4.20 Science, Medicine, and Technology in Black Communities

African Americans have made significant contributions to science, medicine, and technology, revolutionizing fields from agriculture to space exploration. Inventors like George Washington Carver and Garrett Morgan transformed industries, while women like Katherine Johnson and Mae Jemison broke barriers in STEM.

In medicine, African Americans established community-based healthcare systems and medical schools, improving access for underserved populations. Pioneers like Daniel Hale Williams and Charles Drew made groundbreaking medical advancements, while facing discrimination and systemic oppression, particularly for those with disabilities.

African American scientific contributions

Global impact of inventions

• Revolutionized agriculture through methods preventing soil depletion (George Washington Carver)
  • Served as counselor on agriculture to President Theodore Roosevelt
• Transformed technology, medicine, science, and engineering
  • Garrett Morgan invented gas masks and traffic lights
  • Lewis Latimer created longer-lasting light bulbs
  • Otis Boykin developed resistors used in computers and pacemakers

Women in space programs

• Played instrumental roles in United States aeronautics and space programs
  • Katherine Johnson, NASA mathematician
    • Successful calculations for space travel helped launch astronauts to the moon and back
  • Mae Jemison, physician, engineer, and NASA astronaut
    • First African American woman to travel in space (1992)
• Broke barriers in STEM fields historically underrepresented by women and minorities
  • Mary Jackson, NASA's first Black female engineer
  • Christine Darden, NASA data analyst and aerospace engineer

African American medical contributions

Community-based healthcare systems

• Provided free community-based care encouraging early diagnosis of illness
• Collaborated with local governments to establish America's first nonsegregated hospitals
  • Late nineteenth century
  • Black hospital movement in the mid-twentieth century
• Improved access to healthcare for underserved communities
  • Booker T. Washington founded Tuskegee Institute to train Black nurses
  • Mary Eliza Mahoney, first licensed African American nurse

Medical schools and associations

• Established medical schools to support training for Black medical professionals
  • Meharry College, Howard University, Morehouse, and other HBCUs
  • Initially barred from entry into the American Medical Association
• Founded National Medical Association (1895)
  • Promoted the collective interests of Black physicians
  • Worked to eliminate health disparities in minority populations

Medical advancements and pioneers

• Onesimus, an enslaved man, brought awareness of variolation to the British American colonies
  • Helped curtail smallpox in the 18th century
• Daniel Hale Williams founded Provident Hospital in Chicago (1891)
  • First Black-owned hospital in the United States
  • Performed the world's first successful heart surgery (1893)
• Kizzmekia Corbett, viral immunologist
  • Central to the development of the Moderna Covid-19 mRNA vaccine
• Charles Drew revolutionized blood banking and transfusion techniques
  • Developed methods for blood plasma storage and large-scale blood banks

Discrimination against Black disabled

Eugenics and systemic oppression

• Rise of eugenics in early 20th century heightened stigmatization based on race and ability
  • Considered certain individuals inferior due to pseudoscientific beliefs
• Black people with disabilities encountered multiple forms of systemic oppression
  • Harassment, institutionalization, and infringement of rights
  • Forced sterilization programs disproportionately targeted Black women
• Intersectionality of racism and ableism amplified discrimination
  • Limited access to education, employment, and healthcare

Americans with Disabilities Act

• Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) passed in 1990
  • Built upon civil rights legislative achievements that outlawed Jim Crow
  • Prohibited discrimination for those with disabilities
    • Housing, employment, and government programs
• Expanded protections and accommodations for people with disabilities
  • Mandated accessibility requirements in public spaces and transportation
  • Required employers to provide reasonable accommodations
• Intersection of race and disability still poses unique challenges
  • Higher rates of disability among African Americans due to socioeconomic disparities
  • Continued barriers to accessing disability services and support

Required Sources

Mary Jackson at Work, 1977

Mary Jackson's groundbreaking career at NASA shattered racial and gender barriers in the field of aeronautical engineering. As the first African American female engineer at the agency, her work contributed significantly to advancements in supersonic flight and wind tunnel testing during the Space Race era.

Jackson's achievements paved the way for future generations of Black women in STEM fields. Her story, along with those of other African American women at NASA, highlights the often overlooked contributions of Black scientists and mathematicians to America's technological progress, challenging prevailing narratives about race and scientific innovation.

Mae Jemison Works at Zero Gravity, 1992

Mae Jemison's groundbreaking work in zero gravity aboard the Space Shuttle Endeavour in 1992 shattered barriers for African Americans and women in space exploration. As the first Black woman astronaut to travel to space, Jemison's mission represented a significant milestone in NASA's history and inspired countless individuals from underrepresented backgrounds to pursue careers in STEM fields.

Her achievements in microgravity research not only advanced scientific knowledge but also challenged societal perceptions about race and gender in the sciences. Jemison's presence in space symbolized progress in the long struggle for equal opportunities and recognition of African American contributions to scientific and technological advancements in the United States.

Henrietta Lacks (HeLa): The Mother of Modern Medicine by Kadir Nelson, 2017

Henrietta Lacks' contribution to medical science is immeasurable, despite her cells being taken without consent. Her immortal HeLa cells have been crucial in countless medical breakthroughs, including the development of the polio vaccine and cancer treatments.

The story of Henrietta Lacks highlights important ethical issues in medical research, particularly regarding informed consent and the exploitation of marginalized communities. It raises critical questions about racial disparities in healthcare and the ownership of genetic material, sparking ongoing debates in bioethics and medical practices.