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Fantastic article. I'm glad to have learned about Dr. Charles Henry Turner.

I take a couple (maybe simple) things away from this.

First, what an impressive body of work by Dr. Turner. Among other things, this article demonstrates that the scientific method and a well-designed experiment are often powerful tools for attacking a challenging research problem.

Second, how impressive that he did it under those political/social/economic conditions. Hopefully people read and think "wow it's so great how he did that with no support, imagine if he did have a supportive academic community" instead of "wow if he could do so well with that little support then other people should also be fine with that little support." Stories like this are always interesting because the scientific work is always inextricably tied to societal context.

Second and a half, the academia community today is in many ways still very insular and gate-keepy, and that's not healthy when searching for new voices and perspectives (which is important to disrupt complacency and stimulate innovation). There must be so many researchers today who are still held back by similar or other systemic conditions (which may be more hidden nowadays). Imagine the kind of impact they could have if they were given the tools to succeed as well. Statistically, some of them will still succeed today, but see point 2.

Third, the linked essay on Black education is worth a read. Some of the language may feel a little bit harsh to today's audiences, but if you can perceive the author's intent then it's interesting to read in context. Maybe there are some parallels to today as well, though I didn't think too hard about specific examples.