Black History Ms. Mary Wallace”

 This one was definitely exciting to write up,especially growing up in Chicago. I went to a private school so we had to take 3 CTA buses there and back to get home. I remembered hearing about this amazing woman but never had the opportunity to ride on her bus. However I’m so thankful for trailblazers  like her that paved the way for little black girls like me to be able to believe the sky was the limit,and I could do absolutely ANYTHING I wanted,regardless of the nah sayers✊🏾!!

In 1974,Englewood native,Mary Wallace,drove into history when she became the first woman to drive a Chicago Transit Authority (CTA) bus. Wallace was a popular driver who remained on the job for 33 years before retiring. 

“I used to work for the Planning and Placement Center when I was going to college,and we had job orders for the CTA bus drivers. So I decided I wanted to check this out myself,and I did. I went for three years,and they kept saying no. People kept the wisecracks about female drivers to themselves, but Mary remembers the mixed reactions she used to get from the CTA riders on her bus routes when they noticed a woman driving. I would get cheers from the ladies and stares from the guys! 

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Black History Quotes🤟🏾

 

Black History Quotes🫶🏾

 

Black History “Dr. Mae Jemison”

 Fun Black History fact….

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Black History “ Henry “Box” Brown”

 By any means necessary!!! In 1849,to escape 33 years of his life as a slave, Henry “Box” Brown shipped himself in a cargo box from Richmond, Virginia, to the abolitionist zone in Philadelphia. Henry Brown completed the 350-mile journey, barely breathing through the air holes he pierced in his 60-centimeter-wide cargo box, and spent the remaining 50 years of his life as a free person. 

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Black History “ Alfred Cralle”

 Did you know?!? 

February 2, 1897: Alfred Cralle was granted a U.S. patent for his invention of an ice cream mold and disher.. His functional design is reflected in modern ice cream scoops.

Alfred L. Cralle was a businessman and inventor. Cralle worked with his father in the carpentry trade as a young man and became interested in mechanics. He was sent to Washington, D.C. where he attended Wayland Seminary, one of a number of schools founded by the American Baptist Home Mission Society to help educate African-Americans after the Civil War.

Alfred Cralle settled in Pittsburgh where he served as a porter in Markell Brothers’ drug store and the St. Charles Hotel. While working as a porter, he noticed that ice cream, which had become a very popular, was difficult to dispense. It tended to stick to spoons and ladles, usually requiring use of two hands and at least two implements to serve.

INVENTION:

Cralle invented a mechanical device now known as the ice cream scoop and applied for a patent. His invention, originally called an “Ice Cream Mold and Disher” was designed to be able to keep ice cream and other foods from sticking, and easy to operate with one hand.

He designed it to be strong and durable, effective, inexpensive, so it could be constructed in almost any desired shape, such as a cone or a mound, with no delicate parts that could break or malfunction.

On June 10 1896, Alfred applied for a patent on his invention. He was awarded patent #576395 on February 2, 1897. His patent was an ice cream scoop with a built-in scraper to allow for one-handed operation.

LATER IN LIFE:

Cralle become a general manager for the Afro-American Financial, Accumulating, Merchandise and Business association.

Alfred L. Cralle died from tuberculosis on May 6, 1919, in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

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Black History “ The New York Renaissance”

 Did you know!?!

The first all-Black professional basketball team was organized on Feb. 13, 1923.The New York Renaissance, commonly called the Rens, become one of the dominant teams of the 1920s and 1930s. 

The team’s founder was Robert L. Douglas, whose primary objective was to give New York City’s male, Black athletes opportunities to better themselves. In February 1923, Douglas struck an agreement with William Roach, a Harlem-based real estate developer who owned the New Renaissance Ballroom and Casino, and the Rens were born.

With Black players barred from professional basketball leagues, the Rens barnstormed throughout the country, often competing against all-white teams.

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