Posted on by astyrra_713s8o

divanoid:

reverseracism:

yellow—ranger:

do not let white academia fool you into thinking that

  • the greatest authors that were and ever will be are white men
  • every great philosopher came out of europe
  • mathematics and science were at their highest point when used by white men
  • the most beautiful city in the world is paris
  • colonialism was a golden age
  • europe is the pinnacle of civilization

Sources timmmme.

Some Written Works (That Aren’t By White Dudes)

  • Iola Leroy (about a biracial Black woman in the antebellum South) – Frances E.W. Harper, who was one of the first published Black authoresses
  • The Space Traders (a very relevant short about Black life/value in less-than-utopian America) – Derrick Bell, Black sci-fi author
  • Thiruppavai (Tamil Vaishnava verses by the 12 Alvars, or poet-saints) – Andal, the only woman among them. These are still recited in South India during Margazhi
  • The Other Side of Paradise (memoir of) – Staceyann Chin, whose identity as Black-Chinese and lesbian in Jamaica is definitely worth reading about
  • Brown Girl in the Ring (post-apocalyptic Toronto WHERE PoC survive, featuring voudoun!) – Nalo Hopkinson; check it all out
  • The Bluest Eye – Toni Morrison, Black American novelist, Peace Prize winner and quality human being
  • Ninth Ward (children’s novel of Katrina through a black girl’s perspective) – Jewell Parker Rhodes
  • The Island of a Thousand Mirrors (about two families caught in the Tamil-Sinhala divide, based on her experience during the civil war) – Nayomi Munaweera, Sri Lankan author. VERY AMAZE.

Philosophers

  • Frantz Fanon, Caribbean philosopher/revolutionary who dedicated much time to decrying colonization, fighting oppression and telling white folks OFF; works include Black Skins, White Masks, Wretched of the Earth, and National Culture and the Fight for Freedom
  • En Hedu’ana, Sumerian en-priestess whose poetry composed one of the first written belief systems; also an accomplished astronomer
  • Ban Zhou, 1st-century Chinese historian, author (Lessons for Women, co-published The Book of Han)  and court advisor who advocated for domestic equality and women’s education. Her Confucian ideals were present in most written works

Playwrights

  • Zitkala-Sa, Native (Sioux) author (Old Indian Legends, American Indian Stories), musician and activist who co-wrote The Sun Dance in 1913, an opera which showcased her knowledge of Ute and Sioux harmonies and composition. It was the first of its kind, featuring many indigenous performers
  • Yukio Mishima, Japanese author famous for Confessions of a Mask; also genius playwright who created Five Modern Noh Plays
  • Lorraine Hansberry, Black (queer) playwright whose works SHOULD be acclaimed the world over (A Raisin in the Sun, The Sign in Sidney Brustein’s Window)

Mathematicians/Scientists/Innovators

  • Muhammad Musa al-Khwarizmi (origin of ‘algorithm’), 8th-century Persian scholar, creator of algebra and pioneer of the quadratic equation; one of the first to use zero as a placeholder, his research brought Hindu-Arabic numerals and decimals into the West
  • Banu Musa [Ahmad, Muhammad and Hasan], a trio of Persian brothers/mechanics/mathematicians who wrote The Book of Ingenious Devices in 850: an illustrated guide on more than 100 tools and their use (from early feedback controllers to valves and float chambers; steampunk gods, I say)
  • 15th century Korea – first “turtleboats”
  • Garrett Morgan, Black inventor credited for the first traffic signal and patented gas mask in the ‘20’s
  • Sarah E. Goode, inventor and the first Black woman to earn a U.S. patent, for the folding cabinet bed so prominent in the late 1800’s and early-mid 1900’s
  • Madam C.J. Walker, Black entrepreneur and inventor famously known for her scalp conditioners, hair growth and beauty products; first woman millionaire in America (YAAAS)
  • Mary Kenner, creative Black patenter whose contributions range from the toilet-tissue holder to the sanitary belt (thank youuu!!)
  • Marie Van Brittan Brown, Black inventor of the closed circuit TV security patent (basis for modern surveillance, traffic control)
  • Philip Emeagwali, Nigerian scientist/inventor that innovated a supercomputer for petroleum fields analysis
  • 7th century India – invention of chess
  • Gebisa Ejeta, Ethiopian geneticist/agriculturist who invented the first drought-tolerant sorghum hybrid in Sudan; is now on the  Board for International Food and Agricultural Development
  • Benjamin Banneker, Black astronomer and mathematician who made America’s first functioning clock, y’all
  • David Unaipon, famous Aboriginal preacher/inventor who provided basis for modern shears and the centrifugal motor
  • 12th century China – first magnetic compass
  • Ellen Ochoa, Chicana scientist who invented optical analysis systems and was the world’s first Latina astronaut
  • Prafulla Chandra Ray, Indian chemist and entrepreneur who made first chemical factory in the country FROM HIS HOUSE; founded Bengal Chemical and Pharmaceutical Works
  • Sandrine Mubenga, Congolese engineer working on solar-powered villages and fuel-cell hybrid car (women in STEM!)
  • Shirley Jackson, kick-ass Black physicist, inventor and president at Rensselaer Polytechnic. She can be credited for the touch-tone telephone, the portable fax, and caller ID
  • Tony Hansberry, the youngest on this list; his innovation on endo switches drastically cut the performance time for hysterectomies (open-heart surgery).

So…what’s up, white academia? Where’s the accolades for them?