African Americans have been faced with obstacles to their success in this country since its inception, and the auto industry rarely offered a path to move beyond that struggle. As a Black American, Homer Roberts was an early exception, managing to excel despite the prejudice he faced.
Roberts was born in a small town called Ash Grove, Missouri, in 1888. After studying electrical engineering at Kansas State Agricultural College, he moved to Kansas City. Being an electrical engineer is impressive now. But at that time, a Black man wasn’t getting a job as an engineer. No one would hire him. Discouraged, he joined the Army where his skills went to good use. Roberts served in WWI, becoming the first Black man to earn the rank of lieutenant in the Army Signal Corps. Like many generations that have come home after serving, particularly after a war, he needed work to support himself and his family.
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