People to Celebrate for Black History Month 2025
Itâs Black History Month 2025! If youâre interested in learning about some amazing individuals and their accomplishments in celebration of this month, check out the following people.
Sarah E. Goode
Sarah Elisabeth Goode (1855? - 1905) was one of the first African American women to receive a patent from the United States government, which was granted on July 14th, 1885 for a folding cabinet bed. This invention was aimed at helping increase the limited space in apartments by storing a mattress inside a roll-top writing desk, a precursor to the Murphy Bed. In 2012 the Sarah E. Goode STEM Academy, a high school focused on science and math, was opened in her honor in Chicago.
Resources for learning more:
- The patent: https://patentimages.storage.googleapis.com/0c/d4/20/e3dfe1d0327e7e/US322177.pdf
- https://www.blackpast.org/african-american-history/goode-sarah-e-c-1855-1905/
- Youtube video of a childrenâs book inspired by Sarah E. GOodeâs life - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n9A1No2QHuk
- Everyday Black History episode - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mLjjrzNpe6U
Alice Augusta Ball
Alice Augusta Ball (1892-1916) was an African American chemist who developed an effective treatment for leprosy, but had her research stolen after her sudden death at the age of 24. In the 1920s leprosy was running rampant, with countless people living in leprosy camps. The treatment was known but was highly intolerable, until Ball developed an injectable oil extract. This treatment would go on to become the primary remedy until the first antibiotics were invented in the 1940s. Unfortunately, Ball went uncredited until the 1970s, when it was discovered her work had been stolen, and not until 2019 that she was officially recognized for her achievements.
Resources for learning more:
- https://www.unmc.edu/healthsecurity/transmission/2023/04/11/overlooked-no-more-alice-ball-chemist-who-created-a-treatment-for-leprosy/
- https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0738081X22001663?via%3Dihub
Benjamin Banneker
Benjamin Banneker (1731 - 1806) was a self taught mathematician, astronomer, farmer, helped survey the land that would become Washington D.C., almanac creator, and civil rights advocate, exchanging letters with Thomas Jefferson, challenging him on what he could do to help ensure racial equality.
Resources for learning more:
- https://www.whitehousehistory.org/benjamin-banneker
- https://www.biography.com/scientists/benjamin-banneker
Gladys West
Gladys West (1930 - present) was an expert in Mathematics and helped invent Global Positioning Systems (GPS). Gladys determined that in order for GPS systems to operate, the shape of the Earthâs gravity needed to be precisely calculated. She led a team which set out to calculate what would be known as the âgeoidâ.
Resources for learning more:
Clarence Ellis
Clarence Ellis (1943 - 2014) was the first African American to obtain a Ph.D. in Computer Science, and created the first collaborative remote work tool, OfficeTalk, the precursor and inspiration for tools like Google Docs, Miro, and so much more that we use today.
Resources for learning more: