Milwaukee’s Natasha Broxton is a rarity in the automotive industry, she runs one of the nation’s only Black-owned auto parts recyclers in the country, and as a woman, she is also a marginalized demographic in the automotive industry, which has historically been white and male.
According to WTMJ-TV, Broxton also knows that the automotive industry doesn’t always highlight the contributions of anyone who isn’t a white man, and through her Automotive in Black initiative, which she recently launched in honor of Black History Month, she is looking to preserve and tell the stories of Black pioneers in the automotive industry.
Broxton uses both in-store and social media displays to tell the stories of pioneers like Garrett Morgan, the inventor of the traffic light, and C.R. Patterson, the first Black automaker, because some of those stories are not as well known as other historical figures.
“They inspire me to keep going. It’s not put out there. We know about MLK, we know about Rosa Parks—but what about all these other contributions we’ve made to history that aren’t broadcasted?” Broxton told the outlet.
She continued, highlighting Morgan’s contribution to automotive history.
“One of the inventors I learned about, Garrett Morgan, created the stoplight. One of the creators of the Ford Bronco was a Black man—like, who would know that? One of the reasons I’m doing this is because I know this knowledge—this education, this history—can inspire someone else. Our young people need to see this,” Broxton said.
Day 3 of black history month education! Please read about the very first Black-owned automotive company, Patterson-Greenfield, in the thread Post below!
https://t.co/E9sx0qlvUS
— Felix The Kitsune
(@FelixFl0etry88) February 3, 2025
Broxton was exposed to the automotive industry at a young age; her family’s business, Select Auto Parts and Sales, has been part of the fabric of Milwaukee’s North Side for over 40 years.
Broxton hopes that her project can be brought into schools and mentorship programs so that the next generation can learn about names like Garrett Morgan and C.R. Patterson, but also modern pioneers like Edward Welburn, the first Black automotive designer hired by GM in 1972. In 2003, Welburn became the first Black Vice President of Global Design in the entire automotive industry.
La Shirl Turner, a Black woman leading the inspiration, research, development, and coordination of all interior and exterior colors and materials for Stellantis’s North American division, shared with Newsweek in 2022 that finding support from other women—and offering that same support in return—has been crucial to her success in the industry.
Turner also credits early exposure to the automotive industry, and has seen it become more inclusive over time, as she told Core77 in 2018.
“You know, when I first got into this, it was predominantly a male environment, but I can also say that I’ve been a witness to how it’s changed. There are more females within automotive, not just in Color and Materials, but also designers. So, I think there’s a great opportunity for females in automotive,” Turner said.
According to Wired, women usually only show up in a few spaces at automotive companies, typically relegated to head up OEM trim, finish and interior design departments, despite an attempt by Harley J. Earl, a General Motors executive, to give 10 female industrial designers their chance to put their stamp on the automaker’s designs in the mid-1950s.
However, after that attempt, nothing else really happened in a major way for female auto designers, and the list of cars designed principally by women remains at four: Marilena Corvasce designed the 1982 Ghia Brezza, Mimi Vandermolen designed the Ford Probe, Diane Allen designed the Nissan 350Z, and Michelle Christensen designed the Acura NSX.
RELATED CONTENT: Car Pros CFO Shirley Jones Honored With 2024 ‘Women in Retail’ Award
