New African American Exhibit at Automotive Hall of Fame in Dearborn

The Dearborn-based Automotive Hall of Fame is featuring a new exhibit that highlights African American‘s and there impact on the automotive industry and society. The first installment opens on Saturday, Feb. 25 and will be open for at least 6 weeks and then future installments will be integrated. The full press release is below. We would love to have you visit the exhibit and/or talk with one of the historians about this exhibit. Please let me know if you are interested.

The Automotive Hall of Fame (AHF), a non-profit organization that honors and celebrates the mobility industry’s pioneers and their impact on society is celebrating the opening of its new exhibit “Achievement”. This initiative began in 2022, kicked-off by a $500,000 grant from General Motors which enabled the AHF to begin developing a multi-channel experience to help educate the community about Black contributions to the global automotive industry as well as the industry’s impact on Black families and communities. Lear and American Axle also provided grants toward this initiative.

“The Automotive Hall of Fame is proud to bring this compelling exhibit and content to the public,” said Sarah Cook, president, Automotive Hall of Fame. “We knew we needed to do more to showcase the contributions and stories of the people of color who have shaped our industry. We hope that by sharing these remarkable stories of achievement we inspire others to contribute to the future of mobility.”

The First Installation

The first installation of the exhibit honors 19 African American men and women who impacted various facets of the industry throughout history. From one of the first “Rosie the Riveters” to the first African American automotive designer, to the authors of the black travel guide “The Green Book”, this initial cohort changed the automotive industry with intelligence, perseverance, courage, and hard work.

“Achievement” focuses on five ways these pioneers impacted the course of automotive history: changed where we live; reimagined how we work; redefined how we live; brought a new lens to how we see ourselves; and impacted our world.

“African Americans have brought some of the most beautiful designs, most innovative technologies, and solved some of the most challenging issues of our industry, all while facing unparalleled challenges,” said Robert Tate, Automotive Hall of Fame historian-in-residence. “We couldn’t think of a more appropriate way to celebrate Black History Month than to unveil this curated collection of their stories.”

The “Achievement” exhibit opened to the public on Saturday, February 25, 2023. Normal museum hours are Thursdays through Sundays, 10 A.M. – 4 P.M.

About the Automotive Hall of Fame
The Automotive Hall of Fame is a non-profit organization that celebrates the mobility industry’s pioneers and their impact on society by capturing individuals’ stories, passion, and innovative spirit to engage and inspire the mobility industry’s future workforce. Founded in 1939, the Automotive Hall of Fame has honored nearly 800 individuals from around the world, who have impacted and influenced the automotive and mobility industries. The Automotive Hall of Fame is located at 21400 Oakwood Blvd in Dearborn, Michigan and is open to the public Thursdays – Sundays, 10 a.m. – 4 p.m.

You can also visit the Automotive Hall of Fame online at automotivehalloffame.org or on our Facebook and Instagram pages.