Cincinnati Culture Collective (CCC) designed this limited-edition shirt to honor Granville T. Woods, a pioneering Black inventor who called Cincinnati home. Often referred to as the “Black Edison”, Woods revolutionized American transportation and communication with over 50 patents, including the multiplex telegraph that transformed how trains operated safely across long distances.
 
As Black Tech Week brings together today’s leading Black thinkers, builders, and disruptors, this shirt bridges our past and present. It pays tribute to a hometown legend who carved out space in innovation long before tech was a trending topic and reminds us that the roots of Black tech are not just national, they’re deeply local.
 
Wearing this shirt is a cultural statement. Cincinnati has always been part of the blueprint, and Granville T. Woods is proof that Black genius built the tracks we now run on.