Can anyone tell me who invented the first clothes dryer? Or how about who determined that vinegar, molasses, rubber, ink, and postage stamp glue could be made from sweet potatoes? If you were to stop the average individual on the street and ask them these questions they probably would not be able to answer you correctly. The scientists who discovered these great things have long been forgotten and their names don’t easily roll off the tongues of young school age children. Like any other profession, scientists of every generation have been faced with the challenge of becoming masters in their careers. For some of these same scientists, they have found themselves being presented with an even larger problem: they were black. Several decades ago it was impossible for blacks in the field of science to receive the praise and acknowledgment they so well deserved. Fortunately, time brings change and the names and works of African American scientists and inventors have begun to pop up in classrooms across the nation. With these factors in mind, the students in my classroom will not only examine the lives and accomplishments of several African American scientists and inventors, they will be introduced to key scientific concepts and processes throughout the unit. This unit will be very important not only because it makes science seem more relevant to the lives of my students, it is designed to incorporate the historical aspects of science through a hands-on teaching approach.