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Local News

Black History and the Transportation Industry Morgan (1877-1963) was an African American inventor who patented a type of traffic light signal. The lobby of the Texas Transportation Institute’s (TTI) Gilchrist Building displays some of the first electric traffic signals used in the United States. That equipment, which evolved from a number of even more creative manual devices, has a rich and telling history. Part of it we owe to one of the country’s first Black inventors, Garrett Morgan, who some in the transportation business refer to as “The Father of Transportation Technology.” The son of slaves, Morgan had only an elementary education. He left Kentucky in 1895 as a teenager searching for opportunity. He settled in Cincinnati, Ohio, and soon became well-known for his talent as a sewing machine repair-man, eventually starting his own tailor shop. In fact, much of the sewing in his 32-employee operation was done on machines he built. Morgan is also re-cognized as the inventor of a version of the gas mask eventually modified and used by the U.S. Army in World War I. He established a successful newspaper, and over his lifetime held patents on a variety of personal grooming products. It was his experiences driving on the streets of Cleveland, however, that prompted Morgan to enter the transportation arena. Early 20th-century vehicle crashes were frequent, and after witnessing the death of a young girl in a collision be-tween an automobile and a horse-drawn carriage, he crafted a T-shaped pole unit that featured three positions: Stop, Go and an all-directional stop position that halted traffic in all directions to allow pedestrians to cross streets more safely. In his 1923 U.S. patent for the manual traffic signal, Garrett Morgan stated “This invention relates to traffic signals, and particularly to those which are adapted to be positioned adjacent the intersection of two or more streets and are manually operable for directing the flow of traffic…In addition, my invention contemplates the provision of a signal which may be readily and cheaply manufactured.” Morgan’s hand-cranked semaphore traffic management device was in use throughout North America until all manual traffic signals were replaced by early models of the automatic red-, yellow- and green-light traffic signals currently used a-round the world. Shortly before his death in 1963, the United States Government awarded Morgan a commendation for his traffic signal.

“The Father of Transportation Technology.”
The son of slaves, Morgan had only an elementary education.

Entertainment

George Benson Jazz Legend comes to Miami!

Seventy-four year-old Jazz icon George Benson will be performing at the Arscht Center in Miami on Friday the 16th of February. This is a do not miss event to witness Jazz history. Most likely his last tour and your last time to experience the man once called the Nat King Cole of Jazz guitarist.

Local News

The BOMA Media Symposium exposes advertising disparities

The symposium featured five panel sessions led by BOMA members and a keynote address from Real Time Media CEO Hiram E. Jackson. The half day event highlighted advertising strategies, the role of Black media and the importance of using technology to stay relevant.

Editorials

Our innate spirit of love for all mankind has brought us across a many troubled waters and has continuously carried us to safe harbors throughout our pilgrimage here in this whole-wide-world.