SME stands for manufacturing. Our association believes that manufacturing is for everyone and we’re committed to advancing the industry. One of the groups who’ve been an integral part in the progression of manufacturing over the years has been the African American community. In honor of Black History Month, SME is celebrating African Americans who’ve made history in manufacturing and highlighting the current programs and professionals from the black community who are leaders in manufacturing today.
Celebrating African American Manufacturers
The manufacturing community has taken steps towards building a diverse and inclusive culture. Meet the individuals who started this movement and view the people and programs leading the charge today.
African American Heroes of Manufacturing
Meet just a few of the innovative thinkers from the African American community that provided positive contributions to society and helped advance manufacturing.

Craig Arnold
Business Executive

Otis Boykin
Inventor and Engineer

C.W. Chapelle
Aviation Pioneer and Electrical Engineer

Alicia Bolger Davis
Manufacturing Engineer

Etta Falconer
Educator and Mathematician

Evelyn Boyd Granville
Mathematician and Computer Scientist Educator

Jan Ernst Matzeliger
Inventor

Elijah McCoy
Inventor

Charles Richard Patterson
First African American Automobile Company

Frederick McKinley Jones
Inventor and Entrepreneur

Madame C.J. Walker
Entrepreneur and Philantropist

Granville Tailer Woods
Inventor
A Statement from SME CEO Bob Willig

SME Education Foundation
New Strategy Targets Scholarships and SME PRIME

Setting Up Future Generations for Success
What are SME Leaders Saying About Diversity and Equality within Manufacturing?
Humans of Manufacturing
The Power of Positivity
Manufacturing helped Victor Driver Jr. rise above a hard life and achieve a successful career in the skilled trades.
Changing Lives, One Credential at a Time
Montez King, executive director of the National Institute of Metalworking Skills (NIMS) are upskilling the manufacturing workforce.
Iconic African American Manufacturing
Building future leaders in the African American Community
NPR looks at a group that's helping to shape what Black history will become tomorrow. Past members of Sigma Pi Phi include W.E.B. Du Bois and Martin Luther King Jr.
National Geographic Celebrates the achievements of African Americans past and present
Explore National Geographics resource library highlighting some of the most creative minds in science and engineering.
10 African American Science and Technology Pioneers
Discovery.com profiled prominent leaders in the science and technology space. Get to know these notable African American pioneers.