{{Short description|American industrial designer (born 1957)}} {{Improve images|date=May 2025}} {{Infobox person | name = Emeline King | birth_date = {{Birth date and age|1957|12|16}} | birth_place = Detroit, Michigan, U.S. | education = Wayne State University,<br /> ArtCenter College of Design | occupation = Industrial designer, transportation designer, motivational speaker, musician, author | employer = Ford Motor Company (1983–2008) | known_for = Automotive design | website = {{URL|https://www.emelineking.com/}} }} '''Emeline King''' (born December 16, 1957) is an American industrial designer, known for her automotive designs. In 1983, she was hired by Ford Motor Company, and became the first Black woman designer for the automobile manufacturer.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Lange |first=Amy |date=2022-03-02 |title=Ford's first Black woman car designer writes book about blazing a trail in auto industry |url=https://www.fox2detroit.com/news/fords-first-black-woman-car-designer-writes-book-about-blazing-a-trail-in-auto-industry |access-date=2024-04-20 |website=FOX 2 Detroit |language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |date=1994-01-30 |title=New Breed Enters The Male World of Cars By Design |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/chicago-tribune-new-breed-enters-the-mal/145695562/ |access-date=2024-04-20 |work=Chicago Tribune |pages=69 |via=Newspapers.com}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |date=1992-05-16 |title=King, Ford's Designer For The Future |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-atlanta-voice-king-fords-designer/145695647/ |access-date=2024-04-20 |work=The Atlanta Voice |pages=4 |via=Newspapers.com}}</ref> King also works as a motivational speaker, musician, and author.<ref name="Jordan">{{Cite web |last=Jordan |first=Atiya |date=March 3, 2022 |title=Emeline King, Ford's First Black Woman Transportation Designer, Authors Motivating Autobiography |url=https://finance.yahoo.com/news/emeline-king-ford-first-black-153540965.html |access-date=2024-04-20 |website=Yahoo! Finance |language=en-US}}</ref> She authored an autobiography, "What Do You Mean A Black Girl Can't Design? Emeline King, She Did It" (2021, Claire Aldin Pub.).<ref name="Jordan" /><ref name="Sanders">{{Cite web |last=Sanders |first=Brandee |date=2022-03-06 |title=Ford Motor Company's First Black Woman Car Designer Pens Autobiography About Barrier-Breaking Journey |url=https://newsone.com/4299813/emeline-king-ford-motor-company-first-black-woman-car-designer-book/ |access-date=2024-04-20 |website=NewsOne |language=en-US}}</ref>
==Biography== King was born on December 16, 1957, in Detroit, Michigan,<ref>{{Cite web |title=King, Emeline, 1957– |url=https://id.loc.gov/authorities/names/n2023008090.html |website=LC Name Authority File (LCNAF)}}</ref> into a Black family. Her father, Earnest O. King Sr. worked as fabrication specialist at Ford Motor Company in Detroit, and from a young age she was exposed to car design.<ref name="Yates">{{Cite web |last=Yates |first=Shanique |date=March 20, 2024 |title=How Emeline King Made History As Ford Motor Company's First Black Woman Car Designer And Became The Interior Designer For The 1994 Ford Mustang |url=https://www.yahoo.com/tech/emeline-king-made-history-ford-205116991.html |access-date=2024-04-20 |website=Yahoo! Tech |language=en-US}}</ref><ref name="Jackson">{{Cite web |last=Jackson |first=Stacy |date=2024-03-21 |title=Meet Emeline King, Ford's First Black Woman Designer |url=https://www.blackenterprise.com/ford-emeline-king-transportation-designer-mustang/ |access-date=2024-04-20 |website=Black Enterprise |language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=2018-05-15 |title=WSU alumna Emeline King recounts her legacy as Ford Motor Co.'s first Black female transportation designer |url=https://today.wayne.edu/news/2022/03/17/wsu-alumna-emeline-king-recounts-her-legacy-as-ford-motor-cos-first-black-female-transportation-designer-47578 |access-date=2024-04-20 |website=Today@Wayne |language=en}}</ref> She graduated from Cass Technical High School in Detroit.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Clor |first=John M. |date=December 1, 2021 |title=Meet Emeline King, Ford's 1st Black Female Transportation Designer |url=https://performance.ford.com/enthusiasts/quick-look/2021/12/meet-emeline-king.html |website=Ford Performance News}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Emeline King, Ford's 1st Black Woman Car Designer Publishes Her Incredible Life Story |url=https://phenomenalmag.com/sistem/pioneers/emeline-king-ford-s-1st-black-woman-car-designer-publishes-her-incredible-life-story |access-date=2024-04-20 |website=PhenomenalMAG |language=en-gb}}</ref>
King received a bachelor of fine arts degree in industrial design from Wayne State University; and continued her education and received a bachelor of science degree in transportation design at the ArtCenter College of Design in Pasadena, California.<ref name="Yates" />
King worked as a transportation designer within the design center at Ford Motor Company, from October 1983 to July 2008.<ref>{{Cite news |date=1992-06-12 |title=Ford Hires Young Guns To Fire Up New Mustang |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-atlanta-constitution-ford-hires-youn/145695778/ |access-date=2024-04-20 |work=The Atlanta Constitution |pages=87 |via=Newspapers.com}}</ref><ref name="Yates" /><ref>{{Cite web |last= |first= |date=May 5, 2022 |title=Trailblazing designer and author Emeline King announced for the Carlisle Ford Nationals |url=https://www.oldcarsweekly.com/news/trailblazing-designer-and-author-emeline-king-announced-for-the-carlisle-ford-nationals |access-date=2024-04-20 |website=Old Cars Weekly |language=en}}</ref> She designed the 1994 Ford Mustang (fourth generation) interior (also known as SN95).<ref name="Yates" /><ref name="Jordan" /><ref>{{Cite book |last=Mueller |first=Mike |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=PdBDEAAAQBAJ |title=The Complete Book of Ford Mustang: Every Model Since 1964-1/2 |date=2022-01-25 |publisher=Motorbooks |isbn=978-0-7603-7288-3 |pages=175 |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Abbott |first=Mekhi |date=2024-03-15 |title=Meet Emeline King: Ford's first Black female transportation designer |url=http://afro.com/black-woman-mustang-designer/ |access-date=2024-04-20 |website=Afro American Newspaper |publisher=The Black Media Authority |language=en-US}}</ref> King also made design contributions to other vehicle models, including the interior components in the 1989–1990 Ford Thunderbird (tenth generation); the 1993 Ford Mustang Mach III; the 1994 official pace car roll bar and graphics for the Ford Mustang; the 2000 two-seater Ford Thunderbird interior components; and the 2004 Lincoln Aviator interior door scuff panel and interior components.<ref name="Jackson" /> King also worked in car design in England, Italy, and Germany.<ref name="Jackson" />
After leaving Ford Motor Company, King wrote her autobiography, "What Do You Mean A Black Girl Can't Design? Emeline King, She Did It" published in 2021 by Claire Aldin Publishers.<ref name="Jordan" /><ref name="Sanders" />
==See also== * List of African-American women in STEM fields
==References== {{Reflist}}
{{Authority control}} {{Wikiquote}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:King, Emeline}} Category:1957 births Category:Living people Category:African-American autobiographies Category:African-American businesswomen Category:American automobile designers Category:American industrial designers Category:21st-century African-American women writers Category:ArtCenter College of Design alumni Category:Cass Technical High School alumni Category:Ford designers Category:Designers from Detroit Category:Wayne State University alumni