Ford’s first Black woman car designer, Emeline King, penned an autobiography about her trailblazing journey titled, “What Do You Mean a Black Girl Can’t Design Cars? Emeline King, She Did It!”
King detailed her career in the book, revealing how she broke down racial and gender barriers at Ford Motor Company. They hired the 64-year-old as their first Black Female Transportation Designer in 1983.
She also highlighted more of her massive accomplishments at the automobile company in her autobiography, including creating the award-winning 1994 Ford Mustang’s interior.
“It…won car of the year,” she said.
Originally from Detroit, Michigan, where Ford was founded, she chased her dream of designing for them, just like her father, Earnest King. He was a plastic model specialist at the company and took her to their Christmas party at the Design Center, which inspired her to work there at a young age.
“He said, ‘In order to get behind those blue doors, first of all, you have to be a transportation designer because there are men who sit behind these doors, and they design cars,'” she said.
“I made a promise that day–I must have been about 11–that there were three things I was going to do…number one was to become a transportation designer. The second was to work…at the Ford Motor Company. The third was to work there with my biggest mentor of all – my father.”
Years later, King attended Cass Technical High School in Detroit and then went on to study industrial design at Wayne State University, where she earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree. Then, she studied transportation design at the Art Center College of Design in California. After graduating with a Bachelor of Science degree, the brilliant woman refused to interview with any other company but Ford. Her mother, Emogene King, initially thought her decision was terrible, but her father had faith that she would work there because of her qualifications.
“My mother thought I just blew it, ‘Oh Emeline – your career is over – you’re not going to get a chance,'” she recalled. “But as it happened, I was able to meet with Mr. Jack Telnack, and so I was hired in.” Telnack was the global Vice President of Design of Ford at the time.
“I didn’t have no idea that they would not hire her – because she had the qualifications. I was so glad that she went,” her dad said.
The trailblazing designer patented a 15-inch wheel cover of the 1989 Ford Thunderbird. She also contributed to the design of the 1990 Ford Probe and 2000 version of the Thunderbird, among other vehicles. When discussing the 1994 Mustang interior she designed, she mentioned that her process stemmed from her perspective as a woman.
“I’m coming from it from a woman or a female point of view,” she said. “I was thinking about not breaking a fingernail–making sure the knobs were soft. I was making sure that in my design features for the 1994 Mustang, [women] would be able to get in and out of the vehicle without splitting a skirt.”
Unfortunately, Ford let King go in 2008 after their overall sales tumbled, and they had to lay off thousands of workers. However, she kept it pushing to pursue music, motivational speaking, and to write her autobiography.
She also encouraged fellow women and young girls to pursue their passions just as she did. The engineer reportedly said she desired to open a STEM Academy for girls.
“A lot of times, I tell a lot of young ladies and little girls: do not let anyone discourage you or tell you what you can’t become. If Emeline King can do it, so can you.”
“What Do You Mean a Black Girl Can’t Design Cars? Emeline King, She Did It!” can be purchased at King’s website, Target, and Barnes and Noble.
