American Inventor Mary Beatrice Davidson Kenner is most known (although not widely) for creating an adjustable sanitary belt. Born into a family of inventors, her creations included a convenient attachment to an invalid’s walker and a back washer that could be mounted on a shower or bathtub wall. Her first invention, at age six, was an attempt to create a self-oiling door hinge. Kenner was born in Monroe, North Carolina. Her father’s and grandfather’s many inventions inspired her, although neither profited from their innovations. Kenner’s sister, Mildred Davidson Austin Smith (1916–1993), invented, patented, and commercially sold board games. Kenner briefly attended Howard University but did not complete a degree due to financial hardship. Her first patent was for her adjustable sanitary belt invention, which was granted in 1956. The invention was credited for eliminating “chafing and irritation normally caused by devices of [its] class.” Although a company initially showed interest in her invention, it was ultimately rejected after Kenner was discovered to be an African American female. Although she later invented a “moisture-resistant pocket,” it wasn’t until her patent expired and became public domain that manufacturers used her ideas freely for their profits. Between 1956 and 1987, Kenner was awarded five patents for her household and personal item creations. This is the largest number of patents held by a black woman. Kenner owned four flower shops in D.C. and had various other jobs. She married and divorced before marrying renowned heavyweight boxer James "Jabbo" Kenner. Together, they lived near the Kennedy family complex in McLean, Virginia. They were foster parents to five boys. Kenner never profited from any of her patents.

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Dolores Huerta is a renowned American labor leader and civil rights activist who co-founded the United Farm Workers union alongside Cesar Chavez. We’ve certainly all heard of Cesar Chavez, but equally important is Heurta and her undying contributions to laborers and a leader of the Chicano civil rights movement. That's true even when it comes to credit for coining the movement's famous slogan, Sí se puede — Spanish for "Yes, we can" — which has often wrongly been attributed to Chavez. In 1955 Huerta began her career as an activist when she co-founded the Stockton chapter of the Community Service Organization (CSO), which led voter registration drives and fought for economic improvements for Hispanics. She also founded the Agricultural Workers Association. Through a CSO associate, Huerta met activist César Chávez, with whom she shared an interest in organizing farm workers. In 1962, Huerta and Chávez founded the National Farm Workers Association (NFWA), the predecessor of the United Farm Workers’ Union (UFW), which formed three year later. The recipient of many honors, Huerta received the Eleanor Roosevelt Human Rights Award in 1998 and the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2012. As of 2015, she was a board member of the Feminist Majority Foundation, the Secretary-Treasurer Emeritus of the United Farm Workers of America, and the President of the Dolores Huerta Foundation. As she approaches nine decades of life, Huerta remains outspoken and indefatigable. Through her Dolores Huerta Foundation, she continues to work with agricultural communities, organizing people to run for office and advocating on issues of health, education and economic development. Find out more about this amazing “Sheela” in this episode. We’d love to hear your thoughts and questions and always welcome any input you may have. Thanx ahead of time for listening!

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Frances Glessner Lee, Lee was a talented artist as well as criminologist and is considered the mother of forensic science. She dedicated her life to the advancement of forensic medicine and scientific crime detection. Lee was also a diorama-maker, criminal investigation educator and the first female police captain in the US. She effectively and uniquely straddled the intersection between craft and forensic science, co-opting traditionally feminine crafts to advance the male-dominated field of police investigation and to establish herself as one of its leading voices, during the first half of the 20th century. Lee created what's known as The Nutshell Studies of Unexplained Death, twenty true crime scene dioramas recreated in minute detail at dollhouse scale, beginning in the 1940s to teach investigators to properly canvass a crime scene to effectively uncover and understand evidence. The equivalent to “virtual reality” in their time, her masterfully crafted dioramas feature handmade objects to render scenes with exacting accuracy and meticulous detail. At the time, there was very little training for investigators, meaning that they often overlooked or mishandled key evidence, or irrevocably tampered with crime scenes. Also, few had any medical training that would allow them to determine cause of death, at that time. Lee's dioramas were composites of real crimes, but the settings and details were imagined by her. They are still used today for teaching purposes by the Maryland Office of the Chief Medical Examiner. Do yourself a huge favor. listen to our podcast & then take a look at Lee's "Nutshell Studies of Unexplained Death". They are astoundingly detailed and precise. We'd LOVE to know what you think! Let's start a conversation! Thank you for listening!

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