Black History (Lest They Forget) Poem by THEODORE MOSLEY

Lest they forget I was born in 1791 and in 1821 was the first black man awarded a patent for my "Dry Scouring Technique" in my tailoring business. My name is Thomas L Jennings and my "Dry Scouring Technique" created modern day "Dry Cleaning".

Lest they forget my name is Daniel Hale Williams and I was a General Surgeon in 1893. In 1891 I established the first non-segregated hospital in the U.S. in Chicago called "The Provident Hospital". In 1913 I was the only Black Man elected to "American College of Surgeons".

Lest they forget I Sarah Elisabeth Goode was born in 1855. I was the first Black Woman to receive a U.S. Patent as an entrepreneur and inventor for my "Folding Cabinet Bed" in 1885. It was efficient for utilizing space.

Lest they forget my name Marie Maynard Daly; I am the first Black Woman in the U.S. with a PH.D in Chemistry from Columbia University. I was born in 1921 and in 1947-1948 I was an instructor at Howard University in Physical Science while doing research on Cell Nucleus.


Lest they forget our names Kenneth and Mamie Clark. We both earned our PH.D at Columbia University. We also created "Northside Center for Child Development" in 1946 to improve social services for troubled youths in Harlem. My husband Kenneth was the first Black President of the "American Psychological Association". Kenneth was born in 1914 and I was born in 1917.

Lest they forget Charles Ward Chappelle; I was an Aviation Pioneer and Electrical Engineer and was a member of the U.S. Aeronautical Reserves. I attended Knox University and Morris Brown University. I was also an Architect that helped erect buildings in Brooklyn NY. I was born in 1872.

Lest they forget me Miriam E Benjamin; In 1888 I became the second Black Woman to receive a patent in the U.S. for my "Gong & Signal Chairs". My invention is used by the U.S. House of Representative each time they sit down. I was born in 1861 a free Black Woman. My invention is also used on airplanes when a flight attendant is signaled.

Lest they forget I was born in 1957 and my name is Janet Emerson Bashen. I am a Black Woman inventor and entrepreneur. With my sassy and brilliant self I am the first Black Woman to patent a software program called "LinkLine". Alabama A&M and the University of Houston propelled me in my studies for my "Masters in Law". It is an honor to be in the "Black Inventors Hall of Fame". Lest they forget my mother in 1957 a Black Woman in Alabama was the city's first black E.R. nurse in their emergency room.

Black Women and Black Men endured their afflictions by turning them into inventions that improved the life of all mankind. May the pages of our rich history be frequently turned, examined and honored, "Lest They Forget".


Written by Theodore Mosley

February 12,2019