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In making the calendar products for this month, we came across this photograph in our research. The picture below is not Margaret E. Knight, the inventor.

However, this image has been used repeatedly on reputable sites and individual YouTube channels. Her name may be Margaret Knight, but this is not the Margaret E. Knight who invented the flat-bottomed paper bag machine. For starters, Margaret E. Knight died in 1914 at 76 years old.

This photograph is of a woman from the 1940s (or, at least, had a 40s style). Her style should have been a big clue to anyone who has read any biographical information about Margaret E. Knight.

Whoever decided (and there were several people)that this image was Margaret E. Knight lacked a suitable fact-checking process.

We need to be as accurate as possible when assembling information for our students (and anywhere). Fact-checking is an essential process, and to not verify your information seems irresponsible.

We are firmly in the era of AI-created images that will supplant the photographic images of the past. That incorrect image of Knight is not AI-generated; it is a misidentified photograph of an attractive dark-haired white female from the 1940s. Since Margaret E. Knight died before 1920, it is unlikely that the picture above is her.

This newspaper clipping from 1912 is the real Margaret E. Knight.

So, if anyone had paid attention to the dates (and had some casual knowledge of early 20th-century clothing or 1940s style), one would have noticed. It would be like mistaking someone from the 1950s with someone from the 1990s.

And yet, many people used that attractive woman from the 1940s as Margaret E. Knight. Were they overworked? Was it a real lack of knowledge? Or was it that several places used the same photo (incorrectly), and they felt somewhat confident that this was indeed the Margaret E. Knight for whom they had been searching?

Simple misidentification is how historical erasure stars. Lazy (or lack of) fact-checking, however innocent, can erase from a woman who had worked in textile factories and paper bag companies, who invented machines from the mid-1800s until the end of her life, with a pretty woman from the 40s. Maybe the woman from the first photograph is Margaret Knight, but I’m sure she didn't invent flat-bottom paper bag manufacturing machine.

While it’s an action done without malice, it doesn’t matter. There are very few pictures of Knight (I only found this newspaper clipping. There are probably more, but I didn’t locate any), so an incurious, uninformed populace will never know. Is it important? I think it is because it can happen with anyone or with any group of people.

Lastly, here is an image of a woman we will feature in a product for March. She is identified as Dr. Rebecca Lee Crumpler, the first black female doctor.

This is not her. We, unfortunately, do not have photographs of Dr. Crumpler, but we do have her book. The woman pictured is Mary Eliza Mahoney. She and the three women pictured below have also been incorrectly identified as Dr. Crumpler.

1. Top left - Georgia E. L. Patton Washington, first Black female licensed surgeon and physician in Tennessee.
2. Top right - Eliza Ann Grier, first Black woman to practice medicine in Georgia.
3. Bottom left - Susan Maria McKinney Steward, third Black American female physician.
4. Bottom right - The title page of Dr. Rebecca Crumpler's book, A Book of Medical Discourses.

Even if we never know who Dr. Crumpler is, we should give appropriate identification to the other women. Let’s not erase them.

So, please. Fact-check, even if your (not-so) favorite social network doesn’t.

Additional February Products

We are on the eve of Black History Month 2025, which will be special I am sure! We’ve added a couple of bundles.

Soon we will offer one of our books as a free download. We love this book, but we will be working on newer versions. It’s a reader and activity book about Juneteenth for kids aged 8 to 12, but it is perfect for Black History Month. We’ll keep you posted on that release.

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Links

​Get Excited About the Brain!​

Here is a fun resource for students. An activity booklet for students to learn about the brain, this download from the National Institute of Mental Health includes coloring pages, scientific vocabulary, and word games to help reinforce the terms students have learned.

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​Cultivating STEM engagement among African American youth: an exploration of secondary students’ voices​

In an illuminating study on Black students' participation in science classes in secondary school, the researchers discuss the importance of culturally responsive pedagogy, hands-on and gamified learning, the need for students to establish a STEM identity, and the STEM discipline pipeline. What I found both thought-provoking and a little heartbreaking were the students themselves, as the study included quotes from them. A quote that stood out for me was this one:

Where's our IB [advanced] program? Like I love that we have this program [this focus group was held at a summer enrichment program at a local STEM facility that serves students from this high school]. I think that's wonderful. But I think we deserve more.

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​Measuring the Effectiveness of Culturally Sustaining Approaches to K-12 Education​

From the abstract:

“This paper provides illustrative examples (and outcomes) of culturally sustaining pedagogical approaches in practice across multiple content areas and student populations. We focus specifically on the methodological approaches employed and data sources used to measure both the cognitive and non-cognitive outcomes of these approaches. Finally, we offer thoughts on future directions of the measurement of the impact of culturally sustaining pedagogical approaches.”

A longer read at over 60 pages, but worth it especially if you still have children in the public school system.

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Quote of the Week

Finally, a quote that is incredibly appropriate for our time. Our kids must be able to see themselves and be themselves in the classroom.

― Dr. Christopher Emdin, For White Folks Who Teach in the Hood... and the Rest of Y'all Too: Reality Pedagogy and Urban Education

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Regards,

LB EdPub

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