UPPER IOWA UNIVERSITY – Adriel Hilton

For the last post of this Black History Month, I would like to talk about someone many consider to be the mother of Black entrepreneurship; Madame CJ Walker.  Born Sarah McWilliams (birth name) on December 23, 1867 in Delta, Louisiana to former slaves, she moved around a few times and eventually settled in St. Louis, Missouri to live with her daughter. 

After moving to St. Louis, Sarah began working as a cook and housekeeper.  As a result of stress and hardship, Sarah began to notice her hair was falling out.  She tried several products that were advertised but they didn’t help.  One night, Sarah had a dream and when she awoke she said, “A big black man appeared to me and told me what to mix up for my hair.  Some of the remedy was grown in Africa, but I sent for it, put it on my scalp, and in a few weeks my hair was coming in faster than it had ever fallen out.”  She shared her formula with friends and found it successful for them as well.  Realizing there were almost no hair products available for Blacks, she decided to go into business, selling hair products to Black women. 

In 1905 after Sarah’s brother died, she moved to Denver, Colorado to live with her sister-in-law.  She had only $2.00 in her pocket yet she worked during the day as a cook in order to finance her part-time business.  Shortly after moving to Denver she met Charles Joseph “CJ” Walker, a newspaperman with an innate ability for marketing.  She married him in January of 1906 and the couple started the “Madam CJ Walker Manufacturing Company.” 

After years of struggling and suffering, Sarah wanted her company to grow so she started selling her products door-to-door.  In 1906 her hard work paid off and she brought in her daughter Lelia, a recent college graduate, to manage the company.  While Lelia ran much of the company, Sarah traveled across the country and throughout Latin America and the Caribbean marketing her products and developing new ones. 

In 1908, Sarah started Lelia College in Pittsburg, PA, which trained women to sell her products door-to-door and by 1910 had more than 1,000 sales agents.  In the same year, she would relocate the headquarters to Indianapolis, IN.  By 1914, the woman who only nine years ago had $2.00 in her pocket now was worth more than $1,000,000.00.  Sarah would eventually purchase a 34 room mansion built off of the Hudson River in New York.  When she dies on May 25, 1919, she was mourned throughout the Black community as a pioneer.  Sarah McWilliams (Madame CJ Walker), thank you for your contribution to the Black community and your entrepreneurial spirit.  Your legacy continues to speak for itself and inspire youth to succeed.

Every once in a while I’ve attempted to go out with friends for a leisurely game of golf.  I’m nowhere near being a good player but when I’m out on the course, I enjoy the camaraderie of the game and the beauty of nature (most golf courses are quite beautiful).  Sometimes the hardest part of the game is just teeing off, which brings me to today’s subject. 

On December 12, 1899, Dr. George Grant was given a U.S. patent (No. 638,920) for his unique invention - the golf tee.  Dr. Grant was not only one of the first Black golfers in Post Civil War America; he was also one of the first Black dentists.  His patent was the blueprint for today’s wooden and plastic tees.  By no means was Dr. Grant a great golfer. In fact, much like myself, he mostly enjoyed the social aspects of the game. 

The process of teeing up the ball and pinching sand mounds was a grueling process.  Attempting to get the correct amount of sand for each tee was taxing, not to mention the constant bending down to build the mounds.  Tired of being inconvenienced, Dr. Grant put his skills to work to improve the game, at least for those playing it. 

More of an innovator than a businessman, Dr. Grant never marketed his invention.  Instead, he gave his golf tees away to friends and playing partners and the rest remained tucked away at his residence. It wasn’t until well after his death in 1910 that his invention became well known and widely used.

Out of his desire to enjoy and improve the game of golf emerged the creation of one of the most essential elements of the sport.  Dr. Grant, thank you for your innovation, insight and vision. The golf tee comes in so many variations today but it still serves the initial purpose that it was meant to in 1899.

We often refer to educators as innovators but rarely do we refer to them as inventors.  I am excited to highlight Dr. Shirley Jackson in today’s post.  Dr. Jackson developed a love of science and mathematics at an early age, developing an interest in research by studying, of all things, the eating habits of honeybees.  This intrinsic desire led Dr. Jackson to enroll at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) where she obtained bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral degrees in physics.  Dr. Jackson would become the first Black female to acquire a PhD from MIT.
 
While using her knowledge and experiments in theoretical physics, she went on to make advances in telecommunications at Bell Laboratories.  Her many contributions include the portable fax machine, touch tone telephone, solar cell and the fiber optic cables that are used to transmit international phone calls.  She has also assisted in the creation of Caller ID and Call Waiting.  It is hard to imagine life without these simple pleasantries.
 
No longer employed at Bell Laboratories, Dr. Jackson is currently leading the next group of scientists, inventors, engineers and mathematicians at Renesselaer Polytechnic Institute in Troy, NY.  Dr. Jackson’s goal for Renesselaer is, “to achieve prominence in the 21st century as a top-tier world-class technological research university, with global reach and global impact."  This is a huge task but Dr. Jackson’s credentials and experiences more than qualify her for the job.
 
Dr. Jackson, your inventions, technical knowledge, mentoring and leadership within the Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) fields are helping to keep science and innovation at the forefront of America.  Thank you for your contributions and tireless efforts to lead the next cohort of young minds.  The world is a better place thanks to you.

I would like to talk about African American inventors for the remainder of this week.  African Americans have made significant contributions to our society in a number of different ways, but none perhaps more significant than some of the African American inventors who have helped to make our lives better.  One such person is Thomas Jennings, who was born in 1791 and worked in many jobs before settling on a career as a tailor.  Thomas became widely known for his skills and tailoring abilities.  As his business continued to grow, he opened his own tailor shop on Church Street in New York City. 

Thomas didn’t like the fact that he would make very nice clothes for his customers and then watch them throw the articles away once they became soiled, or for some, simply keep wearing soiled clothing, so he set out to try and create a solution to the problem. He began testing chemicals and processes that would clean the garments and eventually found the right combination, calling his process “Dry scouring” – today we call it dry cleaning. 

 In 1820, Thomas Jennings applied for a patent for his “dry scouring” process, and in 1821, he became the first African American to receive a patent. It built quite a bit of wealth for him at the time. 

 It is difficult to imagine life today without dry cleaning, yet it is something many of us take for granted in terms of importance. I think I personally keep the dry cleaning businesses profitable in the cities where I have lived. I am so grateful for this invention, as I am sure so many others are.  

An entrepreneur, inventor, and tailor are just a few titles that Thomas Jennings wore during his lifetime.  Far better is the title of philanthropist.  He took a vast majority of his wealth and invested in abolitionist activity in the Northeast.  In 1831, Thomas went on to become Assistant Secretary for the First Annual Convention of the People of Color in Philadelphia, PA. 

Jennings died in 1859. Many have forgotten or simply didn’t know that he was the first African American to receive a patent in this country, and that’s fine because it is far more important that he be remembered for making the best of his life, and for enhancing the lives of a great many people, even today.  Thomas Jennings is not just important to Black history; he is also important to the history of America.

On this date in 1989, Rap/Hip-Hop duo, DJ Jazzy Jeff and the Fresh Prince (now known as Will Smith) won the first rap Grammy for their hit single, “Parents Just Don’t Understand.”  I remember listening to this song and saying to myself; "No, Parent’s just don’t understand.”  This was a major milestone for the Rap/Hip-Hop Community.  The music academy finally recognized rap/hip-hop as a legitimate genre of music. 

Another classic that DJ Jazzy Jeff and the Fresh Prince went on to record is the summertime anthem, “Summertime.”  This song is infused with nice beats and good lyrics that even when I think about it today, I’m taken to memories of the beach, summer barbecues or just time hanging out with friends. 

Rap/Hip Hop, at its early creation and even now, has always been about expression.  Young men and women have been able to assemble rhymes that tell an eloquent story or that give them insight to their lives.  They have been able to take these words and create metaphors and poetry. 

I’m grateful for DJ Jazzy Jeff and the Fresh Prince for creating rap/hip-hop music that left me with a feeling of nostalgia.  Artists like these have helped to give voice and opportunity to other rap/hip-hop artists that currently use rap/hip-hop to communicate with world leaders, Fortune 500 companies and inspire generations. 

Upper Iowa University recognizes DJ Jazzy Jeff and the Fresh Prince for their accomplishments and the expression known as rap/hip-hop. 

On this day in 1992, John Singleton became the first Black movie director to be nominated for an Academy Award. His nomination was for best director and best screenplay for his first film, “Boyz N the Hood.”  Coming of age in the 1990’s, this movie resonated with me because of the sense of community and understanding it portrayed, while these young men were themselves growing up, navigating through peer pressure and the relevance of a strong Black father. 

On a personal note, John Singleton was a participant in the Afro-Academic Cultural, Technological and Scientific Olympics (ACT-SO) through the NAACP as a teenager.  I also participated in ACT-SO, which was my first introduction to the name, John Singleton. 

 Along with Singleton’s critically acclaimed “Boyz N the Hood,” his 1995 film, “Higher Learning,” was also a favorite of mine.  It follows students at a fictional university throughout a tumultuous semester.  Two of the main characters, Malik (played by Omar Epps) and Remy (played by Michael Rapaport), are freshmen trying to navigate their way through their freshman year while attempting to fit in.  In their efforts to fit in, the roommates in the film separate and gravitate towards their ethnic peers;  Malik being Black and Remy, a Neo-Natzi Skinhead.  Throughout the film, the theme of inclusion was prominent. 

 During my matriculation through undergraduate and graduate school, this is something I can relate to very well, as I am sure most students can.  We all want to be accepted and there is no more frightening moment than being the new kid, a freshman, transfer student or a new graduate student, at a new university (getting to know other students and experiencing new events), my sense of diversity heightened to more than racial diversity but to include gender, and other cultures. 

As an administrator, I value the issues John Singleton brought to the surface in this film.  At a time when segregation no longer exists and we have a Black President, there is still a necessity to promote racial tolerance, inclusion and diversity.  These are the ideals of an enlightened society, and principles, I am pleased to say, that Upper Iowa University is committed to throughout the fabric of the institution and the educational experience of its students. 

We should all aspire to John Singleton’s approach to these issues and recommit ourselves to a world where we are all judged by the content of our character…and nothing else.

This is actually a very important day in Black history and a special one for me, personally. It was on this day in 1931 that one of my favorite writers of all time was born; author and Pulitzer Prize winner Toni Morrison was born in Lorain, Ohio. Even as a child, reading was very important to her. In fact, she says her fondness for reading made education a cornerstone for her at a very early age. In 1949 Morrison entered Howard University to study English, receiving her B.A. in English in 1953. She went on to earn a Master of Arts degree, also in English, from Cornell University in 1955.

In academia, Morrison became an English instructor at Texas Southern University in Houston, Texas (from 1955-57) then returned to Howard to teach English. She went on to teach English at two branches of the State University of New York. In 1984 she was appointed to an Albert Schweitzer chair at the University at Albany, The State University of New York. From 1989 until her retirement in 2006, Morrison held the Robert F. Goheen Chair in the Humanities at Princeton University.

Though based in the Creative Writing Program, Morrison did not regularly offer writing workshops to students after the late 1990s, a fact that earned her some criticism. Rather, she has conceived and developed the prestigious Princeton Atelier, a program that brings together talented students with critically acclaimed, world-famous artists. Together the students and the artists produce works of art that are presented to the public after a semester of collaboration. In her position at Princeton, Morrison used her insights to encourage not merely new and emerging writers, but artists working to develop new forms of art through interdisciplinary play and cooperation.

Morrison began writing fiction as part of an informal group of poets and writers at Howard University who met to discuss their work. I am sure many of you will recognize some of her works - Bluest Eye, Sula, Song of Solomon, and Beloved. She probably thought, and who would have blamed her, that 1988 was the high point of her career when she won the coveted Pulitzer Prize for Beloved. But then came 1993, when she won the Nobel Prize in Literature.

Through her books and academic career, Toni Morrison has strongly impacted the lives of individual readers and many students. She gave her students a chance to collaborate with artists who would have tremendous impact on their creative mind, and she gave us an opportunity to enter her literary world. Thank you, Ms. Morrison, for sharing your works and inspiring us beyond measure.

On this date in 1902, contralto, Marian Anderson was born in Philadelphia, PA.  At just 17 years old, Anderson entered the New York Philharmonic Competition and took first place over 299 other singers.  In 1930, Marian received the Rosenwald Fellowship which allowed her access to travel to London and study for a year.  While in London, where she was received enthusiastically, Marian Anderson made her European debut in a concert in Wigmore Hall. She spent the early 1930s touring throughout Europe where she says she did not encounter the racial prejudices she had experienced in America.

I have loved Anderson since I was a kid. The sadness of her story is that, as one of the greatest American voices, she did not enjoy having a great career in the United States during her lifetime as a result of racism.  Many places were "closed" to her performances, so she went to Europe, Russia, Scandinavia and other countries where she was highly celebrated and where they adored her talent.
 
Historians note that Anderson was refused entrance to perform in the halls of Congress in the United States because the “Wives of Congress,” a very powerful organization of White women, would not allow it.  The group’s Chairwoman, Lady Eleanor Roosevelt, resigned and left the organization and arranged the world-famous Open Air Concert on Easter Sunday, in 1939 televised globally in front of the Lincoln Memorial to a crowd of more than 75,000 people to show the United States and the world the awesome talent of one Marion Anderson. She continued to forge ahead breaking other barriers along her journey, becoming the first Black person to perform at the Metropolitan Opera in New York City in 1955.
 
Upper Iowa University salutes the life of Marian Anderson and for her work in breaking barriers for Black artists in the United States.  Upper Iowa University is an institution that prides itself in producing global citizens such as Marian Anderson.  We consider Marian Anderson a jewel to our country.  May she rest in peace.

Frederick Douglass, American abolitionist, orator and author, was elected president of the Freedman Bank and Trust on this day in 1857.  Historians often note that Douglass challenged many White Americans’ views that Black Americans were “intellectually inferior to Whites.”

Just as Upper Iowa University stands for the education of all people...Frederick Douglass stood for equality and justice for all people. He often would say in his captivating speeches, “I would unite with anybody to do right and with nobody to do wrong.”  That is why on this day, we salute a great American, a great Black American, Frederick Douglass.

It gives me pleasure today to talk about the life of George Washington Carver, one of this country’s greatest scientists.  What many may not know is that Carver is also one of “Iowa’s sons,” having attended Simpson College in Indianola, Iowa. He graduated from Iowa Agricultural College with an agriculture degree (Iowa State University) and his master’s also in agriculture.  Carver was the first Black offered a position on the school’s faculty. 

Booker T. Washington, president and founder of the Tuskegee Institute (Tuskegee University), persuaded Carver to serve as Tuskegee’s Director of Agriculture, which Carver accepted.  George Washington Carver was successful in getting a branch agricultural experiment station and agricultural school at Tuskegee Normal School on this date in 1897.  In this role, Carver developed 325 known uses for peanuts, some of which we use daily, such as ink used in printers (and printing presses) and cooking oil.  He also found that sweet potatoes and pecans can be used as synthetic rubber and materials for paving highways. Many of his products were utilized by the United States Army during World War I. 

Research shows that “Thomas Edison, the great inventor was so enthusiastic about the work of Carver that he asked Carver to move to Orange Grove, New Jersey to work at the Edison Laboratories, with state of the art facilities and an annual salary of $100,000 per year. He declined the generous offer, wanting to continue on at Tuskegee.”  As you can imagine, $100,000 dollars was more like millionaire status in the early 19000s, however, George Washington Carver was not concerned with wealth.  He was a man of merit and wanted to build a venue where African Americans could gain a quality education, Tuskegee University (since most African Americans in the South could not gain entry into predominately White institutions, they attended historically Black colleges and universities such as Tuskegee).

We, at Upper Iowa University, salute the works of a great pioneer, none other than George Washington Carver, educator and inventor.