Black Inventors
Marie Van Brittan was born in 1922 in Queens, NY and created a system in 1966 we still use today in homes across the world to combat neighborhood crime.
The Home Security System
Billboard named this woman the greatest pop star of the 21st Century, as she is now the first Black woman to win a Grammy for Best Country Album.
Beyonce Knowles Carter
This leafy vegetable originated near Greece and dates back to prehistoric times. It was first introduced to America by enslaved Africans in Virginia in the early 1600's. The broth from this dish is known as "pot liquor" and was used as a tonic by some elders.
Collard Greens
This political party started in Oakland in 1966 by two college students, Bobby Seale and Huey P. Newton. This party ran on a 10 point platform, and had many social services like the Free Breakfast for Children, a community newspaper, health clinics, and more.
The Black Panther Party for Self-Defense
This Black hairstyle was popularized in the mid 1960s, particularly around Black liberation movements as a response to decades of Black people being forced to conform to Eurocentric beauty standards.
The Afro
Madam C.J. Walker was born in 1867 and made her claim to fame creating these products after developing a scalp disorder that caused her to lose much of her hair.
Hair Care Products
This woman, often referred to as the "GOAT", is the first African-American woman to win the World All-Around Gymnastics title. She is the most decorated gymnast w/ 41 Olympic and World Championship medals.
Simone Biles
This dish was brought over by enslaved Africans in the 1600's. West Africans have long considered this dish to be a good luck charm, and African Americans will typically eat this dish on New Years day to bring good luck in the new year. Despite its name, it is actually a bean as well as an early 2000s musical group.
Black Eyed Peas
Black cowboys were an integral part of the American West. Black cowboys worked on ranches, participated in cattle drives, and performed in rodeos, music, and film. Many Black cowboys moved to this Bay Area city during the Great Migration. This city is now more commonly known for Six Flags Discovery Kingdom and legendary musicians E-40 and H.E.R.
Vallejo, CA
This hair style became popular in the Western world in the 1970s and 1980s. They have often had a spiritual or philosophical connotation. The style was popularized by Jamaican reggae artist Bob Marley and actress Whoopi Goldberg. In the Bay Area, it is a popular dance to "shake them".
Gladys West, born in 1930 in Virginia, had a long 42 year career in the Navy and was noted as one of the "hidden figures" for her contribution in this location system we still use to this day
Global Positioning System (GPS)
This person, famous for her roles in The Color Purple and Sister Act 2, is the first African-American woman to achieve EGOT status, winning an Emmy, Grammy, Oscar, and Tony Award.
Whoopie Goldberg
James Hemmings (1765-1801) was an enslaved chef to former president Thomas Jefferson. Hemmings was trained in French cooking in Paris, and helped introduced the United States to french fries, creme brulee, ice cream, and this dish that is still a Black staple at most gatherings.
Macaroni & cheese (macaroni pie)
This historically Black neighborhood in San Francisco was created in 1880 to relieve overcrowding. The first Black church in San Francisco, the Third Baptist Church, was established in this district in 1852. This neighborhood was a center of jazz, rock, and blues movements.
The Fillmore District
This hairstyle, specifically referring to "laying" them, became popularized within the Black community in the 1990s with prominent figures like Chilli from TLC, Missy Elliott, Ginuwine, and Brandy contributing to its widespread recognition. The style draws inspiration from the kiss curls popularized by Josephine Baker in the 1920s.
Edges, or Laid Edges
African-American inventor Garrett Morgan was born in Kentucky in 1877 and is widely known for an invention we still use today to help bring safety to streets while commuting.
The traffic light
This African-American woman, born in 1956, is an American engineer, physician, and the first African-American woman in space when she served as a mission specialist abord the Space Shuttle Endeavor in 1992.
May Jemison
This root vegetable is a staple in West African diets, and is a symbol of wealth and prosperity. This was brought over on slave ships during the middle passage, which were later replaced by a sweeter, similar root vegetable from Central America, and became a way for enslaved people to preserve their traditions and spiritual practices.
Yams / Sweet Potatoes
This children's fantasy park in Oakland has had a Black Santa for decades. Ron Zeno was a longtime Santa for nearly 20 years, as well as a board member, puppet-show voice artist and a regular reader at Friday Toddler Storytime. After his passing in 2017, December 1 was proclaimed “Ron Zeno Day” by Oakland Mayor Libby Schaaf.
Children's Fairyland
This protective hairstyle has been a popular in the Black community since ancient times (3500 B.C.), and became a symbol of pride and resistance during the Civil Rights Movement. During slavery, enslaved Black people would sew grains of rice into this hairstyle to add additional rations for meals, and would design escape routes in the patterns.
Braids
Frederick McKinely Jones, nicknamed the "King of Cool" was born in 1893 in Ohio. Jones taught himself mechanical and electrical engineering, receiving over 60 patents in his lifetime including this portable air-cooling system for trucks to keep perishable foods fresh across long distances.
Refrigerators (Refrigeration systems)
This woman (initials C.C.) is often overlooked in Black History. In 1955 she was arrested at the age of 15 in Montgomery, AL for refusing to give up her seat to a white woman on a segregated bus. This was 9 months before Rosa Parks famously refused to give up her seat, which helped spark the 1955 Bus Boycott.
Claudette Colvin
This polarizing dish is a big part of Black History. It originated in West Africa, where eating every part of the animal was customary. Enslaved people in the states ate this dish as a cheap source of nutrients as they were often given the less desirable cuts from animals. This dish became a symbol of resistance, survival, and cultural identity.
Chitterlings
This is the first Black owned business in Bay Area, which opened in Richmond in 1954. The store was owned by Otis Cotright.
Cotright's Grocery Store.
This hairstyle is another protective hairstyle that helps prevent breakage and moisture loss. It originated with the Zulu people of Southern Africa. The style involves twisting sections of hair and wrapping them around themselves to form tight balls. The style has cultural significance and is considered sacred in many African regions, as the curls and coils of Black hair are said to resemble shapes in the cosmos.
Bantu Knots