Inspired by true events.
Garrett A. Morgan was a Cleveland-based, African-American inventor who most notably patented the three-signal traffic light and a precursor to the modern gas mask. Set in 1916, this short film explores the business and moral dilemma Garrett faced after he and his brother Frank used an invention of Garrett’s own making to rescue miners trapped in an underground inferno and were left out of the story entirely.
Director’s Statement
Over one hundred years ago, Garrett Morgan asked himself a question that so many Black entrepreneurs have asked themselves at one point or another: Does my racial identity affect how credibly I am perceived as a business person? In the year 1916, Garrett knew the answer to that question was a resounding yes. But he didn’t let that stop him from making an impact in his community: vibrant, multi-ethnic, turn-of-the-century Cleveland.
In the year 2022, the answer to that question is still a resounding yes. We live in a world where less than 2% of venture capital funding goes to Black founders; where only 18 of the 1800 people to ever head a Fortune 500 company have identified as Black. Clearly we have a lot of work to do to bring American business to a place of racial equity. I love this story because it celebrates how far we’ve come while outlining how much farther we still need to go.
I wrote this film in 2020 partly to renew my sense of optimism for the future of this country; to remind myself that the contributions of Black people to this nation have been and will continue to be immeasurably consequential to our collective prosperity. Wow did it work. I am so energized by the story of this amazing American hero. It’s a story that keeps on giving, too. The more I wrap my mind around what Garrett accomplished, the more I internalize that anything is possible. But only if we work together.
- Philip M. Musey