EP #34: The ABC’s of Black History with Rio Cortez

On the Did you know Segment… Sunni and Lisa are recognizing and
celebrating Black|African American History Month by sharing
stories of inventors of everyday items!  On this episode
it’s the light bulb! Yup!  According to history.com  -
The light bulb itself was invented by Thomas Edison, but the
innovation used to create longer-lasting light bulbs with a
carbon filament came from African American inventor Lewis
Latimer. Latimer, the son of formerly enslaved people, began work
in a patent law firm after serving in the military for the Union
during the Civil War.





Mr. Latimer’s successes would garner him further attention from
the the U.S. Electric Lighting Company, putting him at a company
in direct competition with Edison, in 1880. While there, Latimer
patented a new filament for the light bulb, using carbon instead
of more incendiary materials, like bamboo, that were commonly
used for filaments. The addition of the carbon filament increased
the life span and practicality of light bulbs, which had
previously died after just a few days. In 1884, he went on to
work with Edison at the Edison Electric Light Company. Who
knew?! 





On this episode of Active Allyship…it’s more than a #hashtag!
Sunni and Lisa discover the ABC’s of Black History with author
Rio Cortez.  Ms. Rio is multi-talented artist, she’s a
writer, poet and is Pushcart Prize - nominated.  She has
appeared in Mother magazine, The Miami Rail, The Los Angeles
Review, and many other publications.





Sunni asks Ms. Rio what she was marinated in… she the uniqueness
of her experience growing up in Salt Lake City Utah.  Her
family was the first founding black family in the state of Utah
after the reconstruction - a very unique experience indeed.





You have got to get this book for your kids (honestly, it’s for
adults too)!  What an amazing tribute to the history and
contributions of African Americans!  This book illuminates
the global Black experience. Sunni could hardly contain herself,
reading aloud, secretly wishing she had a room full of young kids
to read to!  Lisa’s daughter was mesmerized by the book,
opting for it over television!  O wait, the illustrations,
the spectrum of Blackness… phenomenal!  You’ve got to see
it!  And the story of how Ms. Rio met the illustrator Ms.
Lauren Semmer… uncanny!  People and topics are covered from
A-Z, seriously.  You’ve gotta listen…no more clues! 





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