Drew: Meet the Black Woman Who Invented Home Security Systems

By Samuetta Hill Drew via Birmingham Times –

With March being National Women’s Month, each safety article has highlighted an African American woman who has improved everyday safety for millions of individuals, both at home and abroad. Their intellect and innovations have vastly impacted safety in ways we often take for granted.
The initial March safety article highlighted a 36-year-old Dr. Kizzmekia Corbett, who developed the Moderna vaccine to fight against the spread of COVID-19. Last week’s safety article focused on inventor Alice H. Parker, who developed a patent that was the precursor to the modern heating zone systems and thermostats, thus eliminating the need for fireplaces burning throughout the night.
This week’s safety article will focus on Marie Van Brittan Brown who designed a front door security system, complete with a camera, speakers, and alarm. Brown was born in 1922 in Queens, New York where she lived until her death on Feb. 2, 1999. Her father was born in Massachusetts and her mother was from Pennsylvania. Mrs. Brown was married to Albert Brown, and they were parents to two children.
Brown was a nurse by profession and her husband Albert Brown was an electronic technician. Like many in the medical profession, she did not work the typical 9-5 shift. Rarely did she and her husband’s work schedule coincide. Crime in her Jamaica, Queens neighborhood was high, and the police were known to be slow in their response. Thereby, feeling uneasy and vulnerable, Mrs. Brown decided to take matters into her own hands. She invented a home safety security system.
In 1966, Mrs. Brown designed a closed-circuit security system that monitored visitors via camera and projected their images onto a television monitor. Her invention also had a….

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