Griffin’s story is in some ways even more pointed than Kenner’s.

When she sought to interest the United States government in her feeding machine — on the grounds that it would benefit wounded veterans — she was rejected.

She then offered her invention to France, which accepted it.

A Black American woman’s contribution to the welfare of American veterans was refused by the American government and accepted by a foreign one.

Griffin went on to develop other inventions, including a portable receptacle for amputees and a disposable emesis basin, and to work as a forensic document examiner.

Like Kenner, she was an inventor whose breadth of achievement was not matched by public recognition during her lifetime.