In 1943, the president of Local 602 presses GM to open Fisher Body hiring to blacks, and the automaker agrees. Emanuel Parker is the first black hired; he reports to work Jan. 14, 1944, according to Local 602.
For the full article, see Barbara Wieland, “After More Than a Century, Lansing Car Assembly Shuts Down Friday”, Lansing State Journal, May 1, 2005.