Forgotten Genius Analysis

I often say that although we, African Americans, have come a long way in America’s society, it sometimes feels like our race has not progressed but set ourselves back. Percy Julian’s story is one of many stories that depicted the struggle that blacks had to go through in his time to truly succeed in a world that viewed him as inferior. Before viewing the documentary, Forgotten Genius, I had never heard of Percy Lavon Julian. However, I feel grateful to have witnessed his inspiring story. He has impacted my life by being a part in paving the way for black excellence, his contributions to science, and by serving as an example of how to persevere.
Julian helped to pave the way for not only black scientists, but black students, business owners, professors and so forth. A thought provoking moment came to mind when the narrator stated: “What happened to Julian was something common that happened: to have a good college education was way beyond anything that one would expect from an African American”. This statement was said in reference to Julian not being able to find a job after he graduated from college. It is now common that blacks attend college but there is still an underlying notion that blacks can do nothing with their education.
When my friend stated that her major is biology and that she wanted to become a part of the medical field the doctor responded, “Hhmm, it’s a different world these days.” The doctor’s shady statement stuck out to me because it just goes to show the mindset that some people still have towards blacks in terms of their desire to want to do great things in life. Watching and noting Julian’s success reminded me that there will always be someone who will tell you or think that you are incapable of doing