The IW Valentines Day Tribute:

Recognizing Influential Black Inventors and Entrepreneurs

In 1926, historian Carter G. Woodson proposed a time for African-Americans to be recognized for their accomplishments and contributions to the United States. In 1976 Black History month was officially recognized by President Gerald Ford.

In recognition of Black History month, Innovation Works would like to highlight African-Americans who have made meaningful contributions to technology. Contributions of that are still being used today; from computer parts, to security systems and much more!

At IW, we value and celebrate their diversity of thought, experience and ambition.

1. Kimberly Bryant — Kimberly Bryant is an electrical engineer and activist whose career has had a wide-ranging impact. She’s spent over 20 years in the pharmaceutical and biotech industries, and she’s also a champion for diversity and inclusion in tech. She’s the Founder and Executive Director of Black Girls CODE, a program dedicated to introducing girls of color to the tech industry by teaching computer programming to school-age girls. Their goal is to teach one million black girls to code by 2040. She is one of the most influential engineers in her career and her advocacy, and she was recognized as a White House Champion of Change for Tech Inclusion in 2013. (Source)
2. Dr. Sandra Murry — Dr. Murray is a professor of Cell Biology and Physiology at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine. She is the first African American woman to be named a full professor at the school. Her research focuses on cellular organization and cell to cell communication. Dr. Murray’s current work seeks to elucidate the molecular mechanisms that regulate gap junction plaque assembly, disassembly, and degradation. Dr. Murray’s passion for knowledge and her interest in biomedical research was motivated by the impact that research can have on the lives of millions of people. (Source)
3. Roy Clay — Roy Clay is known as the “Godfather of Silicon Valley.” In the late 1950s, he was the first person of color to work at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory where he developed his first piece computer program, a component to measure how radiation would spread after an atomic disaster. Clay later went to work for Hewlett-Packard (HP) and developed new software. After leaving HP, he created his own company ROD-L Electronics which became a world leader in developing electrical safety testing equipment. In 2003, he was inducted into the Silicon Valley Engineering Council’s Hall of Fame. (Source)
4. Lonnie Johnson — Lonnie Johnson grew up in segregated Alabama. Inspired by George Washington Carver, he was inspired to create, build and invent. During high school, he invented a robot called Linex and won a competition at the University of Alabama, despite being the only African American in the competition. Johnson’s ambition to create did not stop there. He went to work as an engineer for the Air Force and NASA. He is likely best known for inventing the “Super Soaker” water gun. In 2008, Johnson received the Breakthrough Award from Popular Mechanics. (Source)
5. Marie Van Britton Brown — Originally a nurse, Maria Van Britton Brown is known as the inventor of the home security system. Her invention was a combination of peepholes (some at the height of children), camera and microphone systems, and a button to alert emergency response teams. (Source)
6. Frank Greene — Frank Greene was a venture capitalist, electronics technologist, and high-tech business executive. He worked as an Electronics Officer for the Air Force and developed high performance computers for the National Security Agency. After leaving the Air Force, Greene co-founded the Technology Development Corporation, a computer software and technical services company that would grow from four employees to over 300 by 1985, with annual revenues of over $30 million. In 1993, he became the Founding General Partner of New Vista Capital where he invested in many tech startups. In 2001, Greene was inducted into the Silicon Valley Hall of Fame. (Source)
7. Valerie Thomas — Valerie Thomas had a strong interest in technology early on but didn’t receive support for it until she attended Morgan State University. She was one of only two women in her class to major in physics. She excelled at school and landed a job as a mathematical/data analyst for NASA. She worked at NASA from 1964 to 1995, conducting large-scale experiments, developing computer data systems, and most notably, spearheading the development of the first satellite to send images from space, “Landsat.” The technology she developed is still used by NASA today. (Source)
8. Clarence “Skip” Ellis — A native of Chicago, Clarence “Skip” Ellis was the first African-American to earn a Ph.D. in computer science (he earned this degree from University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign in 1969). While studying, Ellis worked on hardware, software, and the development of ILLIAC IV supercomputer. He had a long career at major tech companies like Bell Telephone Laboratories, IBM, Xerox, and more. At the Palo Alto Research Center where he worked from 1976 to 1984, Ellis spearheaded a group that invented Officetalk. It was the first office system to use icons and ethernet to allow people to collaborate from a distance. Ellis was a real pioneer in this field of operational transformation (examining the functionality in collaborative systems), which is found in computer applications today like Google Docs. (Source)
9. Dr. Mark Dean — Mark Dean is an influential Black tech leader and prominent figure in computer science. Early on he had an interest — and a gift — in technology, building his own computer, radio and amplifier when he was in high school. He began working at IBM in 1980, where he was an essential leader in developing the personal computer. He holds 3 of IBM’s original 9 patents for the PC. Beyond that, he holds a total of 20 patents. Throughout his career he has made significant contributions to IBM’s research and development. More recently, he led the team that produced the 1-Gigahertz chip. He is the first African-American to become an IBM Fellow, which represents the highest level of technical excellence. (Source)
10. John Henry Thompson — John Henry Thompson has used his background in computer science and visual arts to help bridge the early gap between technology and art. He is the inventor of Lingo, a scripting language that renders visuals in computer programs. Many programs that use graphics, animation, sound, and video for interactive simulations still use Lingo to this day. It’s also been used to create the programs that are now used in video games, web design, animation and graphics. (Source)