Table of Contents

• The Lewis Latimer Fellowship Program

• Meet the 2024 Fellows

• Fellow Spotlight

• Latimer News

• Book Club

• In Memory: Quincy Jones

• Hidden Figure Profile

• Macro Insight

• Cultural Inspiration

The Lewis Latimer Fellowship Program

For over 30 years, the Edison Awards (April 2-3, 2025) have served as a global stage for celebrating groundbreaking ideas and innovators. Inspired by the legacy of Thomas Edison and his brilliant collaborator, Lewis Latimer, the program has grown to honor the intersection of innovation and social impact.

Building on this tradition, the Lewis Latimer Fellowship Program, founded in 2020, is a transformative, year-long talent development initiative designed to accelerate the success of Black Social Impact innovators. Dubbed a “Unicorn Ranch” and supported by Bill Gates’ Breakthrough Energy Ventures, the Fellowship selects an elite cohort of multidisciplinary visionaries tackling some of the world’s most pressing challenges.

Fellows benefit from a rich network and resources, including bi-weekly mentor masterclasses, personalized corporate and investor connections, and three immersive innovation field trips annually. From NASA-grade food technology and affordable housing solutions to breakthroughs in AI, biotech, sustainable energy, and space sciences, Latimer Fellows are at the forefront of pioneering change across industries.

The Fellowship embodies the spirit of its namesake, propelling forward bold ideas that shape the future.

Meet the 2024 Fellows

Fellow Spotlight

Dr. Sian Proctor

Dr. Sian Proctor’s artistic journey is as extraordinary as the cosmic vistas she captures. Born from the crucible of 2020's global pandemic, her art became a bridge between Earth and space, winning her a seat on SpaceX’s Inspiration4 mission and making her the first Black female artist to paint among the stars.

A geoscience professor turned Afrofuturist artist, Proctor’s unique geometric line art style and “adventure art” concept have captivated imaginations. Her artwork has traveled to extreme environments, from the depths of the Mariana Trench to Earth’s orbit with the Axiom Space Ax3 Mission.

As the first African-American woman to pilot a spacecraft, Proctor’s art is infused with the rare perspective of the Overview Effect. Her EarthLight VR Experience, developed at Arizona State University’s Mix Center, transports viewers to a futuristic space station, celebrating the transformative power of cosmic art.

Hear Sian’s thoughts on space travel and light:

Support Sian by purchasing her book Earthlight:

Latimer News

Highlights from the Field: ASU

Three times a year, the Latimer Fellows participate in immersive, innovation-focused field trips. Last month, the cohort visited Arizona State University (ASU), recognized as the nation’s #1 university for innovation.

During the visit, the Fellows explored cutting-edge advancements in art, artificial intelligence, virtual reality, the future of education, and mixed-media technologies. They also had the opportunity to engage with senior university leadership and leading researchers, gaining valuable insights and connections.

Book Club

Imagination: A Manifesto

Imagination: A Manifesto is a call to harness the power of imagination to challenge systems of oppression and create a world where everyone can thrive. Ruha Benjamin explores how destructive ideas like racism, sexism, and classism, born of the human imagination, have perpetuated hierarchies and violence. She emphasizes the need for collective action to disrupt these systems, highlighting educators, artists, and activists crafting new narratives and solutions that reflect our interconnection. Offering visionary examples and tactics, the book inspires readers to heed Toni Morrison’s wisdom: “Dream a little before you think.”

In Memory: Quincy Jones

I first met Quincy Jones in the Spring of 1995, when I flew to LA to interview for a job with his production company at Warner Bros.

I remember feeling nervous to meet such an icon, someone I had idolized as a younger man.

I sat by his side for three years, watching a nonstop stream of remarkable people come and go…a remarkable diverse group of artists, cultural influencers, scientists and storytellers. I clearly remember his insatiable curiosity and constant desire to learn.

A true Afrofuturist / mentor, he was Obi-Wan Kenobi, I was Skywalker.

What struck me the most about him was his sense of purpose and his humility. He had a sign above his office door that read “Check you ego at the door”.

About three months into the job, I went to his office and asked:

“ what is your personal life mission and what is the overall mission of our company?”

Without hesitation, and with sharp conviction, he responded:

“Jon, my sole purpose and reason for existing is to inject optimism into the world”.

It was at that moment that I had clarity about life, and decided that I would strive to be an agent of optimism too. He shifted the trajectory of my life with that one sentence.

Quincy Jones’ core skill, genius and expertise was his remarkable ability to identify hidden talents in a wide range of people, and then amplify it. He pushed people to greatness with charm, grace, and raw desire.

He effortlessly projected love and compassion.

Q’s bright light will be sorely missed, especially in this grey cultural context.

May he rest in peace and eternal love.

With profound respect,

Jonathan Cropper
Co-founder, Lewis Latimer Fellowship Program

Hidden Figure Profile

Dr. Ayanna Howard

Dr. Ayanna Howard is an accomplished roboticist, entrepreneur, and educator, currently serving as Dean of The Ohio State University College of Engineering. She is the first woman and second Black dean in the college’s history. Prior to this role, Dr. Howard chaired the School of Interactive Computing at Georgia Tech and founded the Human-Automation Systems Lab (HumAnS). Her career spans academia, NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, and the private sector, where she founded Zyrobotics, a company creating educational tools for children with special needs.

A leader in robotics and artificial intelligence, Dr. Howard has been recognized with numerous accolades, including being named Forbes’ Top 50 Women in Tech and an ACM Athena Lecturer. She is a Fellow of both the American Association for the Advancement of Science and the National Academy of Inventors. With a focus on diversifying the engineering profession, she continues to pave the way for underrepresented groups in STEM.

Macro Insight

Racial Wealth Equity Database

Explore the Racial Wealth Equity Database, a powerful tool providing national and county-level data that examines the impact of race on critical factors like education, employment, asset ownership, and other wealth indicators. This resource offers valuable insights into disparities and opportunities, empowering individuals and organizations to drive informed action toward racial wealth equity.

Cultural Inspiration

NAATAL

Nataal is a media brand and creative studio dedicated to diverse storytelling around Africa and beyond.

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