The African American Cultural Center welcomed the Traveling Black Inventions Museum to LSU’s campus on Monday, Feb. 19 from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. as part of its Black History Month program.
Models of inventions credited to Black inventors and scientists— including the traffic light, refrigerator, hairbrush and air conditioning— unit lined a long table that stretched down Free Speech Alley.
Umar Bey founded the museum in 1994 and has traveled with the exhibit around the country for 30 years, hoping to promote positive examples of Black history and contributions made throughout the centuries. From California to Atlanta to Baton Rouge, Bey has educated people on the accomplishments of Black inventors and scientists.
“I go around the country teaching children and people about the contributions of African Americans to their everyday lives,” Bey said.
Bey’s favorite artifact in the traveling museum is the Super Soaker water gun, which was patented on Sept. 29, 1992, by Lonnie Johnson, a Black man who was in the Air Force and worked as a systems engineer for NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory. In his spare time, Johnson invented the Super Soaker and a thermoelectric energy converter, which can generate electricity from heat. Johnson currently has his sights set on perfecting the rechargeable battery.
A recognizable face could be seen in the exhibit: first African American heavyweight boxing champ Jack Johnson. When he finished prize fighting, he began racing cars. Although he didn’t have his own pit crew, he patented his own wrench.
Several medical advancements were featured at the exhibit as well. In ancient Egypt, Imhotep invented the stethoscope. Dr. Patricia Bath invented an apparatus for removing cataracts in 1988. In 1970, Dewey Sanderson created the urinalysis machine. To combat pain, Bantu tribes in Africa consumed bark that contained acetylsalicylic acid, which is more commonly known as aspirin.
Other notable creations from Black inventors and scientists at the exhibit included the gamma electric cell, which is a key component to the modern-day cell phone and was invented by Henry Sampson in 1971. The telephone transmitter, which took cross-country communication from telegraph-style Morse code to that of a verbal quality, was invented in 1884 by Granville Woods, who later sold the device to the creator of the telephone, Alexander Graham Bell.
“Oftentimes, Black history is viewed in this negative kind of undertone,” Bey said, “so I try to bring it as a positive thing that people all over the world can kind of share.”
Sharalle Arnold, director of the African American Cultural Center, said it’s important to have these kinds of learning opportunities on campus because “it’s about showcasing and sharing the truth.”
“There is a lot of everyday items that you can see along that walkway that has made an impact on our everyday living,” Arnold said. “And as African Americans, we were not credited, not honored, not acknowledged for our contributions, our efforts, our skills and our scholarships.”
The goal of the African American Cultural Center, which was founded in 1993, is to develop students through access and representation of historic African American culture, heritage and tradition. The center provides educational and developmental opportunities for interested community members and is open to all LSU students.
“Black history is shared history for all of us to learn and to take part in,” Arnold said.
