By Tamara Shiloh

More than a century before juice bars, smoothie shops, and freshly pressed beverages became commonplace, an African American woman in Oakland, California, developed an ingenious machine for extracting juice from fruit.

Her name was Madeline M. Turner, and although little is known about her personal life, her remarkable invention earned her an important place in the history of American innovation.

Turner lived in Oakland during the early twentieth century, a period when opportunities for both women and African Americans in engineering, manufacturing, and invention were extremely limited. Nevertheless, she designed a sophisticated mechanical fruit press that could process citrus fruits much more efficiently than hand squeezing.

On July 26, 1915, Turner filed an application with the United States Patent Office for what she described as improvements to machines designed to extract juice from fruits such as oranges and lemons. On April 25, 1916, she received U.S. Patent No. 1,180,959 for her “Fruit-Press.”

Turner’s machine was much more complicated than a simple handheld juicer. Fruit entered the machine through an opening at the top and was fed individually into a pressing chamber. Inside, a cutting mechanism divided the fruit. Two plungers then moved toward one another, using specially shaped concave and convex pressing surfaces to squeeze the fruit and extract its juice.

One particularly clever feature was the way the two plungers moved at different speeds and traveled different distances. Their coordinated movement allowed the machine to feed, cut, compress, and eventually release the fruit’s remains. She designed the apparatus to accomplish several steps mechanically rather than requiring a person to perform each operation by hand.

In her patent application, she also emphasized practicality. She explained that the machine was effective for its intended purpose and designed so that its parts could be kept clean—an especially important consideration for equipment used to prepare food and beverages.

Turner’s invention appeared during an era when the American food industry was rapidly becoming more mechanized. Machines were increasingly being developed to process, package, and distribute foods in larger quantities. Her fruit press demonstrated how mechanical engineering could make juice extraction faster and more efficient.

Unfortunately, historical records reveal little about what happened to Turner after her patent was issued. Her birth and death dates, education, family life, and later career have not been reliably documented. Even so, the surviving patent provides powerful evidence of her mechanical creativity and technical ability.

Today, Turner is remembered as one of the African American inventors whose innovations helped transform everyday life. Modern commercial juicing equipment is far more advanced than her 1916 machine, but the basic challenge Madeline tackled—automatically feeding, cutting, pressing, and extracting juice from fruit—remains central to food-processing technology.

Turner’s story reminds us that important inventors are sometimes nearly lost to history. However, thank goodness her patent will ensure that her creativity and contribution to American innovation will not be forgotten.

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By Bo Tefu, California Black Media

Republican gubernatorial candidate Steve Hilton is criticizing California’s new replacement-tire efficiency standards, arguing they will limit consumer choice and increase costs for drivers. 

Gov. Gavin Newsom, however, says the regulations will save consumers money.

Hilton protested the standards Aug. 20 outside the California Energy Commission in Sacramento, where he and supporters chanted, “Hands off our tires.” The commission unanimously approved the regulations Aug. 17, making California the first state to adopt energy-efficiency standards for replacement tires.

“We are done with these bureaucrats and these politicians in our state, making everything so insanely expensive,” Hilton said at the protest.

Hilton said that, if elected governor, he would eliminate or defund the Energy Commission. His opposition to the tire standards is part of his broader criticism of California’s high cost of living.

Newsom defended the regulations Aug. 19, citing the commission’s projected savings for consumers.

“I think it was a good choice,” said Newsom. “Save a billion dollars a year in fuel. Talk about an affordability agenda, that makes sense to me.”

The Replacement Tire Efficiency Program sets limits on rolling resistance, which measures how much energy a tire requires to move along a road. Tires with lower rolling resistance can improve a gasoline-powered vehicle’s fuel economy or extend an electric vehicle’s driving range.

The first phase will take effect in 2029, setting a maximum rolling resistance of 9.1 newtons per kilonewton. A stricter limit of 7.2 newtons per kilonewton will take effect in 2033.

The Energy Commission says the standards will ensure that replacement tires are, on average, at least as energy efficient as those installed on new vehicles. The agency estimates the regulations will save Californians nearly $1 billion annually in gasoline and electricity costs while reducing carbon dioxide emissions by two million metric tons a year.

Some tire manufacturers, however, have raised concerns about the effect on prices and product availability. Goodyear estimates that about 70% of replacement tires currently sold in California would not meet the 2033 standard and argues that the regulations could increase costs for consumers.

The Energy Commission estimates the standards will add about $1.50 to the cost of each tire during the first phase and $6.50 per tire beginning in 2033. The commission projects that a driver with a gasoline-powered vehicle could save about $179 in fuel costs over the life of a set of tires meeting the 2033 standard.

The regulations exempt several specialty products, including competition, winter, used, retreaded, motorcycle and certain off-road tires.

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By Carla Thomas

As plans for the redevelopment of the Oakland Coliseum move forward, a key question is emerging alongside the vision for new buildings, entertainment, and economic activity: Who will have the opportunity to build it?

For the African American Sports & Entertainment Group (AASEG) and its financial partner Loop Capital, the answer could include a much larger role for Oakland’s small, minority-, and women-owned businesses.

During a recent meeting with AASEG, Loop Capital and local construction and business leaders, participants discussed creating pathways that would allow smaller firms to move beyond traditional subcontracting roles, compete as prime contractors, secure larger portions of project work and ultimately become permanent fixtures within the new development.

Unlike many major developments where contracting discussions begin after large construction packages have already been established, the Coliseum conversation is engaging the community early in the process.

“We have an opportunity to start building capacity now, not after the contracts hit the street,” said Len Turner of the Construction Resource Center. “If we know what the opportunities are going to be, we can identify businesses, understand where their gaps are and start preparing them to successfully compete and perform.”

Preparing companies to compete for larger contracts could include assistance with estimating, bonding, financing, workforce development, project management and contract administration.

For some firms, the goal could be moving from a $500,000 subcontract to a multimillion-dollar prime contract. For others, success could mean transitioning from providing construction services to operating restaurants, retail businesses, or other enterprises within the completed Coliseum development.

Turner said the long-term measure of inclusion should extend beyond the number of businesses that receive contracts.

“The real measure of success will be whether these businesses are stronger and more capable when this project is finished than when they started,” Turner said.

That philosophy reflects a broader effort to address systemic disparities in public and private contracting. Oakland’s small and minority-owned businesses have historically faced barriers to capital access, bonding, and limited access to larger contracts.

Mario Wagner of the National Association of Minority Contractors Northern California Chapter

said the Coliseum redevelopment offers an opportunity to change that trajectory.

Turner and Wagner are also members of a coalition of businesses led by Oakland African American Chamber of Commerce CEO Cathy Adams, which is soon presenting plans to the City of Oakland that could also help lift minority and women-owned firms.

“NAMC was born in Oakland fighting for minority contractors to have access,” Wagner said. “This cannot just be about checking a box. We want to see subcontractors become primes, small businesses become larger businesses and opportunities created that build generational wealth long after the construction is complete.”

For James “Jim” Reynolds, Jr., president of Loop Capital, the potential to uplift local contractors and transform the area is part of his plans.

“When I met Ray and saw his commitment to the community, I knew this project would be a part of his legacy,” said Reynolds. “When people of the community ask about opportunities, I know we will deliver opportunities to contractors and businesses for the long term.”

AASEG and Loop Capital project 17,000 jobs will be generated.

“We have a unique opportunity to not just develop the area, but change lives in Oakland,” said AASEG President Ray Bobbitt.

As AASEG and Loop Capital successfully pair development with business growth, the impact could extend far beyond temporary construction jobs.

“The ultimate legacy could include Oakland companies that entered the project as small subcontractors, grew into prime contractors and remained at the Coliseum as permanent vendors, operators and business owners,” said Post News Group Publisher Paul Cobb.

In that scenario, redevelopment would not simply transform the property but realign who gets to own a piece of Oakland’s next economic chapter.

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