Renee Jackson

March 12

@Katie Howe Sounds like fun!

February 28

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Andrew Jackson Beard

Andrew Jackson Beard rose from slavery to become an inventor of note whose automatic coupling system for railroad cars saved countless railroad workers from mutilation and death. His life epitomizes the possibilities available to those emancipated slaves who could adapt to and use the new conditions of their lives to their advantage. He followed a variety of occupations and enjoyed numerous opportunities for improving the lives of Americans.

Born into slavery in Woodland, Alabama, Andrew Beard worked on a plantation as a slave until emancipation in 1865. Then, at the age of 15, he began work as a farm laborer, marrying at sixteen and, in 1870, becoming a millwright. He combined his experiences farming with those of his work in the mill and began to improve upon the design of the plows available in the area. He bought and sold land as a sideline, earning a profit of $30,000, which enabled him to devote time to his inventions. He patented a new type of plow, which he sold in 1884 for $4,000. Further patents for the same technology were also sold and he moved on to pursue other inventions. In 1889, he designed a rotary engine, which cost significantly less than other steam engines to build and operate.

Later in life, Beard went to work for the railroads. While following this occupation he lost a leg trying to couple cars manually. As a result of this experience, he developed an improved means of automatically coupling rail cars, which he called the Jenny Coupler. He patented this coupler, by which two horizontal jaws engage when cars are pushed into each other, in 1897. He sold the patent to this device for $50,000 and revolutionized the railroad industry. https://www.nrrhof.org/andrew-jackson-beard

https://www.invent.org/inductees/andrew-j-beard

February 28

We can all be thankful for the life-saving ingenuity of Meredith Gourdine for developing incineraid which dispels smoke from burning buildings and a method of removing fog from airport runways. Think of him the next time you board an airplane on a foggy night!

For over thirty years, Meredith C. Gourdine was a pioneer researcher and inventor in the field of electrogasdynamics.

Gourdine was born in Newark, New Jersey. He ran track while attending Cornell University and won a silver medal in the long jump at the Helsinki Olympic Games in 1952. His academic curriculum centered on Engineering Physics, in which he earned a BS from Cornell in 1953 and a PhD from the California Institute of Technology (CalTech) in 1960. In his last three years at CalTech, Gourdine was already Senior Research Scientist at their Jet Propulsion Laboratory.

Gourdine was one of the first, and remains one of the most respected scientists in electrogasdynamics, which is the generation of energy from the motion of gas molecules that have been ionized (electrically charged) under high pressure. Gourdine's specialty was to invent very practical applications for this rather abstruse procedure.

Gourdine is best known for his invention of various electrostatic precipitator systems (first patents granted in 1971-1973), including "Incineraid," which helps to remove smoke from burning buildings, and a method of removing fog from airport runways (patented in 1987). These systems clear the air by introducing a negative charge to airborne particles. Once negatively charged, the particles are electromagnetically attracted to the ground, and so they drop down to have their former place taken by fresh air.

Gourdine was also granted patents for applications of electrogasdynamics to circuit breakers, acoustic imaging, air monitors, and coating systems, as well as the Focus Flow Heat Sink, which is used to cool computer chips. He earned over 30 U.S. patents throughout the course of his life.

Gourdine also focused his efforts on heating and cooling systems based on the conversion and transfer of thermal energy, with patents granted from 1989 to 1996. In 1994, he was inducted into the Engineering and Science Hall of Fame. Toward the end of his life, Gourdine suffered from diabetes and lost his sight as well as one leg to the disease. He died on November 20, 1998 from multiple strokes.

https://lemelson.mit.edu/resources/meredith-gourdine

February 27

Like most great games, Phase 10 has a pretty fascinating history. Phase 10 was invented in 1982 by an entrepreneurial 22 year old, Kenneth R. Johnson. It is based on several Rummy card games played by Ken over the years. It took a stroke of bad luck to turn Phase 10 from a vision into a game. While “laid off” from his job, Ken took the opportunity to develop Phase 10 and start a game manufacturing company. The first Phase 10 card games were sold to Kmart 30 years ago. They where assembled in the basement of Ken’s parents home in Detroit, Michigan and shipped to K-Mart nationwide. Ken ran the manufacturing and distribution operation for 5 years. In 1987, Fundex Games, an Indianapolis Indiana based game company, negotiated the rights to distribute Phase 10 over a Denny’s “Grand Slam Breakfast” and a glass of milk with ice. As they say, the rest is history. In 2010, Mattel took over from Fundex and became the distributor of Phase 10. Ken has remained the owner of the Phase 10 brand of games and continues to receive royalties. By 2012, Phase 10 had sold more than 42 millions copies worldwide. As we celebrate 40 years of Phase 10, we thank all of you loyal Phase 10 players and fans.

https://phase10games.com/history/

Ken's big success came in 1982 when he set out to design a new card game. Upon seeing the success of Uno, he wanted to design a card game that could achieve similar success. After just a couple of days sequestered in his apartment, he came up with the Phase 10 card game. His first customers included K-Mart and Meijer stores.

In 1987 Ken licensed the manufacturing and distribution rights of Phase 10 and began receiving royalties from the worldwide sales. Phase 10 is now licensed and produced by Mattel, the largest toy company in the world, with worldwide sales of over 4 million games per year.

Phase 10 is sold in over 30 countries and is the 2nd best selling card game in the world. In the summer of 2022, Ken will celebrate Phase 10's 40th Anniversary!

In 2012, Ken was nominated for a TAGIE award – the Oscar of the Toy and Game industry.

Ken lives in Southeast Michigan with his wife of 26 years and their 15 year old son. Ken currently owns a number of other businesses. Ken has been a guest speaker at inventor clubs, universities, civic organizations and other institutions across the country, and provides support and resources for inventors, entrepreneurs, and youth organizations.

https://www.kenjohnsonspeaks.com/

https://www.essence.com/lifestyle/phase-10-game/

https://www.blackenterprise.com/meet-the-black-inventor-behind-mattels-second-best-selling-card-game/

https://www.hourdetroit.com/things-to-do/local-inventor-ken-johnson-and-mattel-release-phase-10-anniversary-box-set/

February 27

Overhead shot of Weatherby smiling while students with open textbooks sit at a desk in the background

Dennis W. Weatherby was an administrator and scientist, responsible for leading the team that developed the chemical formula for what is now known as Cascade Dishwashing Detergent. Weatherby was born in Brighton, Alabama on December 4, 1959, to Willie and Flossie Mae Weatherby. He became intrigued with science as a child while studying identically-shaped Pringles potato chips. Weatherby attended Midfield High School in Birmingham, where he earned a football scholarship to Central State University (CSU) in Wilberforce, Ohio. He graduated with a BA in chemistry in 1982, and then attended the University of Dayton, Ohio, graduating with an MA in chemical engineering in 1984. He later earned his PhD in Educational Psychology from Auburn University in Alabama.

Shortly after graduation in 1982, Weatherby took a job with the Procter & Gamble company, located in Cincinnati. He was hired as a process engineer, and within his first few years, he was asked to lead a team to create a new version of dishwashing detergent, a consumer product that P&G had marketed since 1955. The existing product contained a pigment that stained both dishes and dishwashers. Weatherby and his team were asked to create a new cleaning detergent that eliminated those problems.

At the age of 27, Weatherby made a major breakthrough, and along with co-developer Brian J. Roselle, he and his team developed a solution that did not stain dishes. On December 22, 1987, Weatherby received U.S. Patent No. 4,714,562 for “automatic dishwasher detergent composition.” That solution still serves as the basic formula behind all lemon-scented cleaning products that contain bleach. P&G continued to call the product Cascade Dishwashing Detergent, and it would become the company’s most popular detergent brand sold since then.

Dennis Weatherby with Cascade products, March 25, 2002 Photograph by Alvin Benn, courtesy The Montgomery Advertiser

Weatherby left P&G, and worked briefly for The Whittaker Corporation, before joining the faculty at his alma mater, Central State University in 1989. By 1994, he became the assistant professor of water quality for the CSU International Center for Water Resources Management. During his tenure, Weatherby served as an advisor, recruiter, and counselor for students in the environmental program, and was responsible for more than 400% growth in student enrollment at the university.

In 1996, Weatherby left CSU to join the faculty of Auburn University, to establish and lead the school’s new minority engineering program. He moved to the University of Notre Dame in South Bend, Indiana in 2004, serving as the associate dean of the graduate school. Weatherby left Notre Dame in 2006, when he accepted the position of Associate Provost for student success at Northern Kentucky University.

Weatherby suffered from high blood pressure throughout his life, and fell ill in August 2007. While recovering at home, he hit his foot on a bedpost, and developed a blood clot that traveled to his brain. He died on September 15, 2007 at the age of 47 in Alexandria, Kentucky. He is survived by his wife, Marpessa, daughters, Audrey, Rachel, Elaine, Antoneah, and sons, Ryan and Stephen. In his honor, to commemorate 25 years of the Engineering Academic Excellence Program, The Weatherby Society at Auburn University was established to recognize those who have made donations and gifts in excess of $25,000. https://ecm.eng.auburn.edu/wp/emag/?p=8666

Weatherby experienced chronic high blood pressure throughout his life. In August 2007, he was recovering at home after a period of illness related when he hit his foot and developed a blood clot that traveled to his brain. Weatherby died on September 15, 2007. He was 47 years old, leaving behind a wife, four daughters, and two sons.

https://www.blackpast.org/african-american-history/dennis-weatherby-1959-2007/

February 21

Dr. Robert Bullard is founding director of the Bullard Center for Environmental and Climate Justice and distinguished professor of urban planning and environmental policy at Texas Southern University. His Dumping in Dixie: Race, Class and Environmental Quality was the first book to introduce readers to the field of environmental justice (Westview Press, 1990). Robert Bullard's Biography (thehistorymakers.org)

The Father of Environmental Justice Reflects on the Movement He Helped to Start | Scientific American

If you are unfamiliar with the work the UCC has done regarding environmental racism and justice, you can read about the UCC's groundbreaking work on environmental racism at Environmental Justice Ministries - United Church of Christ (ucc.org). You will be inspired by the stories shared in this video about the impact of ordinary people addressing injustices in their communities. Many thanks to Rev. Dr. Brooks Berndt for his ongoing work in this arena.

February 21

The UCC's own Join the Movement enterprise seeks to share and inspire justice for people of African Descent and All people. At https://jointhemovementucc.org/jtm-news/black-history-month-2023/ we can learn about the antiracist spiritual practice of Sankofa (a word that means 'go back and fetch it' from the Akan people of Ghana).

Building Freedom Schools provides students opportunities to challenge racist myths and to perceive themselves and the world through the lens of truth and justice. One of the additional ways racist myths can be challenged is through reading the so-called 'banned books' to educate ourselves in understanding the fullness of American history. Check out https://jointhemovementucc.org/jtm-resources/banned-books-blessing/ and more at Join The Movement – When love is the lens through which we see the world, justice is possible. (jointhemovementucc.org)

February 20

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Hazel Scott was a multilingual, multi-talented artist, and social critic. Hazel was the daughter of a classical pianist mother and academic father. Through her mother's insistence, Hazel auditioned for the Juilliard School at the age of 8 and was granted a scholarship after hearing her play a virtuosic Rachmaninov Prelude. While in her teens, Hazel played in a jazz band and hosted her own radio show. Her career continued to reach heights and she became known for her improvisation skills and "jazzing up" the classics by Bach, Mozart, and others. Hazel counted Duke Ellington and Frank Sinatra among her fans. Her hands were insured by Lloyds of London.

Hazel refused to perform in segregated venues. She once sued a restaurant in Washington for refusing to serve her and her companion. Her victory helped challenge racial discrimination in Spokane.

Hazel was featured in several Hollywood films in which she negotiated that she would only play herself, refusing any demeaning or subservient roles. In 1950 the Hazel Scott Show aired 3 times/week for 15 minutes, during which she sang, played the piano and engaged with her audience. The show received outstanding ratings, but no footage of it remains.

Hazel was also scandalously involved with Adam Clayton Powell while he was married. Powell divorced his wife and married Hazel a few days later. They became the parents of Adam Clayton Powell, III.

One of the examples of her legacy is her playing two pianos side by side. https://www.classicfm.com/music-news/videos/virtuoso-hazel-scott-plays-two-pianos/

Learn more about Hazel Scott:

https://www.classicfm.com/discover-music/instruments/piano/hazel-scott-jazz-entertainer-fought-racial-segregation/

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hazel_Scott

https://www.womenshistory.org/education-resources/biographies/hazel-scott

https://blogs.loc.gov/loc/2021/10/hazel-scott-the-gorgeous-face-of-jazz-at-the-mid-century/

February 20

Carl Brashear became the first African American Master Diver and first amputee diver in the US Navy. His story is powerfully portrayed in the film "Men of Honor" by Cuba Gooding, Jr.

After repeated denials of his applications to diving school, in 1954 Brashear was finally admitted to the naval Salvage Diving School in Bayonne, NJ. After successfully completing his training as a salvage diver, he went on to train as a SCUBA diver.

Brashear successfully earned his GED, made chief, and started training to become a first class diver, but failed the first class course and was demoted to non-diver. Not letting this setback deter him, he enrolled in second class diving school which, though a lower ranking than salvage diver, was better than being a non-diver. Several years later he re-enrolled in the training to become a first class diver. He was told he had to retake the 12 weeks of training he'd passed previously in addition to the required first class diver training. He completed the requirements while also tutoring a struggling fellow classmate.

In 1966 he was part of a crew sent to retrieve a hydrogen bomb that had fallen into the Mediterranean Sea after two US aircraft collided. Brashear became critically injured when a steel pipe broke loose and nearly severed his leg after he saved another sailor from being killed. He was awarded the Navy and Marine Corps Medal for his heroism. Rather than endure several years of recovery, Brashear elected to have his leg amputated after reading about an amputee pilot who had returned to active duty.

Determined to meet his goal of becoming a master diver, Brashear convinced the Navy to let him return to the Norfolk diving school. He was granted a one year probationary period to prove himself capable of the demands of diving and was returned to full duty as a Navy diver, the first time in Navy history for an amputee.

Read more of his incredible story at https://navalunderseamuseum.org/carl-brashear/

February 20

Carl Brashear became the first African American Master Diver and first amputee diver in the US Navy. His story is powerfully portrayed in the film "Men of Honor" by Cuba Gooding, Jr.

After repeated denials of his applications to diving school, in 1954 Brashear was finally admitted to the naval Salvage Diving School in Bayonne, NJ. After successfully completing his training as a salvage diver, he went on to train as a SCUBA diver.

Brashear successfully earned his GED, made chief, and started training to become a first class diver, but failed the first class course and was demoted to non-diver. Not letting this setback deter him, he enrolled in second class diving school which, though a lower ranking than salvage diver, was better than being a non-diver. Several years later he re-enrolled in the training to become a first class diver. He was told he had to retake the 12 weeks of training he'd passed previously in addition to the required first class diver training. He completed the requirements while also tutoring a struggling fellow classmate.

In 1966 he was part of a crew sent to retrieve a hydrogen bomb that had fallen into the Mediterranean Sea after two US aircraft collided. Brashear became critically injured when a steel pipe broke loose and nearly severed his leg after he saved another sailor from being killed. He was awarded the Navy and Marine Corps Medal for his heroism. Rather than endure several years of recovery, Brashear elected to have his leg amputated after reading about an amputee pilot who had returned to active duty.

Determined to meet his goal of becoming a master diver, Brashear convinced the Navy to let him return to the Norfolk diving school. He was granted a one year probationary period to prove himself capable of the demands of diving and was returned to full duty as a Navy diver, the first time in Navy history for an amputee.

Read more of his incredible story at https://navalunderseamuseum.org/carl-brashear/

February 12

On 2/8/2024 at 3:01 PM, Phyllis Richards said:

Join Zoom Meeting
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/86995596827?pwd=RkFiYVZRY3Yxdm1CSThoTzYxL0RZdz09

Meeting ID: 869 9559 6827
Passcode: 692507

If you are joining In Person - please note below if you plan to attend. All are welcome, we just ask that you let us know, so that we may have a good food count.

Location: Mission Central - 11th Floor Conference Room

The 2024 Black History Month reps are Renee Jackson and Sherri Smith

All Intercultural Relations Council Events are sponsored by Human Resources.

I will be there!

February 12

Out of over 2,000 senators, only 12 have been African American. Hiram Revels was the first Back Senator and served a partial term in Mississippi in 1870.

Blanche Bruce the first Black Senator to serve a full 6 year term in Mississippi, from 1875-1881. He was later appointed by President James Garfield as Register of the US Treasury, making him the first Black man to have his signature on US currency.

Learn more about Revels and Bruce at Emerging Civil War

There wasn't another Black Senator for 86 years.

Edward Brooke of Massachusetts was the first Black Senator elected by popular vote in 1967. Learn more about him at Edward Brooke, III (1919-2015) • (blackpast.org)

February 7

High on the Hog: How African American Cuisine Transformed America is a docuseries that provides historical and cultural background of African American cuisine and its influence on American culture.

Watch High on the Hog: How African American Cuisine Transformed America | Netflix Official Site

Why Netflix's New Series High on the Hog Is a Must-Watch (eatingwell.com)

February 6

On 2/2/2024 at 3:00 PM, Renee Jackson said:

Dr. Simon's presentation on February 7 will be "Teaching People to Fly: Christ-rooted and African Centered Practices.

I will be there

February 6

Stamped from the Beginning is a fast-moving documentary based on the best-selling book by Ibram X. Kendi that effectively links current racial inequities to US enslavement of African people.

February 2

How Lanny Smith Went From NBA Player To Athletic Apparel Entrepreneur (blackenterprise.com)

Interview:

20230817_fastcompany_activelyblack_shoot

February 2

Bayard Rustin was the visionary behind the March on Washington where Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. gave his "I Have a Dream" speech. Rustin is not well known because he was a gay man during a time when his sexuality was deemed sinful and shameful, thus overshadowing his brilliance. The film "Rustin" finally gives him his due. It can be viewed on Netflix. You can read more about him at Bayard Rustin - Wikipedia.

Rustin on Netflix trailer:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EuZ-UONInl4

February 2

Dr. Simon's presentation on February 7 will be "Teaching People to Fly: Christ-rooted and African Centered Practices.

December 6, 2023

The article didn't name the leaders of the other denominations. Anything to share about further plans?

November 27, 2023

Shock Wow GIF by Ananya Birla

May 30, 2023

Phyllis, my sincere condolences on your father's transition. May the love of Christ and the comfort of the Holy Spirit carry you and your family through this loss.

Sorry For Your Loss Disney Quote GIF

February 14, 2023

Understanding the full picture of American history and its relationship with its African descended citizens is helped by many books, films, and museums. Two such films are "Who We Are: A Chronicle of Racism in America" by civil rights lawyer Jeffery Robinson (available on Netflix), and the critically acclaimed mini series, the "1619 Project" by Nikole Hannah-Jones (available on Hulu).

https://thewhoweareproject.org/the-film

https://youtu.be/IGsGRSgZbXY trailer for "Who We Are"

https://youtu.be/NVtkdZdhHgw trailer for "The 1619 Project"

February 14, 2023

The documentary "Woman in Motion" explores the life of the late Nichelle Nichols and her role in recruiting women and people of color into NASA space programs. The film can be viewed on YouTube.