Sleeping Giant Wake Up

George Edward Alcorn Jr. is a renowned physicist who has made significant contributions to the fields of aerospace and semiconductor manufacturing. Born on March 22, 1940, Alcorn developed a passion for science and technology at an early age, which would later shape his career as a physicist. He is credited with 20 inventions, eight of which he received patents for, and his research has had a lasting impact on both the field of astrophysics and technology. Alcorn began his career as a physicist at the Goddard Space Flight Center at NASA, where he worked on various projects related to space exploration and technology. He is best known for his invention of an X-ray spectrometer, which he patented in 1984. The spectrometer revolutionized the field of astrophysics by allowing scientists to analyze distant galaxies and other deep-space phenomena. With the help of this invention, scientists have been able to learn about the composition and structure of stars, galaxies, black holes and other ...

Dr. Lonnie Johnson is an American engineer, inventor, and entrepreneur who has made a significant impact in various fields of science and technology. He was born on October 6, 1949, in Mobile, Alabama, and grew up in a family of inventors and mechanics. From a young age, Johnson had a fascination for science, technology, and invention, and was constantly tinkering with different gadgets and machines. Johnson received his bachelor's degree in mechanical engineering from Tuskegee University, and later earned a master's degree and a Ph.D. in nuclear engineering from the University of Alabama. He began his career as a nuclear engineer, working on the stealth bomber project for the U.S. Air Force, and later worked on the Galileo space probe for NASA. Throughout his career, Johnson has held more than 80 U.S. patents and has developed numerous innovations in the fields of energy, thermodynamics, and fluid dynamics. One of his most notable contributions was the development of a means o...

George Washington Carver was a pioneering botanist, agricultural scientist, and inventor who made significant contributions to American agriculture in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Born into slavery in Missouri in 1861, Carver overcame immense obstacles to become one of the most respected scientists of his time. Despite limited resources and educational opportunities, he developed a passion for plants and nature at a young age, and his scientific curiosity would go on to revolutionize the field of agriculture. Carver first gained recognition for his work while studying at Iowa State University, where he became the first Black undergraduate student. Here, he studied soybean fungi and developed new methods of crop rotation, laying the foundation for his future work at Tuskegee Institute in Alabama. It was at Tuskegee that Carver made his greatest contributions to science, where he devoted himself to researching and developing innovative uses for crops such as peanuts, soybeans,...

  Madame C.J. Walker holds a Guinness Book of World Records title for being the first self-made woman millionaire in America. She was born Sarah Breedlove on December 23, 1867, in Louisiana. She was the first child born to her parents who were former slaves. Sarah faced numerous hardships in her childhood, including the loss of both parents by the age of seven. Despite these challenges, she was determined to make a better life for herself and her family. In her early adulthood, Sarah worked as a washerwoman to support her family and eventually married Moses McWilliams. However, her husband passed away just a few years later, leaving her to raise her daughter on her own. Sarah continued to work as a washerwoman, but her hair started to fall out due to a scalp ailment. This inspired her to find a solution and eventually led her to invent her own line of cosmetics and hair products. In 1905, Sarah moved to Denver, Colorado and married Charles Joseph Walker. It was at this time that s...

Kizzmekia Corbett is a renowned African American scientist and a leading researcher in the field of virology. She was born on August 5, 1986, and grew up in Virginia, United States. Corbett is best known for her role in the development of the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine, which has been instrumental in the global effort to combat the COVID-19 pandemic.  Corbett received her Bachelor of Science in Microbiology and Immunology from North Carolina Central University in 2008, and went on to earn her Ph.D. in Microbiology and Immunology from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in 2015. During her PhD studies, Corbett became interested in the field of virology and developed a keen interest in understanding how viruses interact with cells.  In 2015, Corbett joined the Vaccine Research Center at the National Institutes of Health (NIH), where she became a key researcher in the effort to develop a vaccine for COVID-19. Working closely with other scientists and researchers, Corbet...

With the recent surge of civil rights protesters and nationalists petitioning for the removal of Confederate monuments around the United States. Some even go as far as destroying statues themselves. A serious question is being posed for America. If Confederate monuments demoralize American values because of their direct association with the organization of slavery, racism, and division; wouldn't these standards also apply to national holidays as well? I mean let's take Columbus Day for example. Each year Christopher Columbus is revered as the European voyager who sailed the uncharted seas and discovered this new undeveloped land inhabited by just a few lonely and uncivilized savages who needed to be Christianize. This is what is taught in schools. European Americans are comfortable with this image because it depicts their ancestors as heroic. Flip the coin the other way and that same image downplays the tragic impact his legacy had on the indigenous population of...

Ex-Slave Aunt Harriet Smith describes what everyday life was like on a sugar cane plantation during the time of the Civil War. Listen as she recalls her experience from molasses making to black soldiers marching to fight for freedom.   Interview with Aunt Harriet Smith, Hempstead, Texas, 1941 John Henry Faulk: I remember a long time ago you told me about during the big break up, the soldiers came by and uh, riding horseback. And you all were sitting on the fence, you children. Can you remember that? Harriet Smith: Yeah. John Henry Faulk:Lean this way just a little bit and tell about it. Harriet Smith: Yes, I remember, that's, the, the, just, sit there, sat all day and look at them. They play the prettiest, prettiest music you ever heard in your life. And the soldiers would, you know. And them horses, they'd sing, you know. And them horses dart and follow the music just like that. John Henry Faulk:Well I'll declare. Had them trained. Harriet Smith: Yeah, had them tr...

Aunt Harriet Smith says 's, she was just 13 years old during the Civil War. Listen to her story as she gives her account of what it was like to be a slave in those days. In this 1941 interview by the Library of Congress, Aunt Harriet recounts her days on the plantation picking cotton as a young child and witnessed first-hand black soldiers marching into battle during the Civil War. Transcripts can be found below Interview with Aunt Harriet Smith, Hempstead, Texas Harriet Smith:And you ask me any words you want to ask me about a slave, you know, back, and uh, I can remember. John Henry Faulk:Well Aunt Harriet about how old are you? Harriet Smith:Well I don't know Mr. Faulk. I really don't know my age, only by the, the children telling me, of course. My ma died, and she, and she didn't know nothing about our age. But the children traced back from the ex-slave up to now. John Henry Faulk:Well how old were you when you were [Harriet Smith interrupts] Harriet Sm...

The oldest recorded person to ever live in the United States was ex-slave Charlie Smith; who was reported to have died in the year 1979 at the age of 137. Though there was great debate about his actual age, in this 1975 recorded interview he states that he was "144 years old". That would make him 148 years old at the time he died. Listen as he gives his account of what it was like to be kidnapped from Liberia, Africa and made a slave in the United States, and of his life as a U.S. citizen afterward. Interview with Charlie Smith, Bartow, Florida, March 17, 1975 Elmer Sparks: Ready? The following is an interview between Elmer Sparks, Texas ranchman and historian, and, with Charlie Smith, old-time slave of Bartow, Florida. Uh, [voices in the background, background noise will remain throughout the interview] we've already got on the introduction on it. Charlie Smith: O.K. Elmer Sparks: Is it turning? Charlie Smith: Yes. Elmer Sparks: Uh, Mr. Smith, what is your full ...

Fountain Hughes was born a slave in Charlottesville, Virginia in 1848. He gained freedom at age 17 after the Civil War in 1865. Hughes was 101 years of age at the time of this recording; which was done by U.S. Library of Congress in 1949.  Listen as he gives us his wisdom, financial advise, and a vivid description of what slavery was like for him. The transcript of this recording can be found below. Transcription: Fountain Hughes: Talk to who? Hermond Norwood: Well, just tell me what your name is. Fountain Hughes: My name is Fountain Hughes. I was born in Charlottesville, Virginia. My grandfather belong to Thomas Jefferson. My grandfather was a hundred and fifteen years old when he died. And now I am one hundred and, and one year old. That's enough. [recording stops and starts again]. She used to work, but what she made I don't know. I never ask her. Hermond Norwood: You just go ahead and talk away there. You don't mind, do you, Uncle Fountain? Fount...