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8/13
1887
Safer Elevators and Building Resources for the Community
Duluth, Minnesota
After success as a barbershop owner and becoming the first Black member of the Duluth Chamber of Commerce, Alexander Miles opened a three-story brownstone where he witnessed the risks of elevator operation. Miles improved upon the elevator with doors that moved automatically, which removed the hazard of manual operation. His patent is still a standard feature of elevators we use today. In 1899, Miles started The United Brotherhood to offer life insurance for Black customers denied at white-owned firms.
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