This article downplays Latimer's contribution, presumably (and ironically) for the same political reasons it derides. Latimer's filament production patent made

This article downplays Latimer's contribution, presumably (and ironically) for the same political reasons it derides. Latimer's filament production patent made Edison's lightbulb viable as a mass-produced product. As with Shuji Nakamura, Isamu Akasaki, and Hiroshi Amano and their advancements with production of high-brightness blue LEDs, they did not "invent" blue LEDs, nor the numerous products enabled by the existence of blue LEDs. However, their contributions did indeed make the LED revolution possible in a fundamental manner, in the same way that Latimer's contributions (which did not end at the patent but included further research and consultation for fledgling electric lighting projects around the country) made the electric light revolution possible. The three Japanese men above received many accolades for their work, including a Nobel prize. The crux of the controversy is white America's perennial reluctance to give just due to black innovators. Hyperbole becomes necessary to counteract their reticence. It would obviously be easier to simply be forthright about black contributions, but here we have yet another example of that not happening; characterizing Latimer's work as a "footnote" reeks of the aforementioned reticence.