I really, REALLY do. And this one never fails to make me laugh
Even though I have always, ALWAYS hated Star Trek, the TV Show.
But you know what I DON’T HATE?
Black History!
And since we’re TALKING about Star Trek (and we totally are)
Look at all this lovely in one picture!
On the left we have Nichelle (my belle) Nichols. One of the first African American women TV Characters
Who was not a servant. She’s also one of the participants in the first interracial kiss on US Television.
With none other than Captain James T Kirk, Intergalactic Ho.
As it turns out, Nichelle wanted to leave the show, but Dr Martin Luther (the) King, Jr. told her
she “could not give up” because she was playing a vital role model for black children and young women across the country,
as well as for other children who would see blacks appearing as equals.
And.
It’s good she stayed on, because on your right, we have one of those black girls she would end up influencing.
That there is former NASA astronaut Mae Jemison.
She was the first African-American woman to travel in space, aboard the shuttle Endeavour.
She served as the science mission specialist on the STS-47 Spacelab J flight, which launched 12 September 1992.
She was ALSO the first “real” astronaut to appear on Star Trek.
Jemison has cited Nichols’ role of Lieutenant Uhura as her inspiration for wanting to become an astronaut.
And there you have it guys! Art imitating life, or something like that.
But not the Imitation of Life* because THESE women are definitely proud of being black and pioneering the way
for other young black women to do and be things that they’d never thought they could.
Yes. I did just randomly throw in movie reference.
(Look at me, Dani! I finally remembered the name of this damn movie on my own!)
Well. Not randomly. The Oscars are THIS WEEKEND.
So yeah. There’s a pretty good chance I’ll have something to say about the Oscars.
Aside from making cracks about how #OscarsSoWhite it won’t wear a jacket and long pants in the winter.
Or maybe not.
See you Monday for ONE! MORE! WEEK! of BHFOTDs!
*YES. Imitation of Life was an Oscar nominated film. Not for Best Picture, doe.
If you’ve never seen it, YOU SHOULD. You should also buy some stock in Kleenex.
Because LAWD HAVE MERCY, MAHALIA JACKSON SANGING AT A FUNERAL WILL HAVE YOU LAID OUT.
LAID. OUT.
ALSO, It definitely is a reflection of colorism in America.
AND the reason why even now, such lists as Celebrities you didn’t know were black exist
Because being thought of as any other race (Interjection!: Did you know that Vanessa Williams ancestry is ancestry is 23% from Ghana, 17% from the British Isles, 15% from Cameroon, 12% Finnish, 11% Southern European, 7% Togo, 6% Benin, 5% Senegal and 4% Portuguese?)
(I’ll let YOU decide if that was a related comment)
is still better than being thought of as Black in America.
Yeah I said it 