years prior, formed Boykin-Fruth, Inc and began inventing electronic resistors. In 1952, 1959, and 1964 Boykin filed for various patents, including electronic resistors that improved electronic weatherization and a pacemaker control unit. His improved resistors, which are electrical components used to modulate current flow and voltages, are used in electronics that range from everyday household goods—like TVs, microwaves, and computers—to military guided missiles. His pacemaker control unit allowed for pacemakers to control the pulse rate of a heart without the need for invasive surgery. It is highly likely that you are reading these words on a device that has been improved by Boykin’s lasting impression on the field of electronics components.
Shirley Ann Jackson7,8,9 (1946 – Present)
Dr. Shirley Ann Jackson was born in Washington, D.C., where she graduated from Roosevelt Senior High School in 1964. She earned her bachelors of science degree from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in theoretical physics and went on to earn her Ph.D. from MIT in theoretical elementary particle physics in 1973. Dr. Jackson holds the honor of being the first Black woman to earn a doctorate degree, of any kind, from MIT. Between her doctoral graduation and 1991, Dr. Jackson served in various scientific research roles in the semiconductor industry at AT&T Bell Laboratories.
In 1991, Dr. Jackson joined Rutgers University in the faculty of physics, where she continued her research in semiconductors while expanding her focus into public policy work. This began a lifelong career for Dr. Jackson in advocating for science funding and education at both the state and federal level. First, in 1994, Dr. Jackson served as the chair of the federal Nuclear Regulatory Commission under then-President Bill Clinton. In this role, she assisted in designing regulations around nuclear power to better assess the risk of the energy source. This role also took her internationally–to the former Soviet Union (Chernobyl, in present-day Ukraine) and to South Africa.
Her public policy work did not stop after the Clinton administration. Dr. Jackson served as the Co-Chair of the President’s Intelligence Advisory Board from 2014 – 2017, under the administration of President Barack Obama. She has also served, at various times, on the President’s Council of Advisors on Science and Technology and as Co-Chair of the President’s Innovation and Technology Advisory Committee. For this and other work, Dr. Jackson was awarded the National Medal of Science in 2016 by President Barack Obama.
In 1999, Dr. Jackson returned to academia to serve as the president of Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI), where she served for 23 years, retiring in 2022. During her tenure at RPI, Dr. Jackson led many transformative initiatives, including a campaign that raised one billion dollars to increase research funding and faculty presence. Currently, post-retirement, Dr. Jackson serves on the Nature Conservancy Global Board.
Conclusion
The stories of the individuals highlighted here remind us that the future of science depends explicitly on the brilliance and support of people from all walks of life. By learning about Black scientists and inventors–throughout the year and not just during commemorative months and days–we honor their breakthroughs, recognize historical and ongoing hardships, and pave the way for continued innovation and progress. The scientific enterprise is objectively stronger due to the historical and modern presence of Black scientists.
References
- Rothberg, E. (2022). Mamie Phipps Clark. National Women’s History Month. https://www.womenshistory.org/education-resources/biographies/mamie-phipps-clark
- Wambui, C. (2023, Dec. 02). Kenneth B. Clark – Desegregation pioneer, educator, and psychologist. Black History Online. https://blackhistoryonline.org/2023/12/02/kenneth-b-clark-desegregation-pioneer-educator-and-psychologist/
- U.S. National Library of Medicine. (2015, June 03). Dr. Patricia E. Bath. Changing the Face of Medicine. https://cfmedicine.nlm.nih.gov/physicians/biography_26.html
- Piccotti, T. (2024, Feb. 07). Patricia Bath. Black Inventors. https://www.biography.com/scientists/patricia-bath
- Stites, R. (2021, May 24). Boykin, Otis Frank. Texas State Historical Association. https://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/entries/boykin-otis-frank
- National Inventors Hall of Fame. (n.d.). Otis Boykin. Inductees. https://www.invent.org/inductees/otis-boykin
- Schaffer, A. (2017, Dec. 19). The remarkable career of Shirley Ann Jackson. MIT Technology Review. https://www.technologyreview.com/2017/12/19/146775/the-remarkable-career-of-shirley-ann-jackson/
- U.S. Department of Energy. (n.d.). Shirley Ann Jackson. U.S. Department of Energy. https://www.energy.gov/person/shirley-ann-jackson
- Grosu, T. (n.d.). Shirley Ann Jackson. Council on Science and Technology. https://cst.princeton.edu/people/shirley-ann-jackson