“My day without an African American”
By: Morrel Wax
Oh crap! It’s already 10:30 a.m. and my alarm clock didn’t even go off, and on top of that, it was really hot in my room! So, I walked over to switch the air conditioning on, but I couldn’t because that was invented by Frederick Jones, July 12, 1949. I looked in my closet trying to figure out which polo I was going to wear. Hmmm, okay! I’ve got it! I grabbed the iron out of my closet, then I went to grab my ironing board and it was gone! Sarah Boone invented it on April 26, 1892, so I had to put a towel on the floor and iron my nice shirt.
I then went to grab my cell phone, to call my friend, so I could tell him all the bad luck I was having today. That was gone, too! The cell phone was invented by Henry Sampson on July 6, 1971. By this point I didn’t know what to do. I woke up late, my air conditioner was gone, I didn’t have an ironing board, and my cell phone was missing; the only way I could make myself happy, was to go down to the dining hall and have my favorite meal; a peanut butter and jelly sandwich with a bag of potato chips. That would have solved all my problems! So, I ran out of my room and went to the elevator, only it was gone too. That’s because it was invented by Alexander Miles on October 11, 1887, so I had to take the stairs. “Eight floors until the bottom,” I thought. I knew that sandwich is going to melt in my mouth. I could taste it. I could feel my mouth watering just thinking about it. So I got there and stood in line for five minutes, patiently waiting for my turn. When it was my turn, I looked the lady straight in the eye and told her, with confidence, “I want a peanut butter and jelly sandwich with a bag of potato chips!” Please and thank you! She looked back at me and said, “No can do, peanut butter was invented by George Washington Carver in 1900 and the potato chip was invented by George Crum in 1853.” I was furious by that point, so I left the hall angrily to go check my mail. When I got there I noticed all the boxes were missing, so I went to the counter to ask the front desk worker what happened to all the mail boxes and she said they were invented by Philip B. Downing on October 27, 1891.
I was 10 seconds away from screaming, until I remembered there was a blood drive going on at the Union right now. So I walked over there, ready to donate blood, hoping to get my mind off all the important inventions missing in my life. I got to the Union and noticed a sign hanging on the door. It said, “No blood drive today! Charles Drew is the doctor who came up with a system for the long term preservation of blood plasma, in 1940.” As I read even harder to make sure what I was reading was correct, someone opened the door and hit me in the face! Then I woke up and the nightmare was over! How would your life be affected without African Americans? read more >>
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