The curriculum in American schools, while still far from complete in its representation, is more inclusive than it was a generation ago.

But the recovery movement has its own limitations, which honest analysis requires acknowledging.

The first limitation is depth.

Adding a name to a list, or including a brief mention in a textbook, is not the same as genuinely integrating an inventor’s story into the cultural consciousness.

Mary Kenner appears on lists of important Black inventors and women inventors.

But the richness of her story — the eighteen-year wait, the flower shop, the family tradition of invention, the sister with her own patent, the eventual recognition in her final years — is not captured by a name on a list.

Genuine integration of overlooked histories requires the sustained narrative investment that biographies, documentaries, and long-form journalism provide.