HELECIA

Mary Beatrice Kenner changed the world of feminine care with the invention of the sanitary belt, the forerunner of sanitary pads. Her creation was considered to be the first form of modern menstruation protection. —Until sanitary pads were created, women used all kinds of reusable fabrics to absorb menstrual flows. Mary's invention was initially rejected. The first company that showed interest rejected it because of racial discrimination. The world had no choice, her invention was too important to be ignored. It was later accepted in 1956, 30 years later. She received five patents for her household and other personal items creations. One of her inventions is the bathroom tissue holder, which she co-invented with her sister. The patent number was US 4354643, dated October 19, 1982. I was on a thread a while ago, some people commented that Africans have not contributed to humanity in any way. I marveled at their ignorance. Dear black child, I know that your environmental, economic, and political conditions deliberately put you at a disadvantage to compete favorably with your counterparts across the world, that doesn't mean that there's no greatness in you. You carry in an important invention that the world needs, don't wait for the light at the end of the tunnel, light your way through the tunnel. You are more powerful than you think. 🖋️if you love our content, please consider supporting our page on AfricanArchives.Support (follow the ko-fi page too for weekly posts roundup)