Matthew Gains, born August 4, in 1840, near Alexandria Louisiana to a female slave, Owen Martin Despallier. Gaines taught himself to read from smuggled books. After being sold from the Despallier family, he briefly escaped from his new owner, and was later returned. In 1859, Gaines was sold again, where he tired to escape again. Gains was enslaved in Fredericksburg, Texas until the end of the Civil War. After the emancipation, Gaines settled in Washington County, where he established himself as a leader of freedom, both as a Baptist preacher and a politician. In 1869, Gains was elected Senator of the Texas 16th District and in the 12th Texas Legislature. Among the many issues Gains addressed as a Texas senator, he was best known for being a guardian for African American Rights, addressing the issues of public education, prison reform, the protection of Black voters, and tenant farming reformation. This touchy issues made him a threat to both Democrats and Republicans. Gaines wou;d only serve 4 of his six years term, because of a fallacious charges of bigamy, causing his seat to be challenged. He was removed from office despite the charge being overturned. Despite Gaines losing his seat, he continued to be active in politics and made his political views known in conventions, public gatherings, and the pulpit until his death in 1900. Imagine this man doing this in 1800s, and we don’t even have our people doing this now, even with all the resources we have now.
Mary Beatrice Davidson Kenner Was An African American women most noted for development of the sanitary belt. She came from a family of inventors. He fathered whom she credited for her initial interest in discovery, Sidney Nathaniel Davidson, he patented a clothing press which would fit in suitcases, he patent the window washer for trains, and invented a stretcher with wheels for ambulances. Her grandfather also invented a light signal for trains, and sister Mildred Davison Austin Smith invented and commercially sold board games
She invented the adjustment sanitary belt with moisture proof napkin pocket, which was not used until 30 years later. The company that first showed interest in her invention rejected it after they discovered that she was an African-American woman. In 1957, she was finally able to save up enough money to get a first patent on a sanitary belt. However she never mad any money off of the sanitary belts, because her patent expired, and became public domain 😡 allowing it to be manufactured freely.
Between 1956 and 1987 she received five tolal patents. She shared the patent on a toilet tissue holder with her sister, Mildred Davison, the patent was dated Oct 19, 1982. She also had a patent on a back washer that can be mounted on the shower or a bathtub wall. This invention was patented in 1987, patent number 4696068. She also patented the carrier attachment for a walker in 1959, after her sister developed multiple sclerosis. She also worked as an florist.
It’s sad in society an invention couldn’t take place until 30 years later because of racial discrimination. White folks don’t want us to have credit for anything even though it’s for the betterment of all people That shows how much they really hate us.
“A Race without the knowledge of its history is like a tree without roots”
This quote is often attributed to Pan-African, Black Nationalist, and Civil Rights Leader Marcus Garvey, but is actually found in Charles Seifert’s 1938 pamphlet, The Negro’s or Ethiopian’s Contribution to Art.
Charles C. Seifert was a Black historian, born in Barbados in 1871. His father was a plantation overseer and had a collection of books about Africa, which fascinated Seifert leading him to devote his life to Black history. He began collecting books, manuscripts, maps, and African art related to Africa’s cultures and diaspora, eventually amassing such a collection that he established the Ethiopian School of Research History in Harlem.
It is reported that Marcus Garvey lived in Seifert’s home in order to have access to his resources, which is probably how the quote ended up getting incorrectly attributed to Garvey.
Seifert published two books: The Negro’s or Ethiopian’s Contribution to Art (1938) and The True Story of Aesop “The Negro”(1946). *whispers in mmmmmhmmmm* Yall aint know Aesop is Black? *sips tea*
Seifert understood the importance of true African history and heritage to Black Americans, in how we see ourselves, and how we approach the world, knowing full and well this information was purposefully omitted. Seifert was a frequent speaker at the Harlem YMCA. Siefert was focused on getting “black artists and young people who were interested in art … to select as their content black history.” Seifert died in 1948.
Seifert should be a household name. I hope his massive collection of Black history and African artifacts have been preserved. He was truly a gatekeeper of our culture during such a crucial period in American history.
