Commentary: African American Scientists and Inventors
by Black Kos Editor, Sephius1
Ivan Yeager, a Miami native, was a youngster when he designed an artificial limb for a school science project. That was just the beginning of what would become a long—term commitment to innovation and to helping people with disabilities to lead happier, more productive lives.
Yaeger is a thirty—something entrepreneur and inventor who has won numerous awards for science, engineering, leadership, entrepreneurship and public speaking. He graduated in 1988 from the University of Miami with a degree in business management and organization, and soon after he established Yaeger Innovative Products Corporation and invented its initial line of products. He holds a number of patents on products including the DeskMaster school desk bookstand, the Cassette Lok videocassette childproofing lock, and the Yaeger Prosthetic Arm —his most impressive creation to date.
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Yaeger designed a pair of artificial arms using off—the—shelf parts for a little girl in Florida named Diamond Excell who was born without arms. Yaeger was responsible for the technology and the physical construction of the arms. He worked with Eugenio R. Silva, a prosthetist at Advanced Motion Control in Miami, to build, test and fit them. Yaeger took some of the design elements directly from his first design, which he patented while still in college.
Yaeger aimed to build limbs that would give Diamond the basic functions of an elbow, wrist and hand so that she could manipulate and carry objects and eat by herself. He modeled Diamond's hands after those of one of her cousins and covered them with molded latex textured to simulate a real hand, with fingernails and tone that match Diamond's skin color. The arm was then covered with stocking—net material which has padding underneath to protect the electronics and cables inside.
Diamond can open the arms' joints by twitching her back muscles; she closes them by flexing her chest muscles. Two sensors mounted on the harness that holds the arms to her torso allow her to switch between each joint. The wrist can turn nearly all the way around and the elbows are designed so that they swing freely when Diamond walks. While the electronics in the arms may not need to be replaced for four to five years, the arms will need to be lengthened periodically as she grows. While it will take a great deal of practice before she masters them, her arms are already enabling Diamond to hug her family and friends and do many other things she could never do on her own before.....Read More
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News by dopper0189, Black Kos Managing Editor
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Always remember those who came before you. knoxnews: Remembering black radio pioneers
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The first known black person to work in radio was Jack L. Cooper, who in 1922 was a ventriloquist and did various voices. He said he was "the first four Negroes on the radio." He moved to Chicago in 1926 and established "The Negro Hour," the first black regular newscast, according to "Black Firsts" by Jessie Carney Smith. He later owned his own broadcast studio and advertising agency and became a millionaire.
Others who followed in early radio were those in supporting roles on the "Amos 'n' Andy" show that began in Chicago in 1924 when it was called "Sam 'n' Henry." Two of those appearing on the show were Hattie McDaniel and Amanda Randolph.
In 1927, Floyd Joseph Calvin (1902-39), who was a journalist, had the first talk radio show that dealt with black journalism. Sponsored by the Pittsburgh Courier, it was broadcast on WGBS in that city. That same year, the first black person heard on national radio was DeFord Bailey Sr., a harmonica player who was the first black to perform with the "Grand Ole Opry."
The biggest black star on the national scene was Eddie "Rochester" Anderson, who played the valet on the "Jack Benny Show," which ran from 1932 to 1958. The gravelly-voiced comedian was sassy and ready with a quip. Although a servant in the Benny household, he avoided the stereotype character of most black butlers and maids. He also appeared in movies.
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The Hammocks retreat in Swansboro, N.C. was for several decades during segregation, s one of the few places in North Carolina where African Americans, specifically teachers and their families, could feel welcome at the shore. Stamford Advocate: Family, state at odds over NC teacher retreat
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Sturdy bunk beds still stand tall in cement-block cabins, and the lawn beside the assembly house shows signs of a recent trim. But the summertime oasis that once rang with children's laughter and the slap of oars on nearby Queen's Creek is quiet, now off limits to vacationing educators, students and families who once flocked to the historically black campground on the Onslow County coast.
For several decades during segregation, The Hammocks was one of the few places in North Carolina where African Americans of average means, specifically teachers and their families, could feel welcome at the shore.
"It's a sad day to see it all ending," said attorney Frank E. Emory, who as a child visited The Hammocks with his parents.
Emory represents Hammocks Beach Corp., a trust that managed the land after it was given to the black teachers union in 1949.
The fate of the coastal property, now worth an estimated $20 million, will be determined by a lawsuit pitting the heirs of the black couple who oversaw and lived at The Hammocks for decades against the state of North Carolina.
The heirs claim ownership of the property, while the state — which had first right of refusal under the original trust — is hoping to add the valuable property to its real estate portfolio.
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Unfortunately too many folks think that white people won't go to places focused on minority issues (including Black Kos), but facts are pesky things Politics365: Is the Smithsonian Trying to Balkanize or Simply Represent?
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In the last decade, the Smithsonian has opened the National Museum of the American Indian and commissioned the The National Museum of African American History and Culture, which is expected to open in 2015. Now a commission has been tasked to determine options for a museum focusing on Latino contributions. The National Museum of the American Latino Commission is scheduled to release its findings next month; however, even with Congressional support and Eva Longoria’s star power, the commission has a tough sell. In addition to budget constraints and a general immigrant hostility emanating from certain quarters of the GOP, Representative Jim Moran, D-Virginia, was recently quoted as saying, “I don’t want a situation where whites go to the original museum, African-Americans go to the African-American museum, Indians go to the Indian museum, Hispanics go to the Latino American museum. That’s not America.”
Congressman Moran is wrong on several points. “America” is not a fixed construct but a constantly evolving ideal. For example, when Congress founded the Smithsonian in 1846 those of African descent were still largely enslaved and not considered citizens. Nor were American Indians, who weren’t even recognized as persons in the eyes of the law. Hispanics were the majority population in the newly acquired states of Texas, Florida, and California, but many weren’t allowed to vote. “America” has clearly been a different thing altogether at different points in its history.
Rep. Moran’s fear of Balkanized National Mall is also groundless. Were the Congressman to avail himself of the free museums in our nation’s capital, he would quickly observe that none are being overrun by hordes of brown people. He would also realize that our country’s white citizens, as well as, our many guests from abroad seem quite interested in learning about America’s marginalized citizens. If we turn to the Smithsonian’s estimated visits for each of its museums, we find that the American Indian Museum is among the most popular.
In 2010 1.3 million visits were made to the American Indian museum. Only four of the Smithsonian’s nineteen facilities received more visits, and one of those isn’t even a museum but the National Zoo.