5 Women of Color Who Made Our Lives Better

By Grace Connolly

Have you ever received a phone call and had the name of the caller pop up? Have you used a GIF in your Twitter post? These inventions, and many more, are made possible by Women of Color. In celebration of Black History Month this February, here are five Women of Color and their inventions that make our lives better.

1. Dr. Shirley Jackson: Caller ID

Theoretical Physicist and the first African American woman to receive a PhD from MIT, Dr. Shirley Jackson is behind the technology of Caller ID and many other telecommunication advances that we use in our everyday life. Her research has helped create such technologies as touch tone phones, solar cells, fiber optic cables, and more. We have Dr. Shirley Jackson to thank for knowing when a phone call may be spam or our friend!

Source: https://www.black-inventor.com/dr-shirley-jackson

2. Alice H. Parker: Gas Heater

Unsatisfied with the traditional fireplace that required wood and fire to heat a house, Alice H. Parker created the Gas Heater in 1919. Her design allowed for the heat to travel through a home and warm up the rooms faster than a fireplace while using gas instead of wood or coal. Parker’s central heating design using gas would pave the way for future technologies. Next time you turn up your thermostat in the cold winter months, thank Alice H. Parker for keeping you warm!

Source: https://www.blackpast.org/african-american-history/parker-alice-h-1895/

3. Dr. Patricia Bath: Laser Cataract Surgery

While working at an eye clinic at Harlem Hospital and one at Colombia University, Dr. Patricia Bath noticed that the black community coming to the Harlem Hospital had significantly more blind or visually impaired patients as compared to the white population at Colombia University. This was due to the lack of access to eye care among those who went to the Harlem Hospital and Dr. Bath wanted to change that. Not only did she provide vision tests for children, screening for glaucoma and cataracts for the elderly, and eye surgery to the clinic, Dr. Bath invented a device for laser cataract surgery known as the laserphaco probe. This invention allowed Dr. Bath to remove cataracts and restore the sight to dozens of individuals. Her invention is still used today around the world.

Source: https://cfmedicine.nlm.nih.gov/physicians/biography_26.html

4. Marian Croak: Audio & Video Conferencing

Without audio and video conferencing during the COVID-19 pandemic, it would have been hard for most of us to attend school or work safely. We have Marian Croak to thank for our Zoom calls! Her work on the technology called Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) made it so voice data could be converted “into digital signals that can be easily transmitted over the internet rather than using traditional phone lines.” Along with this, Croak is an activist for racial justice and women in engineering. Next time you have a video call, thank Marian Croak!

Source: https://www.invent.org/inductees/marian-croak

5. Lisa Gelobter: GIFs

Behind the technology of GIFs and companies like Hulu and Shockwave is computer scientist and activist Lisa Gelobter. She also helped in redesigning Healthcare.gov website as part of the U.S. Digital Service and the College Scorecard as the Chief Digital Service Officer of the Department of Education. Along with her computer science and technological work, Gelobter founded the company tEQuitable with the goal of providing “an independent, confidential platform to address issues of bias, harassment, and discrimination in the workplace.” Her creations help make the world a better place – both in technology and in equality.

Source: https://www.blackpast.org/african-american-history/lisa-gelobter-1971/