It’s no secret that some African Americans have not been able to shake off the perception of Black people as inferior might be one of the reasons that so many of them voted for Donald Trump, even though he has done a number of things that are, or should be, insulting to members of the Black community in America.
The challenge is that there has been a lot of propaganda disseminated by the current administration and others that have painted members of the Black community as stupid, or as imbeciles. When assessing accurate history, however, the lies are revealed.
It is very exciting to gain new information about Black American History. This is especially true when information is revealed about someone that was previously not well known. With this in mind, we will discuss two African Americans who deserve to be honored for their contributions to the world.
Real African Books Salute National Inventors Hall of Fame inductee Marian Croak as a Living Legend. Marian Croak is a pioneer of VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol) Technology. Born May 14, 1955, she was inducted in 2022 and owns U.S. Patent No.7,599,359. Engineer Marian Croak has worked on advancing Voice over Internet Protocol ((VoIP) technologies, converting voice data into digital signals that can be easily transmitted over the Internet rather than using traditional phone lines. Her work has furthered the capabilities of audio and video conferencing, making it a practical reality in today’s world.
Marian Croak began her career at Bell Labs (later AT&T) with a position in the Human Factors research division, looking at how technology could be used to positively impact people’s lives. She branched out from there and worked on networking engineering that led to her considering digital telecommunications.
One of the accomplishments, along with her team, was a text-to-donate system for charitable organizations. From there, she went on to other accomplishments that are worthy of keeping her name in the annals of American History. This includes her membership in the Women in Technology International Hall of Fame; and she has mentored many individuals for people pursuing STEM careers. She has more than 200 U.S. patents. Basically, Marian Croak is a shining light in the world of technology and, by extension, the African American community!
Another stellar contribution by an African American deserving of broader exposure is the late, great Turtel Onli, (born Alvin Phillips), The Father of the Black Age of Comics. Onli passed away recently at the age of 72, and was an indie comic book pioneer among other great accomplishments. An article written by Evgenia Anastasakos, in the Hyde Park Herald, states that “After graduating high school in 1970 Onli founded the Black Artists’ Guild which published zines by its members and planned touring art exhibitions. He received an associate degree from Olive-Harvey College and then enrolled at the School of the Art Institute, Chicago (SAIC). He worked as a freelance illustrator for Playboy magazine. He also designed album covers for R&B and rap artists such as George Clinton and Kurtis Blow. He told the Tribune that he was even commissioned by the Rolling Stones to create an album cover for their 1978 album ‘Some Girls’.”
Turtel’s technique has been called “Rhythmism” which combines superhero imagery with Afrofuturist and primitivist influences. His work has influenced artists all across America. Turtel co-created the Black Age of Comics convention in 1993 to highlight Black artists in the comic industry, and was held at the South Side Community Art Center. The first convention attracted more than 1,000 creators and comic fans, and eventually continued for decades expanding to other cities.
Essentially, both Marian Croak, the genius behind Skype, Zoom, and more, and Turtel Onli, the Father of the Black Age of Comics, have given far more to the world than can be expressed in a few short sentences. Their contributions are too numerous to adequately share in this space, but rest assured, the contributions that they represent will be with us for many years to come. Kudos to Marian Croak and Turtel Onli! Aluta continua.