The Poetry of African American Invention

Garrett A. Morgan

(Gas Mask and Traffic Light)

March 4, 1877, here on planet earth
Was the occasion of Morgan’s birth.
The town of Paris, Kentucky,
Was the birthplace of this plucky
Boy with an inquisitive mind.
He loved machinery of any kind.

By 1907 he was in Cleveland to stay,
Where he decided to make his way
With sewing machines to sell and repair.
He later started a tailor shop there.

One day while working with a machine
He discovered “the cosmetic scene.”

It was a cream for the hair.
He started a business for hair care.
The G.A. Morgan Hair Refining
Was the company of his designing.
Business was great in Cleveland town.
He bought a house and a car to drive around.

His life took another turn.
Driving safety became his concern.
So he invented a traffic light
Much to everybody’s delight.
He got a patent November 20, 1923,
A banner year for safety and humanity.

For 40,000 his patent was sold.
He was a good businessman, we’re told.
The traffic light we see today
Is a descendant of the one made Morgan’s way.
Wasn’t Garrett A. Morgan incredible?
There’s still more that makes him unforgettable.

In Cleveland on July 25, 1916,
Another Morgan miracle was seen.
In a tunnel gas explosion over thirty men were trapped.
At the scene rescue ideas were considered
            and scrapped.
Someone remembered to mention
That a Black man had a breathing invention.

Morgan

It was Morgan’s invention of four years before,
When no manufacturer would open the door
To his inhalator, i.e., gas mask,
Though it was known to do the task
Of giving life-saving air instead of gas.
No known device could Morgan’s surpass.

Morgan was quickly called to the scene
With three sets of his breathing machine.
There with a volunteer crew of two
Morgan began the dangerous rescue.
Deep into Lake Erie they descended.
Wearing the masks they all safely ascended.

News of Morgan’s rescue spread,
As words about his masks were read,
Fire departments, manufacturers and more
Wanted Morgan’s gas mask in their store.
His “Style One Helmet,” he called it, was a success.
It won prizes and passed many tests in the U.S.