I’ve always liked the slogan “a mind is a terrible thing to waste”.
But there’s some real irony in the advertisement:
The United Negro College fund exists to help universities…but most of the items they list as famous achievements were invented by people who never went to university.
They are saying, “Look at this long list of great and wise things done by Afro-Americans who developed their minds without going to college. Now give us money.” 
I’ve read through this thread, twice.
I see the rant in the OP.
I still have not found the debate.
Off to the BBQ Pit.
Of course I’m assuming that African Americans had at least something to do with the creation or improvement of these items. If it turns out anything on the list was demonstrably made of whole cloth, I’ll join the chorus here. But if that can’t be proven, I think you guys are overreacting.
My hairbrush is made out of plastic, which was not invented by an African-American. So, no, I wouldn’t.
The Wright brothers didn’t invent wood or metal or cloth or the engine so I guess they don’t deserve any credit for the airplane, huh?
The list did not credit an African-American with an innovation to the hairbrush, but with the invention of it.
Man, now someone is claiming that a black person invented bullshit? That is going too far.
All I have to say is - “Black” is not equivalent to “African American”!
Not only that but it says African American, singular. It was just one really busy black guy who invented all that stuff.
Where? What am I missing? Show me. I’ve already pointed out twice that the list says innovation. Argent Towers says invention.
This has been Black History Minute
The USGA recognizes George Franklin Grant (who was black) as the inventor of the wooden golf tee, but there were several rubber and metal tee designs in use long before Grant, and the modern one-piece tee didn’t appear until 25 years later (and had nothing to do with Grant). I’m not sure you can blame the UNCF for that one, though they are certainly stretching the truth.
Dr. Daniel Hale Williams (black guy) is often credited with performing the first cardiac operation (not open-heart surgery), but there were three others who did it before him, according to Wikipedia.
I was unaware that Michael Faraday was black, but hey, live and learn.
Try to keep in mind that this stuff was probably all written by somebody at an outside ad agency, who more than likely just Googled for “African-American firsts” or somesuch.
Since the list does not in any way qualify its assertion, it certainly appears as though they are claiming that the first person to use a brush on some hair (or the first person who created a brush and had hair, perhaps) was black.
I do not read it as claiming that at all. I believe there is fossilized/frozen evidence that cavemen groomed their hair. It just looks to me like a list of things that African Americans contributed to. Not black people, by the way. African Americans. There’s a difference.
It says “a mind” is responsible for these things, “the mind of an African-American”. It doesn’t say, “an African-American mind contributed to these things.”
The claims may not be lies, but they’re at best disingenuous and at worst deliberately deceptive.
ETA: As I noted above, I’m more than willing to give them the benefit of the doubt and assume that the ad agency responsible just didn’t bother to fact-check before publishing.
Oh gimme a break, it’s a small bit of cheerleading from a group that was marginalized and shit on for a few hundred years. It’s not an “egregious lie.”
And by the way, it says a mind was responsible for these innovations. I’m still waiting to see where it claims African Americans invented all these things.
It says *"A mind is responsible for the traffic light…
hairbrush…
the fact that each and every one of the wonderful innovations mentioned here came from the mind. The mind of an African-American."*
Does it say “hairbrush” or “plastic [or whatever] hairbrush”? It’s saying the hairbrush was an innovation by the mind of an African-American. That’s the same as saying the hairbrush was invented by an African-American.
I fail to see the connection between being marginalized and shit on and publishing factually inaccurate claims in order to drum up donations. Calling it a small bit of cheerleading is fine (although I wouldn’t describe a full page ad in the NYT as such).
Excusing the inaccurate portions on the grounds that African-Americans have been getting the shaft, however, is unnecessary and wrong.
Really? Perhaps you missed this part.
I wonder if the State of New York has a law against deceptive fund-raising practices? I bet they do.