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As a young inventor, he wanted to change the world, but as he got older, he realized

that he could actually transform black people's lives closer to home.

How did his curiosity and brilliance cause him to do both?

This is two-minute black history.

What you didn't learn in school.

The stench of tallow candles illuminated the air and fixed fires roared in underground grates.

That was, until this inventor made urban areas beam bright. While you might not know his name,

his legacy proves to be even larger than we've been taught.

Look into any light bulb and you'll see Lewis Latimer's invention, the filament,

the most crucial part of electric light bulbs.

With it, he brought light to the masses, but it wasn't an easy road.

Contrary to the times, Latimer didn't believe that black people learning trades would

end racism.

He recognized that no matter our contributions, white people would actively disenfranchise us.

We needed material benefits to make our lives better.

He wanted to invent affordable resources,

and that he did. During a time when black minds weren't welcome in scientific spaces or fairly

credited, his brilliance still provided resource equity in poor homes. Though Thomas Edison is credited as the inventor of the light bulb,

it was Latimer's innovation that brought the cost down and his effort that distributed

the more affordable bulbs to lower income homes across the country. Latimer used his brilliance and love for his people to

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