Today I have a story for you that includes two sisters, a sanitary belt, a board game, opera, and multiple sclerosis. It’s time to talk about badass disabled women in history, Mary and Mildred Davidson.
Mary (Davidson) Kenner and Mildred (Davidson) Smith
Mary and Mildred Davidson seem like kids who never whined about being bored. Their creativity was nurtured from the very beginning by their inventive family. Mary’s first invention was devising a way to keep her screen door from squeaking. Instead of banging it a bunch of times hoping it would just stop squeaking (like I would’ve), she came up with a solution.
It’s Mary’s first invention as an adult that gets all the attention though.
The sanitary belt.
Looks super fun, doesn’t it? Kind of resembles my safety patrol belt from 5th grade though I’m pretty sure my teacher, Mrs. Smith, would not approve of my saying that. She didn’t approve of me at all though, especially after I kicked a boy in the shin for being a bully. It wasn’t “ladylike.”
I can’t imagine living in the day before modern disposable pads, but most women just used rags for their period. It must have been messy, ineffective, and annoying. As an alternative to the rags, Mary proposed an adjustable belt with an inbuilt, moisture-proof napkin pocket. Unfortunately, it was never produced on a mass scale because of the racism at the time.
Mildred Davidson Austin Smith
Finding information on Mildred is harder than it is for Mary, but she was just as brilliant. Mildred was a professional opera singer that developed Multiple Sclerosis as an adult.
Just imagine being at the top of your professional game as a WOC in the opera world, and then becoming bedridden with MS. Many of us have gone through something similar and remember how devastating it is to have our life ripped out from underneath us.
There’s very little information regarding how Mildred felt about Multiple Sclerosis and what she went through. What she did share was that when all she could do was lie in her bed and think, she came up with a game. The game called “Family Treedition.” She designed it as a “way to get back in touch with the family” and as an inexpensive form of entertainment. She also had her game translated into braille to make it accessible.
Mildred Davidson Smith was a badass WOC with multiple sclerosis. While in bed because of her disability, she invented a board game called Family Treedition. She even had the game translated into braille to make it more accessible. Click To TweetFamily Treedition
The object of the genealogy game is to earn points by placing on a board three cards from your hand that represent a correct relationship between blood relatives. For example, “my father’s first cousin is my second cousin.
The deck’s 64 cards represent everyone from great-grandmother to third cousin. Of course, there are a few wild cards, to get you out of tight spots. The figures on the cards have what Smith calls Egyptian-like, angular features. These, she said, are universal faces. (Sandra R. Gregg, Washington Post).
Not only did Mildred create a board game from her bed, but she was the director of her church choir for 26 years. She taught piano and voice, tutored elementary ages children, and was an advocate for disabled people’s independence.
Mary’s inventions inspired by Mildred’s Multiple Sclerosis
Mary filed for five total patents, which is more than any African American woman in history. A substantial amount of her inventions were drawn from Mildred’s life. Mary patented a serving tray with a soft pocket that could be attached to Mildred’s walker to allow her to carry things with her. Mary also patented a back washer that attached to the wall of the shower to reach hard-to-clean spots on the back. She even patented a toilet tissue holder that made the loose end of the roll always in reach.
I love the story of Mary Kenner and Mildred Smith. They were two badass sisters who worked together and loved inventing. I can just imagine Mary seeing her sister dealing with inaccessibility, and coming up with ideas in her head. I never would’ve heard of either of them if I hadn’t gone down the rabbit hole of women inventors.
Sources
Photo Credit- Disabled and Here
Black History Month Featuring Mary Beatrice Davidson Kenner
The Forgotten Black Woman Inventor Who Revolutionized Menstrual Pads