Told “minorities could not learn how to use the cameras” (@nytimes, "When Women in Film and TV Were Looking for That Union Label"), Jessie Maple Patton took the union to court and became the first African-American woman to become a member of @IATSE Local 644 in 1975. (1/4) In the union, Maple worked as an assistant and operator for several TV stations in New York including WABC, WCBS and WNBC. In 1974, Maple and her husband Leroy Patton started their own production company and began to produce short docs. (2/4) #InternationalWomensDay #IWD2019