Why was the Invisible Man called the invisible man?

That was probably my favorite scene, where the professor asked kid about "Invisible Man," and Kid came up with that BS about how since "the invisible man can only be seen if he's wrapped in white bandages, the only way black people can be seen is if they were wrapped in white." Then the professor assigns the essay.

I was reminded of this scene, when I went to three used book stores, trying to find a copy of Ellison's "Invisible Man" for a class. Nobody had it. At this one store, I asked the guy about it, and first we went to the classic lit section, and couldn't find it. Then he tells me, "It might be in science fiction." I had to tell him that the book he was thinking of was written by HG Wells, and the one I wanted was written by Ralph Elllison, and would NOT be in Sci Fi.