World Changer of the Month — November 2022: Molly Williams

Born into slavery circa 1747, Molly Williams is recognized as the first female firefighter in the United States. While a slave to the wealthy Aymar family, she met and married her husband, Peter Williams. In 1783, Aymar sold the Williamses to Wesley Chapel, the first incarnation of the John Street United Methodist Church in Manhattan’s Financial District. The Williams family lived in the basement of the church as indentured servants with Peter serving as the sexton in charge of buildings, maintenance, and grave digging and Molly cooking and cleaning. They had a son, Peter Jr., and eventually bought their freedom.

Mrs. Williams continued to work for Aymar as a servant after she became a free woman. In 1815, Aymar became a volunteer in Lower Manhattan’s fledgling firefighting corps, Oceanus Engine Co. 11. Fires broke out frequently and those most affected were those with the most property, so many wealthy merchants took part in the firefighting corps out of self-interest. Mrs. Williams would accompany Aymar when he went to work at Oceanus Engine Co. 11. Initially, she cooked meals, cleaned the station and cared for the crew when outbreaks of flu, yellow fever, and cholera erupted. However, in time she would replace the sick crew, fighting fires in their stead.

There was a great blizzard in New York in 1818. Between the blizzard and a great influenza outbreak, many male volunteers were unable to work. At the age of 71, Mrs. Williams took the place of the sick men and worked at the firehouse. The members of the firehouse credited her for being as tough as the male firefighters. During the blizzard, Mrs. Williams answered a call that came into the firehouse and “pump[ed] out as much [water with as much] strength as all the men.” Mrs. Williams was remembered for pulling the pumper to fires through heavy snow during that blizzard. Her commitment earned her the name “Volunteer 11.” Often seen fighting fires in a dress and checkered apron, she was known for her distinguished presence and attire. Her fellow firefighters described Mrs. Williams to be “as good a fire laddie as many of the boys.”

Mrs. Williams died in 1821 at the age of 74. George W. Sheldon wrote in the 1882 oral history The Story of the Volunteer Fire Department of the City of New York, that Molly Williams was “one of the most famous ‘volunteers’ of the earlier days.” Though there is very little known about her personal life, her firefighting efforts remain an important part of women’s history and Black history and paved the way for all female firefighters.

This text is excerpted from: https://lithub.com/on-molly-williams-one-of-americas-first-female-firefighters/, http://staging1.firefightersabcs.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/Twelve_Amazing_Female_Firefighters.pdf, and https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Molly_Williams,

"Adversity is preparation for greatness.”

― Andy Andrews

The Navy Seals are known for repeating the following phrase during training, “Embrace the suck.” While I will acknowledge that this motto isn’t exactly eloquent, the attitude behind it fosters the right type of perseverance.

It’s human nature to want things to be comfortable, easy, and as simple as possible. But we know that all things that come simply and easily to us aren’t always best for us, especially in the long term. Often our seasons of hardship are those within which we experience the most growth.

I often find myself encouraging my daughters as they navigate various challenges. Understandably, they would like for their respective trials to come to a quick and deliberate end, forthwith. I always hear them out when they share their frustrations, but I also often push back and share that in my own experience, my most challenging seasons have fostered and developed personal internal growth, the likes of which I would not have experienced outside of those tough circumstances.

Recently, I made it personal for my eldest daughter, reminding her of her first spelling test.

This daughter has always loved reading and has had strong language and verbal expression skills from a very young age, so when she started pre-kindergarten, we expected that this trend would continue. Well, it did, until her first hurdle. On the Monday of the second week of school, her teacher distributed a list of spelling words and told the class that they would be taking a spelling test at the end of the week.

When my daughter came home from school that day and pulled out her homework folder, she was in a full panic. She was not so concerned that she would not remember how to spell the words, but more so that she would only have a certain amount of time in which to write the words down legibly and place each letter properly within the wide-lined primary school paper.

She was stressed, and so was I. Not because I didn’t think she could do it, but because I knew this was a new challenge for her. She had never been asked to do this before and I did not want the experience to take a negative toll on her self-confidence. But despite my instinct to protect her from discomfort, I told her, “You can do this. You are smart. You are an excellent reader. You can do anything you set your mind to.” She wasn’t convinced. She begged me not to make her take the test. Much to her chagrin, her pleas fell on deaf ears.

Over the course of the week leading up to the test, my daughter dutifully practiced writing her spelling words every night, even as tears streamed down her face and dripped onto her paper. She tightly gripped the pencil with her small fingers, determined to form each letter properly, engraving into the wooden table with each linear and circular stroke she applied to the paper.

She took the test at the end of the week. She got all the words right, but she did get a reminder from her teacher to work on her penmanship.

With each passing week, she got stronger and stronger and faster and faster, and eventually got to the point where the words came so easily that she had to be given a more challenging vocabulary list.

After I finished recounting the story, I reminded my daughter that if we had allowed her to skip her first spelling test because she thought it was too hard and because she was afraid, she would have never known that she could be successful at it as she would have never tried. And she would have never known how many other more complex tasks she would be able to accomplish in the future because she would have quit before she took the first test.

Reader, whatever trial you are facing, whether it is personal, professional or academic, view it as an opportunity to develop perseverance and grit. It just might be preparing you for a future test.

World Changer of the Month — October 2022: Mary Kenner

Mary Beatrice Davidson Kenner was born on May 17, 1912, in Monroe, North Carolina. Her father Sidney Nathaniel Davidson and her maternal grandfather Robert Phromeberger were both inventors. This familial interest in inventing inspired Kenner from a very young age. At just 6 years old, she attempted inventing a self-oiling hinge for doors. She then went on to create other inventions throughout her childhood such as a portable ashtray and an absorbent umbrella that could soak up rain water.

Kenner graduated from Dunbar High School in 1931 and was admitted to Howard University. She attended college for a year and a half, but dropped out due to gender discrimination and financial difficulties. In 1950, she became a professional florist and ran her chain of flower shops into the 1970s while inventing things in her spare time.

In her lifetime, Kenner created many inventions and secured several patents. Many of her inventions were developed out of necessity. During her era, menstruation was not a commonly discussed topic and was considered taboo. Kenner realized that despite society’s general neglect of the issue, there was a wide-spread need for a hygienic tool that would allow women to minimize disruption to their daily routines when they were on their menstrual cycles.

She originally invented the sanitary belt in the 1920s, but she couldn’t afford a patent at the time. She improved her primary version over time and continually updated the invention. The Sonn-Nap-Pack Company heard of her invention in 1957 and was interested in mass producing her product, however when they learned that she was African-American, they were no longer interested.

Kenner described the situation in an interview saying, “One day I was contacted by a company that expressed an interest in marketing my idea. I was so jubilant … I saw houses, cars and everything about to come my way. . . . Sorry to say, when they found out I was Black, their interest dropped.” Notwithstanding this initial rejection, an undeterred Kenner persevered, securing the patent for her sanitary belt in 1957, and going on to invent many other inventions.

In 1976 Kenner patented an attachment for a walker that included a hard-surfaced tray and a soft pocket for carrying items. Kenner also invented a toilet paper holder that she patented. Her final patent, granted on September 29, 1987, was for a mounted back washer and massager. Kenner never received any awards or formal recognition for her work. However, her inventions and contributions helped pave the way for subsequent innovations. Kenner still holds the record for the greatest number of patents awarded to a Black woman by the U.S. government.

As the developer of the precursor to the modern self-adhesive Maxi pad, Kenner transformed the entire world of female sanitary care. Her other inventions have since evolved throughout the years with similar versions still remaining in use.

This text is excerpted from: https://briefly.co.za/94350-mary-beatrice-davidson-kenner-biography-death-quotes-facts-net-worth.html, https://www.blackpast.org/african-american-history/mary-kenner-1912-2006/, and https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mary_Kenner.