***5 Amazing Black Women Who Changed the World With Tech**

For a long time, the achievements of black women in technology and science were relegated to the background despite their amazing contributions. Though this has changed over the years, we’d like to celebrate five amazing women who made significant contributions to the world of technology and science at a time where it wasn’t cool for women to be in tech.

Katherine Johnson
If you’ve seen “Hidden Figures”, then you already know about the phenomenal Katherine
Johnson. Born in 1918, Katherine Johnson went on to become one of the most
renowned women in tech history. Her knowledge of orbital mechanics and
calculations of trajectories were instrumental in pioneering space travel
for America. Despite racial and gender segregation at NASA at the time,
Katherine Johnson pushed through, asserting herself and demanding the
respect she deserved. She was so good at what she did that astronaut, John
Glenn, refused to fly unless Katherine verified his orbit calculations,
which had been calculated by a computer. She received several awards in her
career including a presidential medal of freedom from President
Obama.

Florence Seriki

A renowned Nigerian technopreneur, Florence Seriki was
a visionary beyond her time. In the 80’s, she made it her mission to teach
as many people as she could how to use computers. In 1987, she founded
Omatek Ventures a 3.5 billion naira company, that offered hardware solutions
at affordable rates
in the country. The IT Amazon was a former president of the Information Technology Association of Nigeria (ITAN) and a recipient of the Member of the Federal Republic (MFR). Commonly referred to as Africa’s Bill Gates in the Making, she remains an inspiration to Africans in Tech.

Dr. Patricia Bath
Dr. Bath was the first black woman to hold a patent for a
medical device. She invented the Laserphaco Probe, a laser cataract removal
device which helped numerous blind people to see again. She later filed
three more patents including one for an ultrasound method of removing
cataracts. Dr. Bath was also the first woman to be elected as an honorary
staff of the UCLA medical center, and serve at the Jules Stein Eye
Institute. She went on to establish the American Institute for the Prevention
of Blindness.

Joycelyn Harrison
A seasoned inventor, researcher and chemical
engineer at NASA,Joycelyn Harrison is a force to be reckoned
with. She holds 12 patents and has contributed immensely to the field of
materials science with her research in piezoelectric materials. Along with
her team members, Joycelyn discovered Thin-Layer Composite-Unimorph
Piezoelectric Driver and Sensor (THUNDER). This piezoelectric material has
the potential to provide solutions in aerospace, acoustics and healthcare.
In 2000, Joycelyn Harrison received the NASA exceptional achievement medal
and went on to receive the outstanding leadership medal in 2006.

Mary Jackson

Mary Jackson was the first black aerospace engineer at NASA. Her
contributions in the field of engineering were pivotal to several space
missions. At a time when the field of engineering was highly segregated,
both by gender and race, she attended
all-white night classes to qualify for an engineering promotion. Mary
Jackson spent her career, not only creating technological leaps in
aerospace engineering but aiding women and minority groups in STEM to
become tech contributors too. The Apollo Group Achievement Award and
Daniels Alumni Award for Outstanding Service to Disadvantaged Youth are
only a few of the numerous awards she received in her
career.

Conclusion
In a time when all the odds
were against them, these black women excelled and have the blueprint for
young women to follow. If they can do it, you can do it! Know more amazing black women in tech? Mention them in the comment section.

Written by Hazel Agoni

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