A very humorous and revealing story is told about a group of white people
who were fed up with African Americans, so they joined together and wished
themselves away. They passed through a deep dark tunnel and emerged in sort
of a twilight zone where there is an America without black people.
At first these white people breathed a sigh of relief.
At last, they said, No more crime, drugs, violence and welfare.
All of the blacks have gone! Then suddenly, reality set in. The "NEW
AMERICA" is not America at all-only a barren land.
1. There are very few crops that have flourished because the nation was
built on a slave-supported system.
2. There are no cities with tall skyscrapers because Alexander Mils, a black
man, invented the elevator, and without it, one finds great difficulty
reaching higher floors.
3. There are few if any cars because Richard Spikes, a black man, invented
the automatic gearshift, Joseph Gambol, also black, invented the Super Charge
System for Internal Combustion Engines, and Garrett A. Morgan, a black man,
invented the traffic signals.
4. Furthermore, one could not use the rapid transit system because its procurer
was the electric trolley, which was invented by another black man, Albert R.
Robinson.
5. Even if there were streets on which cars and a rapid transit system could
operate, they were cluttered with paper because an African American, Charles
Brooks, invented the street sweeper.
6. There were few if any newspapers, magazines and books because John Love
invented the pencil sharpener, William Purveys invented the fountain pen, and
Lee Barrage invented the Type Writing Machine and W. A. Love invented the
Advanced Printing Press. They were all, you guessed it, Black.
7. Even if Americans could write their letters, articles and books, they would
not have been transported by mail because William Barry invented the Postmarking
and Canceling Machine, William Purveys invented the Hand Stamp and Philip
Downing invented the Letter Drop.
8. The lawns were brown and wilted because Joseph Smith invented the Lawn
Sprinkler and John Burr the Lawn Mower.
9. When they entered their homes, they found them to be poorly ventilated and
poorly heated. You see, Frederick Jones invented the Air Conditioner and
Alice Parker the Heating Furnace. Their homes were also dim. But of course, Lewis
Lattimer later invented the Electric Lamp, Michael Harvey invented the
lantern,and Granville T. Woods invented the Automatic Cut off Switch. Their homes
were also filthy because Thomas W. Steward invented the Mop and Lloyd P. Ray
the Dust Pan.
10. Their children met them at the door- barefooted, shabby, motley and unkempt.
But what could one expect? Jan E. Matzelinger invented the Shoe Lasting
Machine,Walter Sammons invented the Comb, Sarah Boone invented the Ironing
Board, and George T. Samon invented the Clothes Dryer.
11. Finally, they were resigned to at least have dinner amidst all of this
turmoil. But here again, the food had spoiled because another Black Man,
John Standard invented the refrigerator.
Now, isn't that something? What would this country be like without the
contributions of Blacks, as African-Americans?
Martin Luther King, Jr. said, "by the time we leave for work, Americans have
depended on the inventions from the minds of Blacks."
Black history includes more than just slavery, Frederick Douglass, Martin
Luther King, Jr., Malcolm X, and Marcus Garvey & W.E.B. Dubois.
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