African American Tech Pioneers: Behind the Scenes of Many Advances

February is Black History Month, when we get to salute the accomplishments of African Americans in all walks of life, including the arts, business, education, and politics. For Design News, it is particularly noteworthy to honor the many contributions of African Americans in technology. This recognition takes on additional meaning as February 18 through 24 is National Engineers Week, which honors the contribution of engineers.

Design News culled several online sites to pull a list of some of the significant contributors to science and technology throughout U.S. history. While some names may not instantly be recognizable, the imprint many of these African American scientists and engineers have had upon our lives is unmistakable.

Another pleasant surprise: while there’s a definite shortage overall of women and of African Americans in STEM, the following list has a fair number of African American women, and many of them have worked in NASA and made significant contributions to aerospace. Not that it has been easy: some of the women recount being segregated early on and not having their talents and achievements taken seriously. But this list not only demonstrates the talents but also the steadfast resolve and determination of African Americans in STEM.

Read the gallery below to find out more.

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