Research project leads to passion for African-American inventions

James Wright holds Temple's Toggle, a whaling harpoon, one of the pieces in his exhibit of African-American inventors at Richmond’s Black History Museum.

BY HOLLY RODRIGUEZ
Media and Public Relations Officer

When James Wright assigned a research project to his students more than 30 years ago, he had no idea that it would lead to a life-long passion.

“It was 1972 or 1973, and the assignment was to find and research a black scientist,” said Wright, director of the University’s MSI: Richmond. “It just seemed to me that if you wanted more kids involved in the subjects of math and science, you needed to present them with images of themselves in those disciplines.”

He began learning about African-American inventors and years later began collecting their artifacts.

“A lot of the time, I could not get the original invention—rather, I have second, third or even fourth generation versions of the original piece,” he said.

Wright’s collection includes the 150-piece exhibit that goes on display for six months beginning Feb. 1 at the city’s Black History Museum on Clay Street. He also has shown his collection at The Science Museum of Virginia and Shippensburg University in Shippensburg, Pa.

“My goal is letting kids know African-Americans’ contributions to historical inventions,” Wright said. “In standard historical literature, you don’t see much, so the information needs to be supplemented.”

His research has led him to many rare treasures. For example, Temple’s Toggle, a harpoon modification instrumental to the whaling industry, was created by Richmond native Lewis Temple in 1845. Alfred Cralle, another Virginian, is credited with inventing the lever-operated ice-cream scoop in 1897. Wright’s collection includes inventions of 40 African-Americans from Virginia, and some will be included in the exhibit.

But his research extends beyond Virginia. George Franklin Grant, the first African-American to teach at Harvard University and a golf enthusiast, invented the golf tee. In his lifetime, he never made money from his discovery.

“He used to give out the golf tees to family and friends—anyone who wanted one,” Wright said.

“There are just so many opportunities for that ‘a-ha’ moment during this exhibit,” Wright said. He continues to experience those moments himself as his collection grows. A 10-by-10-foot storage space houses much of the collection, while anything that does not fit is kept in his home. Though running out of space, Wright says ending the research is not an option.

“The collecting doesn’t stop—it can’t stop,” he said. “These pieces are like my children.”
In addition to exhibiting his collection, Wright has presented mini-lectures about African-American inventors. In 2001, he was instrumental in getting the General Assembly to pass a proclamation declaring Feb. 25 African-American Scientist and Inventor Day in Virginia.

“I love researching the subject because it’s almost like being a detective,” he says. “It’s an incredible chance for discovery, and I just love it.”

Wright’s exhibit opens Feb. 1 at the Black History Museum, 00 Clay St., Richmond, Va. The museum is open Tuesday–Saturday from 10 a.m.–5 p.m. Admission is $5 for adults, $4 for ages 13–college, and $3 for children 12 and under. Call 780-9093 for more information.