From the time he was a kid, McKinley Thompson Jr. was never afraid to chase his dreams, and now everyone has him to thank for the Ford Bronco that the culture grew to know and love. Thanks to Thompson’s imagination and skill, he made history as the first Black designer to be hired by Ford Motor Co., and his first assignment consisted of working at Ford’s advanced design studio in Dearborn, MI, per the Ford media website. His love for cars first began around age 12 when he spotted a silver-gray DeSoto Airflow in Queens, NY, the neighborhood where he was raised. “It just so happened that the clouds opened up for the sunshine to come through,” Thompson recalled in a 2001 interview that was documented by The Henry Ford. “It lit that car up like a searchlight. I was never so impressed with anything in all my life. I knew that’s what I wanted to do – I wanted to be an automobile designer.” While serving as an Army Signal Corps in World War II, Thompson learned drafting and began work as...

This Black-owned construction company is doing it big for the culture. Made up of four generations of Black men, Choates G Contracting now has seven new multi-million dollar contracts underneath its belt, according to Blacknews.com. The company — headquartered in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania — was launched by Mr. Darrell Choates Sr., who has over four decades of experience in the construction industry. He has played a massive role in ensuring that the company remains within the family and continues to operate as a robust minority-managed organization throughout the years.