Some Written Works (That Aren’t By White Dudes)
Iola Leroy (about a biracial Black woman in the antebellum South) - Frances E.W. Harper, who was one of the first published Black authoresses
Black Feminist Thought - Patricia Hill Collins: bad-ass feminist, amazing writer
The Space Traders (a very relevant short about Black life/value in less-than-utopian America) - Derrick Bell, Black sci-fi author
The Conference of the Birds - Farid ud-Din Uttar, Persian Sufi poet
Thiruppavai (Tamil Vaishnava verses by the 12 Alvars, or poet-saints) - Andal, the only woman among them. These are still recited in South India during Margazhi
The Other Side of Paradise (memoir of) - Staceyann Chin, whose identity as Black-Chinese and lesbian in Jamaica is definitely worth reading about
Brown Girl in the Ring (post-apocalyptic Toronto WHERE PoC survive, featuring voudoun!) - Nalo Hopkinson; check it all out
The Tale of Genji (Heian literature describing court life in feudal Japan) - Murasaki Shikibu, an 11th century noblewoman who was boss as fuck
The Bluest Eye - Toni Morrison, Black American novelist, Peace Prize winner and quality human being
Ninth Ward (children’s novel of Katrina through a black girl’s perspective) - Jewell Parker Rhodes
The Island of a Thousand Mirrors (about two families caught in the Tamil-Sinhala divide, based on her experience during the civil war) - Nayomi Munaweera, Sri Lankan author. VERY AMAZE.
Frantz Fanon, Caribbean philosopher/revolutionary who dedicated much time to decrying colonization, fighting oppression and telling white folks OFF; works include Black Skins, White Masks, Wretched of the Earth, and National Culture and the Fight for Freedom
En Hedu'ana, Sumerian en-priestess whose poetry composed one of the first written belief systems; also an accomplished astronomer
Paulin Hountondji, Beninese philosopher known for his work African Philosophy: Myth and Reality on ethnophilosophy, the monolithic view of African consciousness/thought and identity post-colonialism. Check out his review Knowledge of Africa, Knowledge by Africans
Ban Zhou, 1st-century Chinese historian, author (Lessons for Women, co-published The Book of Han) and court advisor who advocated for domestic equality and women’s education. Her Confucian ideals were present in most written works
Kathryn T. Gines, Black philosopher who’s tenacious in her exploration of African/Continental philosophy, intersectionality, racism, and feminism; founder of the Collegium of Black Women Philosophers
Zitkala-Sa, Native (Sioux) author (Old Indian Legends, American Indian Stories), musician and activist who co-wrote The Sun Dance in 1913, an opera which showcased her knowledge of Ute and Sioux harmonies and composition. It was the first of its kind, featuring many indigenous performers
Yukio Mishima, Japanese author famous for Confessions of a Mask; also genius playwright who created Five Modern Noh Plays
Lorraine Hansberry, Black (queer) playwright whose works SHOULD be acclaimed the world over (A Raisin in the Sun, The Sign in Sidney Brustein’s Window)
Mathematicians/Scientists/Innovators
Muhammad Musa al-Khwarizmi (origin of ‘algorithm’), 8th-century Persian scholar, creator of algebra and pioneer of the quadratic equation; one of the first to use zero as a placeholder, his research brought Hindu-Arabic numerals and decimals into the West
Banu Musa [Ahmad, Muhammad and Hasan], a trio of Persian brothers/mechanics/mathematicians who wrote The Book of Ingenious Devices in 850: an illustrated guide on more than 100 tools and their use (from early feedback controllers to valves and float chambers; steampunk gods, I say)
15th century Korea - first “turtleboats”
Garrett Morgan, Black inventor credited for the first traffic signal and patented gas mask in the ‘20’s
Sarah E. Goode, inventor and the first Black woman to earn a U.S. patent, for the folding cabinet bed so prominent in the late 1800’s and early-mid 1900’s
Madam C.J. Walker, Black entrepreneur and inventor famously known for her scalp conditioners, hair growth and beauty products; first woman millionaire in America (YAAAS)
Mary Kenner, creative Black patenter whose contributions range from the toilet-tissue holder to the sanitary belt (thank youuu!!)
Marie Van Brittan Brown, Black inventor of the closed circuit TV security patent (basis for modern surveillance, traffic control)
Philip Emeagwali, Nigerian scientist/inventor that innovated a supercomputer for petroleum fields analysis
Ileana Sanchez, Boricua graphics designer/innovator responsible for Techno Braille (on paper using epoxy)
7th century India - invention of chess
Gebisa Ejeta, Ethiopian geneticist/agriculturist who invented the first drought-tolerant sorghum hybrid in Sudan; is now on the Board for International Food and Agricultural Development
Benjamin Banneker, Black astronomer and mathematician who made America’s first functioning clock, y'all
David Unaipon, famous Aboriginal preacher/inventor who provided basis for modern shears and the centrifugal motor
12th century China - first magnetic compass
Ellen Ochoa, Chicana scientist who invented optical analysis systems and was the world’s first Latina astronaut
Prafulla Chandra Ray, Indian chemist and entrepreneur who made first chemical factory in the country FROM HIS HOUSE; founded Bengal Chemical and Pharmaceutical Works
Sandrine Mubenga, Congolese engineer working on solar-powered villages and fuel-cell hybrid car (women in STEM!)
John B. Herrington, first Native (Chickasaw) astronaut in space
Shirley Jackson, kick-ass Black physicist, inventor and president at Rensselaer Polytechnic. She can be credited for the touch-tone telephone, the portable fax, and caller ID
Tony Hansberry, the youngest on this list; his innovation on endo switches drastically cut the performance time for hysterectomies (open-heart surgery).
So…what’s up, white academia? Where’s the accolades for them?
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