.
AFRICAN AMERICANS WHO ARE
INTERESTED IN MAKING ALL SORT OF
THINGS WRONG AND LIKE SONY
PRODUCTS IT'S ALMOST HARD TO SAY
WHO INVENTED THE PRODUCT THAT WE
USE TODAY.
SO FOR EXAMPLE A GUY NAMED
WALTER MAJORS, WHO IS FROM
SPRINGFIELD WHO MOVED TO ST
ST. LOUIS, HE INVENTED THINGS
FOR TAXICABS, HEATERS,
AFRICAN-AMERICAN HAIR PRODUCTS,
BLOW DRYER.
I MEAN, ALL SORTS OF THINGS.
NOW HE GOT PATENTS FOR ALL OF
THOSE THINGS.
BUT TO SAY THAT HE INVENTED A
TAXICAB METER NOT REALLY BE
COMPLETELY ACCURATE, RIGHT.
HE INVENTED ONE KIND OF TAXICAB
METER.
LIKE AMERICANS WHO HAVE A LOT OF
PRIDE FOR BLACK AMERICANS
BECAUSE THEY DEVASTATED THE
MASTERY OF TECHNOLOGY, WHICH IS
VERY IMPORTANT IN THE LATE 18
HUNDREDS OR 19 ODDS, AND THE
STEREOTYPES OF EX- AMERICANS OF
AFRICAN AMERICANS THAT THEY WERE
NOT VERY SMART.
BUT IF YOU COULD INVENT
SOMETHING AND GET A PATENT FOR
SOMETHING, EVEN IF IT WASN'T
USED, IT CONFERRED STATUS ON YO
YOU.
AND SO THAT WAS REALLY IMPOR
IMPORTANT.
A PERSON WAS MOST KNOWN FOR
BEING AN EVENT TO WHICH AGAIN IS
NOT REALLY ACCURATE, IS GEORGE
WASHINGTON CARVER F NEOSHO
MISSOURI.
NO, AGAIN, HE REALLY COMMONLY
WASN'T CONSIDERED AN ADVENTURE.
WHAT HE REALLY WAS A MASTER AT
GETTING APPLICATIONS.
AND SO HE WOULD FIND HUNDREDS OF
USES FOR PEANUTS, TOMATOES, AND
ALSO TO WAYS OF GROWING THINGS,
AND HE DIDN'T ALWAYS INVENT THE
PROCESS.
WHAT HE DID WAS HE WAS ABLE TO
EXPLAIN IT AND APPLY ITS
ORDINARY AFRICAN AMERICANS
FARMERS, AND OTHER POOR FARMERS,
COULD HAVE CASH CROPS, MAKE
MONEY, IT WAS BETTER TO
AFRICAN-AMERICANS COULD INVENT
SOMETHING AND THAT'S WHAT THIS
WAS REALLY ABOUT.
MY RESEARCH SHOWED THAT BEING A
BLACK INVENTOR WAS A WAY OF
BEING POLITICAL.
THAT WAS ACCEPTABLE FOR THE
BLACK MIDDLE CLASS.
IT WAS ACCEPTED TO WHITE MIDDLE
CLASS, AND IT DIDN'T SEEM TO --
LIKE PEOPLE WERE GETTING -- SQ
FOR VOTING RIGHTS, AND SOCIAL
EQUALITY.
AND SO BEING A BLACK MENTOR WE
BECAME A SPECIAL STATUS.
I THINK IT IS ESSENTIAL FOR
PEOPLE TO THINK ABOUT
AFRICAN-AMERICANS AS INVENTORS
AND BUSINESSPEOPLE BECAUSE SO
MANY OF THE STEREOTYPES WHICH
HAD BEEN HANDED DOWN FOR
GENERATIONS HAVE CRITICIZED
AFRICAN AMERICANS IN TERMS OF
INTELLIGENCE, CRITICIZED AFRICAN
AMERICANS IN TERMS OF WORK ETH
ETHIC.
BUT SORT OF THE ROLE OF THE
AFRICAN AMERICAN INVENTOR JUST
UPSETS ALL OF THOSE THINGS,
BECAUSE IF WE CAN HAVE
AFRICAN-AMERICANS WHO WERE
INVENTORS AND DID PATENTS, AND,
YOU KNOW, CREATED BUSINESSES
BASED ON SORT OF NEW IDEAS, ALL
OF A SUDDEN THIS IDEA THAT
AFRICAN-AMERICANS WERE NOT EQUAL
TO WHITES IN TERMS OF
INTELLIGENCE JUST GETS EXPLODED.
AND IT ALSO SHOWS, I THINK,
ANOTHER WAY IN WHICH PEOPLE CAN
PROTECT.
PROTESTING ON THE STREETS IS
GREAT.
GETTING LEGISLATION?
WE NEED THAT.
BUT THERE'S ALSO WAYS WHERE, IF
YOU ARE SITTING IN YOUR GARAGE
TINKERING WITH THINGS AND
INVENTING THINGS, IT IS A WAY IN
WHICH YOU ARE CHALLENGING THE
STATUS QUO BUT HERE IN TOWN, AS
I TALKED ABOUT WALTER MAJORS, I
THINK WAS A REALLY IMPORTANT
FIGURE FOR THE AFRICAN-AMERICAN
COMMUNITY AND THE REASON I
STARTED STUDYING HIM WAS THAT
HIS NAME WOULD CONSTANTLY APP
APPEAR.
HE STARTED OUT ACTUALLY WORKING
IN A BUSINESS THAT CATERED BLACK
BEAUTY PRODUCTS.
SO YOU'VE GOT THE COMB, THE
HAIRDRYER, AND THINGS LIKE THAT,
PRODUCTS THAT WERE EXPRESSIVELY
AT THE BLACK CONSUMER.
AND ACTUALLY A LOT OF EARLY
INVENTIONS AND A LOT OF EARLY
WEALTHY AFRICAN-AMERICANS, THEY
WORKED ON PRODUCTS LIKE THAT.
SO ANY -- AND WALTER MAJORS
ACTUALLY WORKED FOR HER AND
LEARNED A LOT OF BUSINESS ACUMEN
THROUGH THEIR.
THE OTHER THING ABOUT WALTER
MAJORS' STORY IS THAT HE OWNED A
GARAGE AT FIRST IT'S SORT OF
CONFUSING.
WELL, THIS GUY IS AN ADVENTURE.
WHY WAS HE OWNING A GARAGE?
POPULAR GARAGE WAS A GREAT COVER
FOR DOING A LOT OF INVENTIONS.
HE LIVED IN A PART OF ST. LOUIS
WHICH WAS DOMINATED BY BLACK
AMERICANS AND HE MADE HIS
BUSINESS, IT LOOKS LIKE TO BY
FIXING, PREPARING TAXICABS,
WHICH, AGAIN, MAKES A LOT OF
SENSE, BUT IT ALSO MEANT THAT HE
WAS CONSTANTLY TRYING TO FIGURE
OUT HOW TO MAKE MORE MONEY OUT
OF A TAXICAB, HOW DO WE MAKE
THEM MORE EFFICIENT, HOW DO WE
MAKE THEM MORE EFFECTIVE?
SO HE WAS KIND OF A HANDYMAN AND
SETTLERS, AND THAT'S WHY HE
COULD'VE DID ALL THESE DIFFERENT
KIND OF PRODUCTS THAT IS PEOPLE
COME TO HIM AND SAY I GOT THIS
PROBLEM, THIS IS NOT WORKING,
HOW DO I FIX?
THERE ARE SOME PEOPLE FROM
SERVICE SMITHSONIAN AND OTHER
PLACES.
THE INTERESTING PART IS THAT
THOSE LISTS ARE PARTIALLY
COMPLETE.
FOR EXAMPLE, WALTER MAJORS, THE
GUYS BUT MY MOST TIME STUDYING,
HE IS NOT ON ANY OF THOSE LISTS,
OR HE WASN'T WHEN I WAS STUDYING
HIM.
BECAUSE EVEN THOUGH HE HAD ABOUT
A DOZEN PATENTS HE NEVER PUT IN
AND IT IS PATENTS THAT HE WAS
BLACK.
AND THE PEOPLE WHO WERE COMPILED
THOSE LISTS, WHEN THEY COMPILED
THOSE LISTS, THEY JUST ARE
INCLUDING PEOPLE WHO LISTED THAT
THEY WERE AFRICAN-AMERICANS.
SO HE IS SOMEONE WHO HAS BEEN
OVERLOOKED IN THIS.
SO THEY ARE PROBABLY LOTS OF
BLACK INVENTORS WERE OVERLOOKED
IN THIS PART OF THE OTHER
PROBLEM WITH THOSE LISTS WAS
THAT IN ORDER TO PATENT, YOU
NEEDED QUITE A BIT OF MONEY AND
JUST GETTING A PATENT ON AN
INVENTION YOU ARE GOING TO MAKE
A LOT OF MONEY.
SO WHAT HAPPENED IS A LOT OF
PEOPLE INVENTED THINGS JUST
TRYING TO MAKE MONEY SELLING
THEM LOCALLY TORSO EXAMPLE OF
THIS WOULD ACTUALLY BE THE
HARDWARE GROCERIES ARE.
THEY NEVER GOT A PATENT FOR WHAT
THEY WERE DOING BUT IT WAS
SUCCESSFUL IN SPRINGFIELD IT HAD
REALLY DEVELOPED A PRETTY
INNOVATIVE WAY TO GET PRODUCTS
FROM FARMS IN THE REGION AND USE
CARS AND TRUCKS TO DELIVER THEM,
WHICH TODAY LIKE THAT'S A
NO-BRAINER.
BUT THEY REALLY INVENTED, AT
LEAST FOR THE SPRINGFIELD AREA,
HOW ONE WOULD GO FARTHER TO GET
YOUR PRODUCT AND THEN SELL THEM
THAT WAY.
NOW, IT'S -- NOBODY HAD DONE IT.
THEY USE EXISTING TECHNOLOGY TO
DO SOMETHING THAT PEOPLE HADN'T
DONE, AND IT GAVE THEM A VERY
SIGNIFICANT ADVANTAGE WHICH
TODAY THAT SOMETHING THAT YOU
COULD PATENTS THAT PROCESS.
BUT HE DIDN'T GO THROUGH THAT,
HE SAID I AM REALLY IN THE
GROCERY STORE BUSINESS, I CAME
UP WITH THIS METHOD AND AT THAT
POINT AND AFRICAN AMERICAN
ENTREPRENEUR PROBABLY WASN'T
GOING TO BE VERY SUCCESSFUL.
HE WOULD NOT HAVE MADE A LOT OF
MONEY FROM IT AND GO TO OTHER
EXPENSE.
AND SO HE INVENTED SOMETHING
THAT NEVER MADE IT INTO THE
PATENT RECORDS.
THE STATUS QUO IS NOT NATURAL,
RIGHT.
BLACK PEOPLE WILL ASSUME
WHATEVER WE SEE IN OUR WORLD,
THAT'S THE WAY IT IS.
BUT WHEN IT GETS TO WHY WE HAVE
SUCH A SMALL PERCENTAGE OF
PEOPLE OF AFRICAN AMERICANS WERE
GETTING PATENTS AND OWNING
BUSINESSES, IT'S BECAUSE OF
EDUCATION, IT'S BECAUSE OF THE
PRISON SYSTEM, IT'S BECAUSE OF
HOW BANKS LEND MONEY AND DON'T
LEND MONEY.
THERE ARE SO MANY THINGS THAT
NEED TO BE CHANGED.
I THINK AT THIS MOMENT WHEN WE
ARE TALKING ABOUT BLACK LIVES
MATTER WHICH IS FOCUSED A LITTLE
BIT MORE ON POLICE ISSUES RIGHT
NOW, ISSUED BY AFRICAN AMERICANS
HAVE STRUGGLED IN AMERICA OVER
THE LAST 400 YEARS IS IS ALL
THESE STRUCTURAL CONSTRAINTS.
THINK WHEN YOU LOOK AT THE BLACK
INVENTOR, THE BLACK INVENTOR
SHOWS YOU IT'S NOT JUST THE
CONSTRAINT WHICH ARE MAYBE MORE
OBVIOUS, BUT THERE IS ALL THESE
CONSTRAINTS THAT HAVE TO DO WITH
EDUCATION, THAT HAVE TO DO WITH
HOW FINANCE WORKS, WITH HOW
BUSINESS WORKS, WHICH MEANS
EVERYONE ISN'T GETTING AN EQUAL
SHOT TO SUCCEED THAT CERTAIN
PEOPLE SEEM TO GET LOTS OF, AND
THAT IS SOMETHING I THINK THE