The Little-Known Story Of Mary Kenner, The First Black American Woman To Earn Five Patents

She was not an anomaly.

She was part of a tradition of Black women inventors who were achieving extraordinary things while the world was not paying attention.

The Flower Shop Years

For most of the central decades of her adult life, Mary Kenner was primarily known — to the extent she was known at all — as a florist.

Her shop, which she operated in Washington, D.C., was her livelihood and the economic anchor that made everything else possible.

Florist work is skilled work that requires knowledge of plants, understanding of design, customer service skills, and the operational management of a small business.