I don’t work in the fields you do, but there’s a few similar(ish) stories in the nuclear field. My personal favorite story is that of J Ernest Wilkins Jr who was not allowed to work at X10 (now the Oak Ridge National Laboratory) during the Manhattan project due to Tennessee’s Jim Crowe laws. This was despite getting a personal recommendation from Edward Teller! He worked up in Chicago and created some of the fundamental reactor physics for plutonium productions then and reactor physics generally. Among a list of other accomplishments he’d serve as the president of the American Nuclear Society in the 70s. It’s a story I wish I knew sooner. Thanks for this read about another figure I never knew about!
An incredible read... makes me very proud as a human being to know of this intense quality of character and ability to rise up and overcome horrible adversity. And it grinds my gears too because I read this in a time where lawmakers are actively engaged in erasure efforts to squelch information like this lest it support Black pride and intimidate fragile white mythology. Thank you for sharing this wonderful story of these treasured Americans, and the links afterwards are terrific too.
SUCH a great story! Thank you for sharing this Marlon. Makes me sad that these amazing stories are not known, let alone well-known, by anyone else. Makes me sad we don’t know about such people who spent their lives trying to make America more like the ideals we say we aspire to. And it makes me sad all these “bestselling historical/biographical novels” will never be read because no one is writing them. But it makes me happy some know how to share, with pride, ancestral stories that rekindles them.
Among all the rest of the good stuff in this tale, I'm struck by how must faster our legal system used to work. From conviction to exoneration by the Supreme Court in only 6 years... nowadays it seems like it takes decades to get justice.
Thank you for writing this article. Judge Scipio Africans Jones is my Great-grandfather!! My mother used to tell me stories about him and how he always sent her a wonderful gift for her birthday. His daughter, Hazel, was my Grandmother. We've kept her name alive for four generations in our family. Gratitude.
Your comment literally brought tears to my eyes! When I wrote this piece, it never occurred to me that someone related to him would ever read it. I am so glad to know you enjoyed reading this!
Agree. Kids are far better equipped to learn the truth and integrate it into their realities and world views than adults. Cases in point: Florida, Prager U, MAGA, and on and on. Thanks for sharing & keeping this story alive.
You are a wonderful storyteller, and you have some amazing people, including you, in your family, and that’s a special eff you to all the bigoted haters out there! I love that so much, and I appreciate and love the knowledge you give to me, and everyone else listening! You’re a true gem, and gentleman! You touch my heart, and keep this soul of mine going! Mucho love and respect from Texas, my pal! 💙💙💙💙
I don’t work in the fields you do, but there’s a few similar(ish) stories in the nuclear field. My personal favorite story is that of J Ernest Wilkins Jr who was not allowed to work at X10 (now the Oak Ridge National Laboratory) during the Manhattan project due to Tennessee’s Jim Crowe laws. This was despite getting a personal recommendation from Edward Teller! He worked up in Chicago and created some of the fundamental reactor physics for plutonium productions then and reactor physics generally. Among a list of other accomplishments he’d serve as the president of the American Nuclear Society in the 70s. It’s a story I wish I knew sooner. Thanks for this read about another figure I never knew about!
Thanks for the comment @Anthony Tom. Glad you enjoyed it!
That's amazing and wonderful
An incredible read... makes me very proud as a human being to know of this intense quality of character and ability to rise up and overcome horrible adversity. And it grinds my gears too because I read this in a time where lawmakers are actively engaged in erasure efforts to squelch information like this lest it support Black pride and intimidate fragile white mythology. Thank you for sharing this wonderful story of these treasured Americans, and the links afterwards are terrific too.
SUCH a great story! Thank you for sharing this Marlon. Makes me sad that these amazing stories are not known, let alone well-known, by anyone else. Makes me sad we don’t know about such people who spent their lives trying to make America more like the ideals we say we aspire to. And it makes me sad all these “bestselling historical/biographical novels” will never be read because no one is writing them. But it makes me happy some know how to share, with pride, ancestral stories that rekindles them.
Among all the rest of the good stuff in this tale, I'm struck by how must faster our legal system used to work. From conviction to exoneration by the Supreme Court in only 6 years... nowadays it seems like it takes decades to get justice.
Amazing story of a great man almost lost to history. Thank you for keeping his story alive.
Marlon thanks for telling our story.
Hello Crystal! So good to hear from you! 🤗
Thank you for writing this article. Judge Scipio Africans Jones is my Great-grandfather!! My mother used to tell me stories about him and how he always sent her a wonderful gift for her birthday. His daughter, Hazel, was my Grandmother. We've kept her name alive for four generations in our family. Gratitude.
Your comment literally brought tears to my eyes! When I wrote this piece, it never occurred to me that someone related to him would ever read it. I am so glad to know you enjoyed reading this!
I've sent it to all three of my adult children and my grandson!! The legacy continues thanks to you and your efforts!!
Every American child should know these stories. Politicians on the right think their kids can’t deal with this truth — because they can’t.
Agree. Kids are far better equipped to learn the truth and integrate it into their realities and world views than adults. Cases in point: Florida, Prager U, MAGA, and on and on. Thanks for sharing & keeping this story alive.
You are a wonderful storyteller, and you have some amazing people, including you, in your family, and that’s a special eff you to all the bigoted haters out there! I love that so much, and I appreciate and love the knowledge you give to me, and everyone else listening! You’re a true gem, and gentleman! You touch my heart, and keep this soul of mine going! Mucho love and respect from Texas, my pal! 💙💙💙💙