Black Inventors

[Dawn Sardes <Dmsardes@AOL.COM>]

Dear All,

Now, I know it is African-American History month, but this situation is getting 
ridiculous.

All week we have had school kids coming into the library
attempting to find non-existent inbformation for a "research" (and I use the term 
loosely) project on Black Inventors.  Teachers are handing out sometimes names, 
sometimes patent #'s, and sometimes mundane, everyday
items which were, supposedly, invented by African Americans.

For example, the 1800's African-American "inventor" of the horse-shoe.  Now 
horseshoes have been around a lot longer than even America has.  An 
African-American did get a patent for a new design of horseshoe back then, but he 
did not invent it.

These kids are getting the impression that everything we use in daily life was 
invented by an African American in the 19th century.  One very bad site on the web 
lists such things as the "riding saddle" as having been invented quite recently by 
an African-American.  I don't think so!  Others include the fruit press (my German 
ancestors might want to debate that one; they owned orchards & vineyards, and fruit 
presses, as far back as the early 1700's.  I still like a nice glass of Rhine Wine 
on occasion.), the dust pan, and the broom.

I have two thoughts on this matter.  1)  Why pick       obscure inventions as a 
Black History Month assigment?? There are enough truly meaningful contributions, 
which should be highlighted.

2)  Teachers don't realize that just b/c they found a fact somewhere that it means 
that the same fact can be found in any other authentic, reliable resource.  They're 
supposed to be researching information about these persons' births, lives, and 
deaths, and all that is available are just lists of names and "alledged" inventions 
on web sites, and even in books which do not bother to authenticate themselves or 
provide references of authority.

Education is supposed to be about learning about the important things of life.  
It's not supposed to be about the trivial and mundane, and it's MOST CERTAINLY not 
supposed to be about tears & frustration, which is what these kids are experiencing.

Dawn Sardes
Teen Services Librarian
Cumberland County Public Library
Fayetteville, NC 28305
dmsardes@aol.com

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