Celebrating Black History Month with inspiring figures in D&T - Garrett A. Morgan

Published 30th October 2025

This Black History Month, teachers can bring the story of Garrett A. Morgan into the classroom to inspire pupils. Born in Kentucky in 1877, Morgan overcame barriers to become an inventor, entrepreneur and community leader.

From tailoring to traffic signals - Morgan’s inventive journey

Morgan began his career in Ohio repairing sewing machines and later developed a “belt fastener” attachment, hair‑care products and straighteners, combining technical skill with entrepreneurship.

In 1914, he patented a safety hood for firefighters and, in 1916, used it to rescue workers trapped in a tunnel explosion. The hood was later adapted for use in World War I.

In 1923, Morgan patented a three‑position traffic signal that introduced a caution position between Stop and Go, helping regulate traffic and save lives. He used his success to support black organisations and education, showing how design can benefit the wider community.

Why Morgan matters to design & technology classrooms

Morgan’s story highlights core D&T principles: identifying problems, designing solutions, testing and considering the user. Teachers can use his work to:

• Explore user-focused problem solving.
• Set projects designing protective equipment or everyday solutions.
• Discuss how social context shapes innovation.

Morgan’s inventive approach links perfectly with the ‘Inspired by Industry’ context from PTC Onshape, a free resource for all teachers. Using this, pupils can follow Morgan’s mindset to develop and test prototypes that improve quality of life. Projects can range from simple mock-ups to more polished outcomes, or use CAD to model and test parts virtually, before moving to rapid prototyping.

Members of the Design & Technology Association can also access a collection of member-only resources, including Focused Tasks (FTs), Investigative and Evaluative Activities (IEAs), and full curriculum units, to support classroom delivery and help pupils connect historical innovation with modern design & technology practices.

To support teachers further, a downloadable PDF poster is available, perfect for keeping in the classroom as a source of inspiration and a reminder of how innovation can come alive in design and technology.

By connecting Morgan’s story to practical activities, teachers can show pupils how creativity, resilience and user-centred design can make a real-world impact, bringing both history and modern D&T learning to life.