Honestly, if you look at your smartphone right now, you aren't just looking at a piece of Silicon Valley tech. You’re looking at the fingerprints of women who had to fight just to get into the room, let alone get a patent. We usually hear about the same three or four guys when we talk about big inventions, but the real history of African American women inventors is a lot messier, more brilliant, and frankly, more interesting than the textbook version.
It’s not just about "firsts." It's about people like Marie Van Brittan Brown, who was a nurse working odd hours in Queens during the 60s. She didn't set out to "disrupt an industry." She was just scared because the police were slow to respond to calls in her neighborhood. So, she and her husband rigged up a camera that could slide between peepholes and a two-way microphone. Basically, she invented the precursor to the Ring doorbell and modern CCTV because she wanted to feel safe in her own house.
Why the "First Patent" Story is Kinda Complicated
There’s often a debate about who the first Black woman to receive a U.S. patent actually was. For a long time, people pointed to Sarah E. Goode in 1885. She invented the folding cabinet bed—a lifesaver for people living in tiny urban apartments. It was a desk by day and a bed by night. Super practical.
But research eventually dug up Judy Woodford Reed. She actually beat Goode to the punch by about a year, getting a patent in 1884 for a dough kneader and roller. The catch? Reed signed her patent with an "X" because she likely couldn't read or write. It’s a wild reminder that these women were innovating while the literal laws of the land were designed to keep them from even learning the alphabet.
History is rarely a straight line.
African American Women Inventors and the Tech You Use Every Day
Most people think of "inventions" as physical gadgets, like a toaster. But the most impactful work often happens at the level of physics and data.
Take Dr. Shirley Ann Jackson.
She was the first Black woman to earn a Ph.D. from MIT. While she was at Bell Labs, her research in theoretical physics paved the way for things we take for granted now: touch-tone phones, solar cells, and even the fiber optic cables that make the internet possible. When you see "Caller ID" pop up on your screen, you’re looking at the results of her breakthroughs.
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Then there’s Marian Croak. She has over 200 patents. If you’ve ever used Zoom or Skype, you’ve used her work. She basically pioneered Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP). Back in the day, experts thought the idea of sending clear voice data over the internet was a pipe dream. She proved them wrong. She also invented the "text-to-donate" system. You know, like when you text a number to give $10 to the Red Cross after a hurricane? That was her.
The Problem with the "Hidden Figures" Narrative
We love a good underdog story, but calling these women "hidden" sort of lets society off the hook. They weren't hiding. They were working.
Valerie Thomas is a great example.
In the late 70s, she saw an exhibit that used light and mirrors to create an illusion of a glowing lightbulb. She went back to NASA and developed the Illusion Transmitter. It uses concave mirrors to project 3D images that look totally real. NASA still uses this tech today, and it’s a massive part of how modern surgical imaging works. She wasn't hidden; she was literally at the top of her field at NASA Goddard Space Flight Center.
The Massive "Patent Gap" Nobody Talks About
Here is the uncomfortable truth: the number of patents held by Black women is still nowhere near where it should be.
According to reports from Invent Together, Black inventors file for patents at about one-third the rate of white inventors. Why? It’s not a lack of ideas. It’s the "innovation desert" problem. If you don't have access to patent attorneys (who are incredibly expensive) or venture capital, your invention stays a drawing in a notebook.
A 2023 WIPO report noted that at the current pace, we won't see gender parity in patenting until sometime between 2061 and 2080. When you add the layer of race on top of that, the timeline gets even grimmer.
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- Access to Capital: 61% of Black women entrepreneurs self-fund their businesses. They aren't getting the big VC checks.
- Mentorship: It's hard to navigate the USPTO (U.S. Patent and Trademark Office) without a guide.
- Systemic Bias: Mary Beatrice Davidson Kenner invented the sanitary belt (the precursor to the maxi pad) in the 50s. A company was interested until they found out she was Black. They backed out. She didn't get a patent for another 30 years.
Modern Innovators You Should Know in 2026
Innovation didn't stop in the 19th century. There are women right now changing how we interact with AI and medicine.
Dr. Raychelle Burks is doing incredible work in forensic chemistry, creating sensors that can detect explosives and drugs just by using light. Then you have people like Lisa Gelobter, who worked on the core animation technology that gave us the GIF. Yes, the memes you send every day exist because of her.
And we can't forget the medical field. Dr. Patricia Bath changed everything for people with cataracts. She invented the Laserphaco Probe in 1986. Before her, cataract surgery was much more invasive. She found a way to use lasers to vaporize the cataracts quickly and nearly painlessly. She was also the first Black woman doctor to receive a medical patent.
What We Get Wrong About Success
We tend to think that if an invention is good enough, it’ll just naturally become famous. That’s a lie.
Alice H. Parker patented a natural gas central heating furnace in 1919. Think about that. Before her, you were chopping wood or hauling coal to keep your house from freezing. Her design was the blueprint for the HVAC systems we use today. But for decades, her name wasn't in the history books. Success for African American women inventors has always required a level of persistence that is honestly exhausting to think about.
How to Support the Next Generation of Inventors
If you actually care about seeing more innovation, it’s not enough to just share a post during Black History Month.
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First, look into organizations like Black Girls Code or WorkTorch, founded by sisters Deborah Gladney and Angela Muhwezi-Hall. They are actively building the infrastructure that was denied to previous generations.
Second, if you're an entrepreneur or a creator, look into the IDEA Act. It’s legislation aimed at making the patent process more transparent by collecting demographic data. You can't fix a gap you can't measure.
Lastly, educate yourself on the patent process. The USPTO has been trying to bridge the gap with "Pro Bo" programs that provide free legal help to under-resourced inventors. If you have an idea, don't let the cost of a lawyer stop you.
The history of innovation isn't just a list of names. It’s a reminder that some of the most important tools in your house—your heater, your security system, your phone—exist because a woman refused to accept that things "just were the way they were."
Practical Steps for Aspiring Inventors:
- Document everything: Keep a dated log of your designs. This is your "prior art."
- Search the USPTO database: Before you spend a dime, see if someone else already has a patent on your idea.
- Find a Pro Bono Patent Attorney: Look for regional programs that help inventors who meet certain income requirements.
- Join an Innovation Hub: Look for local tech incubators that specifically focus on minority-led startups to find the mentorship that history tried to deny.