CONCORD — The third episode of the Department of Education’s four-part series “Stories of Courage,” a Black History Month project recognizing the societal contributions of largely unknown Black Americans, has been released.

The series is a collaboration of the DOE and the Woodson Center, the Washington, D.C.-based nonprofit founded 40 years ago to help residents of low-income neighborhoods by empowering community leaders to promote solutions to crime, violence, poverty and social and economic hardship.

In this, the third episode, students will learn about the ingenuity and entrepreneurial spirit of Elijah McCoy, a famous inventor who held 57 patents, mostly on designs related to locomotives, according to the DOE.

The son of escaped slaves, McCoy overcame discrimination to become an internationally respected authority in his field, and was widely celebrated by his contemporaries as a leader and model for Black America in the first generation after Emancipation.

The video can be accessed at www.youtube.com/watch?v=9jDjetCW1y0&t=35s.

(Courtesy photo) An image of Elijah McCoy, the prolific Black inventor, taken from a video.

The materials for its corresponding lesson plan can be found at woodsoncenter.org/how-we-help/curriculum.

State Education Commissioner Frank Edelblut said it was only through “determination and perseverance” that McCoy was able to “overcome racial inequities,” and, in 1920, form his own company — The Elijah McCoy Manufacturing Company — “in the face of ongoing discrimination.”

McCoy subsequently invented an oil cup that automated the oiling process that increased the speed at which trains could travel.

“McCoy’s story of strength and courage is meant to inspire and motivate all children to reach for their dreams,” Edelblut said. “It is our hope that, during Black History Month and year-round, we continue to encourage a positive narrative and promote the many success stories that will motivate children to have high aspirations despite difficult circumstances.” he added.

Ian Rowe, a senior visiting fellow at the Woodson Center who narrates the videos, noted that while “many have heard the phrase ‘the real McCoy,’ they do not know the man that inspired it.”

This episode, however, teaches students about McCoy’s achievements “amidst true structural barriers.”

Dean Shalhoup may be reached at 594-1256 or dshalhoup@nashuatelegraph.com.