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The law locks up the man or woman
Who steals the goose off the common
But leaves the greater villain loose
Who steals the common from the goose.
— 17th century folk poem

"Long list with the title "In Honor of Black History Month - Black Inventors" and a photograph of four Black people next to it. Categories are "Product", "Inventor" and "Date". Contents of the list in that order:

Air Conditioning Unit: Frederick M. Jones, 1949
Almanac: Benjamin Banneker, 1791
Auto Cut-Off Switch: Granville T. Woods, 1839
Auto Fishing Device: George Cook, 1899
Baby Buggy: William H. Richardson, 1889
Biscuit Cutter: Alexander P. Ashbourne, 1875
Blood Plasma Bag: Charles Drew, 1945
Chamber Commode: Thomas Elkins, 1897
Clothes Dryer: George T. Sampson, 1971
Curtain Rod: Samuel R. Scrottron, 1892
Curtain Rod Support: William S. Grant, 1896
Door Knob: Osbourn Dorsey, 1878
Door Stop: Osbourn Dorsey, 1878
Egg Beater: Willie Johnson, 1884
Electric Lamb Bulb: Lewis Latimer, 1882
Elevator: Alexander Miles, 1867
Eye Protector: Powell Johnson, 1880
Fire Escape Ladder: Joseph W. Winters, 1878
Fire Extinguisher: Thomas Marshall, 1872
Folding Bed: Leonard C. Bailey, 1899
Folding Chair: Nathaniel Alexander, 1911
Fountain Pen: Walter B. Purvis, 1890
Furniture Caster: David A. Fisher, 1878
Gas Mask: Garrett Morgan, 1914
Golf Tee: George T. Grant, 1899
Guitar: Robert F. Fleming, Jr., 1886
Hair Brush: Lydia O. Newman, 1898
Hand Stamp: Walter B. Purvis, 1883
Ice Cream Scoop: Alfred L. Cralle, 1897
Insect Destroyer Gun: Albert C. Richardson, 1899
Ironing Board: Sarah Boone, 1887
Key Chain: Frederick J. Loudin, 1894
Lantern: Michael C. Harvey, 1884
Lawn Sprinkler: John H. Smith, 1897
Lemon Squeezer: John Thomas White, 1893
Lock: Washington A. Martin, 1893
Lubricating Cup: Elijah McCoy, 1895
Lunch Pail: James Robinson, 1887
Mail Box: Paul L. Downing, 1891
Mop: Thomas W. Stewart, 1893
Peanut Butter: George W. Carver, 1896
Pencil Sharpener: John L. Love, 1897
Record Player Arm: Joseph H. Dickinson, 1916
Rolling Pin: John W. Reed, 1864
Shampoo Headrest: Charles Orren Bailiff, 1898
Spark Plug: Edmond Berger, 1839
Stethoscope: Thomas A. Carrington, 1876
Straightening Comb: Madam C. J. Walker, 1905
Street Sweeper: Charles B. Brooks, 1890
Phone Transmitter: Granville T. Woods, 1884
Thermostat Control: Frederick M. Jones, 1960
Traffic Light: Garret Morgan, 1923
Tricycle: Matthew A. Cherry, 1886"

Thanks to @Sirablopp for the transcription!

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The unrelenting pervasive nature of white history as the default leads to most people forming unconscious ideas about roles we can each play. It is incredibly and sadly common for people to believe that white European society is the pinnacle of civilization, as evidenced by... [waves all around] Never mind that Steve Jobs' father was Syrian, clearly white people invented technology, right? Never mind that mathematics was developed far from western lands, to the point that we now study algebra, or الجبر al-jabr, developed while Europe was mired in tribal warfare.

It's a vicious cycle: if you believe that everything you see was invented by white people, then you believe that white people invented everything, because each set of false information reinforces the other.

Wypipo, open your eyes! Here's a popular meme image of just a few things invented by Black people, and the full list is so much longer. This list is so long mastodon won't let me put the entire text description in the alt tag, so I'll add it as a reply to this post.

I'm still beyond salty about the ban on AP African American history. I don't know why it isn't registering just how far out of line this is.

This is the tamest and most conventional kind of class. It's not like it's IDK a course of "Planned Shrinkage" or "US covert operations in South America" this is just... normal and I THOUGHT well established history.

This is why I never liked studying history. I just don't get the borders of the subject. It's a big mess.

Elijah McCoy was born in 1844 in Ontario to formerly-enslaved parents from Kentucky. They saved enough to send him to Scotland to study mechanical #engineering. When he returned and couldn't get work in his field, he took a job as a train oilman and invented a method of automatic lubrication that eliminated the frequent stops trains had to make to oil up axles & bearings. Railroad companies asking for his product rather than copycat devices spawned the phrase "the real McCoy." #BlackHistoryMonth

It seems the only hope left for gun control in red states is to hide all the bullets in books written by Black people, Wajahat Ali writes.

msnbc.com/opinion/msnbc-opinio

While Amazon celebrates its record breaking revenues, they want you to forget about the worker death that happened during Prime Day.

Especially since they didn't help the victim over 20 mins after he collapsed, and told his coworkers to just keep working.

Amazon has always picks profits over people. #FightCorporateGreed #UnionsForAll #DemCast

All this #BlackHistoryMonth, I'll be sharing from the National Museum of African American History and Culture in DC. Some pics I took and some from their collection directly. The lead designer for the project was Sir David Frank Adjaye, a Ghanaian-British architect born in Tanzania. The design is Yourba inspired. It sits on the last spot left on the National Mall.
nmaahc.si.edu/about/building

#BlackMastodon #BlackFedi @BlackMastodon

I can't believe I forgot to use the word "Five" in that post! Doh!

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Police do not save lives.

Doctors save lives. Emergency medical technicians save lives. Firefighters save lives.

Police do not save lives. They take them.

#BlackLivesMatter #BlackMastodon #PoliceViolence

Disappointing to see an ISP strategically filing false information to the FCC to block funds to potential competitors.

But even more Infuriating that the FCC knew this would happen and has no plan except to say it would be nice if everything worked out.

Millions of Americans won't get better Internet access that they need because FCC Commissioners refuse to take their job seriously.

arstechnica.com/tech-policy/20

“Each note that Jake Blount plays on the banjo is a step toward helping his audience better understand a piece of Black history he believes has been lost.

Blount is a professional touring musician who plays traditional Black Folk Music.” denver7.com/news/national-poli

Mekka is schooling us daily, and today's thread answers "Why do Black people see racism in everything?"

hachyderm.io/@mekkaokereke/109

Any of of the posts in this thread could be a book or two, and many of them are.

mekka okereke :verified:  
Happy #BlackHistoryMonth ! I'm still not ready to talk about Black history. I still want to talk about white US history. Q: Why do Black people se...

There is nothing new under the sun. But there are new suns.

/ octavia butler

It's the First Friday of February, a Fantastic time For Following Fine Folks. The mastodon experience is better when you Follow more people, and these are some people who are worth Following:

@nataliedavisgdread@newsie.social Natalie Davis
@kyra_davis Kyra Davis
@dtgeek Anthony Dean
@funcrunch Pax Ahimsa Gethen
@midnightcommander@linuxrocks.online midnightcommander

I've interacted with Natalie Davis for many years on several different platforms, so I can promise you: she's the real deal!

Here is the original inventor of rock and roll—and the steel guitar. Sister Rosetta Thorpe doesn’t get the credit—and she really should. Many of the rock and roll “inventors” need to pay their respects to her. Little Richard and Chuck Berry others owe a great deal to her. 🙏🏿

#BlackMastodon #SisterRosettaTharpe #BlackFriday

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