Mary Kenner created the sanitary belt

It is always troubling to me to hear that the color of someone's skin or their gender is the only reason they were not treated fairly. I will never wrap my head around the fact that many modern inventions were unfairly delayed because of racism and or sexism. The black female innovator that I am writing about today created something that was very useful to women during her time. This product is no longer in use today and many young women may not even have heard of it. Mary Kenner invented the sanitary belt which gave women a method that was beneficial during their monthly periods.

Today, females of childbearing age utilize tampons or sanitary pads that stay put inside of underwear thanks to adhesive but once upon a time such items were not available and this is why Mary Kenner's invention was so treasured by women everywhere. There was a time when, if a woman were on her monthly cycle it would be said that she was "on the rag." This is because there was a time when females literally used rags to stop the flow of blood during that time of the month.

When it became realized that this was unsanitary and could cause bacterial infections various products such as cups and plastic pants came onto the market. Nurses in the army found that gauze and cotton bandages were more effective at stopping the flow of blood and this is when Lister disposable pads became available in 1896. There was such a taboo, however, related to women's monthly cycles that this product never caught on. By 1921 Kotex became the first company to mass-market sanitary napkins and Tampax brought tampons to women in 1933.

Even so, homemade period rags were still popular in Europe through the 1940s because many women were skeptical about these new products. Enter Mary Beatrice Davidson Kenner, who was born on May 17, 2012, in Monroe North Carolina. She invented an adjustable sanitary belt with an inbuilt, moisture-proof pocket that would hold the sanitary napkin in place. Kenner also was the first to produce sanitary napkins with adhesive. By 1956 she had saved enough money to obtain her first patent but hit a huge hurdle. She received a patent for the sanitary napkin in 1957 but had trouble marketing the belt.

The Sonn-Nap-Pack Company heard about the invention and contacted Kenner. They rejected her invention, however, when they discovered that she was black. Imagine turning down a revolutionary product that would change the lives of women, just because of the color of the inventor's skin. Think of the millions of dollars Sonn-Nap-Pack lost because of racism. I could find no record regarding which company eventually gave Mary Kenner her patent or how many more rejections she received. Whoever took a chance on her is to be commended for recognizing the value of the sanitary belt and not rejecting an African American female.

Unfortunately, Kenner never made any money from sales of the sanitary belt, because her patent expired and her product became public domain. This allowed for the sanitary belt and moisture-proof pad to be manufactured freely. Thankfully Ms. Kenner had more products to offer the world and these we continue to use today. Between 1956 and 1987 Mary Kenner received a total of five patents for her personal care and household item creations. These include the sanitary belt as well as the napkins. Along with her sister Mildred, she also held the patent on the toilet tissue holder and a back washer that can be mounted on the shower or bathtub wall.

Mary Kenner's final patent was the carrier attachment for a walker which she invented after Mildred developed multiple sclerosis. During the 1970s adhesive back sanitary pads became popular and the need for belts was no longer a necessity. Mary was married to renowned heavyweight boxer James "Jabbo" Kenner. They resided in McLean, Virginia, near the Kennedy's complex and were the foster parents to five boys. Mary Kenner died on January 13, 2006, at the age of 93. Sadly she never received any awards for all of her hard work. We salute her today posthumously.