Black Men Speak, Inc. & Men of Color

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‼️Black History Month Spotlight💡

Today we recognize Garrett Morgan, an inventor and entrepreneur who’s innovations continue to impact our daily lives.

Born in Paris, Kentucky and with only a sixth grade education. Morgan taught himself how to repair sewing machines and eventually opened his own repair shop - which became the foundation of his inventions

In 1923 Garett Morgan patented the three-position traffic signal, a critical improvement that helped make roadways safer across America. He also invented an earlier version of the gas mask, which he famously used to help rescue workers trapped in a tunnel explosion in 1916.

He developed a successful hair straightening product and built a thriving business around it becoming one of the first prominent black entrepreneurs in Cleveland.

Beyond his inventions, Morgan used his platform to support the Black Community and promote economic empowerment.
• He helped create opportunities for black workers during time of intense discrimination.
• He founded the Cleveland Call newspaper (later renamed the Call & Post) one of the most important black newspapers in the U.S.

His-Story is a reminder that resilience, courage, leadership, and innovation often shape history in ways we may not immediately see.
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Black History Month Moment

Today we recognize the extraordinary impact of Marian Croak - a pioneer engineer whose innovations in internet communication have tranformed the way the world connects. Her groundbreaking work and unwavering dedication to expanding opportunity in STEM continues to inspire.

Dr. Marian Croak: is an American engineer known for her voice over IP (VoIP) related inventions. Croak worked for three decades at Bell Labs and AT&T where she filed over 200 patents,and has worked at Google since 2014 as Vice President of Engineering.

Croak won the Edison Patent Awards in 2013 and 2014 and in 2022, she was inducted into the National Inventors Hall of Fame for her work with VoIP.

She is currently a member of the Corporate Advisory Board for the Viterbi School of Engineering at her alma mater, the University of Southern California. Croak is also a former board member for such organizations as the Alliance for Telecommunications Industry Solutions; Catalyst; and the National Action Council for Minorities in Engineering.

Dr. Croaks legacy reminds us that Black History is not only about our past - it’s being made every day through leadership, vision, and excellence. I hope her story inspire us to keep breaking barriers and shaping the future! ✊🏾✨‼️❤️🖤💚

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✨🙌🏾Black History Moment✊🏾✨
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They didn’t kill him for what he did.
They killed him for what he proved was possible.

They said Elmore Bolling was murdered over a lie.

But the truth—spoken quietly in Black kitchens and written plainly by the NAACP—was far more dangerous to the system that killed him:

He was too prosperous to be a Negro.

A LIFE BUILT WITH PURPOSE

In 1931, Elmore married Bertha Mae Nowden Peterson. Together, they built a life anchored in faith, work, and responsibility. Elmore became a deacon at Hopewell Baptist Church—not for show, but because service was how he understood manhood.

He started small. Bone. Scrap iron. Tin. Kindling.
He scraped together enough money to buy a Model T Ford and turned it into a truck.

That truck became freedom on wheels.

From Lowndes County to Montgomery, Elmore hauled whatever his community needed moved. As his business grew, so did his vision. He bought a larger truck. Then another.

He didn’t just transport goods.
He transported people.

He carried Black families into town so they could shop, survive, and feel human in a world designed to deny them that. On Sundays, he drove parishioners to church—because faith wasn’t just preached, it was practiced.

PROSPERITY WITH A HEART

With Bertha and their children, Elmore turned business into lifeline.

Riders were offered food and drinks. Ice cream—hand-cranked by his children—became a favorite. Their work wasn’t exploitation; it was participation in a dream their father was building for them.

Elmore never forgot education. When plantation schools closed after just four months, he sent his sons into town to learn. Every Friday they returned home to prepare for the weekend fish fry—work and learning walking side by side.

Farmers trusted Elmore.
White farmers, too.

He hauled feed and livestock to stockyards. His honesty traveled faster than his trucks. His success paid for a tractor-trailer—an unthinkable achievement for a Black man in Jim Crow Alabama.

Then he built the milk route.

He hired drivers to collect milk from sharecroppers and dairies, delivering it to the Whittle dairy. When cotton season ended, milk kept families alive. Milk check day wasn’t just payday—it was hope.

Bills paid.
Children fed.
Dignity intact.

A PHILANTHROPIST WITHOUT THE WORD

People said, “The only way Elmore wouldn’t help you is if you didn’t ask.”

No money? Ride free.
Can’t repay a loan? Debt forgiven.

He farmed cotton, corn, sugar cane, millet, peanuts.
Raised hogs, cows, goats, chickens, geese.
Employed people when no one else would.

And he paid them well—often better than white landowners did.

He provided housing for workers and lived by a simple belief:
As long as a man will work, he has a place to stay.

That belief—combined with land ownership, a store, trucks, and a gas tank—made him dangerous.

Not because he broke the law.

Because he broke the lie.

“TOO PROSPEROUS TO BE A NEGRO”

On December 4, 1947, Elmore Bolling was murdered.

The excuse was flimsy.
The motive was clear.

White supremacy could tolerate Black labor.
It could not tolerate Black independence.

They tried to silence one man.

Instead, they exposed the system.

WHY ELMORE BOLLING STILL MATTERS

Elmore Bolling’s story is not only about violence. It is about vision.

About Black excellence built brick by brick.
About generosity in the face of cruelty.
About a man who lifted others even when the world told him to stay small.

They tried to erase him.

But prosperity leaves receipts.
Community leaves memory.
And truth, once spoken, does not go back into hiding.

Peace to our ancestors.
And power to the truth they could not kill.

Repost from Salmama Yusuf

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💡 Black History Month Highlight 💡

Dr. Shirley Ann Jackson

is a pioneering American theoretical physicist, renowned as the first African-American woman to earn a doctorate from MIT (1973) and the first to lead a top-ranked research university (Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute).

Her research at Bell Labs contributed to inventions like the portable fax, touch-tone telephone, and fiber optic cables.

Key Achievements and Career Highlights:
• Education: Earned a Ph.D. in Theoretical Elementary Particle Physics from MIT.

• Research & Innovation: Conducted breakthrough research in telecommunications at AT&T Bell Laboratories.

• Leadership: Served as the 18th President of Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI) from 1999 to 2022.

• Public Policy: Appointed by President Bill Clinton as the first woman and first African-American Chairman of the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) (1995–1999).

• Awards: Awarded the National Medal of Science in 2016 by President Barack Obama.

• Advocacy: A staunch advocate for women and minorities in STEM, often described as a top role model in science.

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❤️🖤💚 Black History❤️🖤💚

Our legacy is not one of imitation - it’s one of leadership, courage , brilliance and resilience.

✊🏾We come from freedom fighters and forward thinkers. From classroom pioneers and Olympic champions From fearless voices and groundbreaking innovators!!

Honor the legacy not just in memory or images but, continued movement.

✔️ Value Education
✔️ Use Your Voice
✔️ Build Bodly
✔️ Dream without limits

‼️We are the evidence that greatness is in our DNA!! ✨

November is National Diabetes Month!!!

🎀 Wlelcome to Breast Cancer Awareness Month! Let’s unite to spread awareness, educate, and support those affected.

Do you know what JULY is? We are mid way through the month

🌟 Minority Mental Health Awareness🌟

This July, let's alll recognize the unique challenges faced by minority communities in mental health. 🌍🧠

✨ Why It Matters:

Breaking Stigmas: Encouraging open conversations and understanding. 🗣️
Access to Care: Advocating for equal access to mental health resources. 🏥
Community Support: Building a supportive network for everyone. 🤝

💬 Join Us:

• Share your story or a resource.
• Educate yourself and others.
• Support those around you.

Together, we can create a world where everyone feels seen, heard, and supported. 💚



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Name some things you’re grateful for!!

Breast Cancer awareness!