Issue #948 Today In Black History, Monday, October 27, 2025
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Born in 1914 in the small town of Hickory, Virginia, Bessie Blount Griffin’s journey was marked by perseverance and a relentless pursuit of knowledge. In the sixth grade, she had to discontinue her elementary education, though she later earned a GED after her family moved to New Jersey.
She attended nursing school at Community Kennedy Memorial Hospital in New Jersey, where she flourished despite the racial barriers of the time.
Blount also attended Panzer College of Physical Education (now Montclair State University) and Union County Junior College (now Union County College), where she earned certification in physical therapy. As one of the few African American physical therapists at the time, she blended interpretive dance, an avocation, into her patients’ treatments.
As a nurse and physical therapist, Griffin witnessed firsthand the limitations faced by disabled veterans returning from World War II. Motivated by compassion and a drive to improve their quality of life, she invented a device that would leave a lasting impact: the electric feeding device. This ingenious tool enabled individuals with upper-body disabilities to feed themselves independently and with dignity.
Blount received a patent on her “Portable Receptacle Support” on April 24, 1951, three years after filing a patent. That same year, Blount married Thomas Griffin, and the couple would have one son, Philip. Her work laid the groundwork for future advancements in adaptive technology.
In 1953, she was the first black woman to appear on the television program The Big Idea, which exposed her inventions to a popular audience.
In 1969, Blount started a forensic career as a chief examiner for police in Norfolk and Portsmouth, Virginia. She was the first American woman to study at the Metropolitan Police Forensic Science Laboratory in London in 1977. Until 1983, she consulted on legal strategy and procedure for law enforcement and law firms. Blount briefly worked in journalism, advanced medical graphology research, held memberships in various esteemed organizations, and advocated for equal rights. She received several honors, including the New Jersey Joint Legislative Commendation.
Bessie Blount Griffin passed away at age 95 on December 30, 2009, in Newfield, New Jersey.
Today In Black History
In 1891, Black inventor Phillip B. Downing patented the street letter box, the precursor to today’s mailboxes.
In 1948, Léopold Sédar Senghor founded the Senegalese Democratic Bloc and became Senegal’s first president.
In 1954, Benjamin Oliver Davis, Jr. became the first Black Air Force Brigadier General, appointed by President Dwight D. Eisenhower.
In 1971, the Republic of Congo-Kinshasa became the Republic of Zaire.
In 1981, Andrew Jackson Young, Jr., former U.N. Ambassador, was elected mayor of Atlanta, Georgia.
October is my birthday month, and I will be 75 years old this month!
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