Mary Beatrice Davidson Kenner, the inventor of the sanitary belt, has been an ambitious woman from a young age. Growing up in Monroe, North Carolina, Mary was surrounded by inventors. Her father, Sidney, invented and patented a travel-sized clothing compressor, while her grandfather invented and patented a tricolored light signal for trains. Considering the great influences surrounding Mary, it was no surprise that by the age of six, she had ideas of inventing a convertible car roof and a portable cigarette ashtray.
Mary had the layout for her sanitary belt in high school, but lacked the funding to obtain a patent. After high school, she attended Howard University, unfortunately, she had to drop out due to financial difficulties during her college years. Following this, Mary worked as a federal employee during World War II and also became a florist, but never forgot to set aside time for her true passion: inventing.
Mary’s sanitary belt was used to keep menstrual pads in place, a necessity in the mid 1900’s before tampons, and before adhesive was introduced to sanitary pads. When a popular contractor finally contacted Mary, she described her reaction as, “so jubilant … I saw houses, cars, and everything about to come my way.” However, this feeling was only temporary. When the contractors found out about Mary’s race, their interest in her product dropped.
Although the investors’ interests were no longer, Mary’s passion only grew stronger. In 1959, she patented her first invention, the sanitary belt, by herself. Following this, Mary invented and patterned a walker, made to have a built-in tray and pockets, shortly after her sister was diagnosed with sclerosis. Although her inventions have been frequently overlooked, Mary has been recognized by the United States government for being the first black woman to hold five different patents during her time. Despite her experiences with discrimination, Mary has paved the way for many great inventions and will forever be remembered for her creativity and perseverance.
Adapted by MLK Intern Sammy Stewart from https://blackpast.org/african-american-history/mary-kenner-1912-2006/ and https://lemelson.mit.edu/resources/mary-beatrice-davidson-kenner