Black Patents: Miriam Benjamin

Miriam Benjamin was a teacher in Charleston, SC when she noticed restaurants and hotels were struggling to keep up with their patrons. She invented a service button that would signal the waitstaff as well as illuminate the customer waiting for service. This design is what we currently use in flight to signal flight attendants. Mrs. Benjamin was the second black woman to receive a patent for her invention. This invention was also taken up (with modifications) by the House of Representatives!

References

1. "Miriam E. Benjamin". Black History in America; visited February 2020
2. Mary Bellis. "Biography of Miriam Benjamin, Inventor of a Signal Chair". Thought Co. June 19, 2019