WCW: Nichelle Nichols
Welcome to my Woman Crush Wednesdays (WCW) where I’ll be celebrating the black women I stan (and you should too).
Black history is all around us—all day and every day. it’s just as (if not more) important to acknowledge that year-round versus doing so just in February, which is one of the many reasons I started these weekly WCW posts. That being said, my WCWs during Black History Month will be focused on black women who’ve recently made history or don’t get enough recognition for doing so in the past.
This week’s WCW was the first black woman in (fictional) space. Actor, singer, and voice artist, Nichelle Nichols.
She sang with Duke Ellington and Lionel Hampton before becoming an actor.
As the fierce and intelligent Lt. Uhura on the original 1960s Star Trek television series, Nichelle was a revolutionary figure. She was in the role at a time when the only African-American women on U.S. television were usually playing servants. #RepresentationMatters
She wanted to leave Star Trek and pursue a career on broadway. However, Martin Luther King Jr. reminded her how important Lt. Uhura was for black representation and that she was a positive role model for the black community.
Star Trek was reportedly the only program MLK would allow his children to stay up late to watch because of her presence. Of this moment she says, "I stayed and I never regretted it."
Nichelle and Uhura also made history as she shared the first interracial kiss in television history with William Shatner’s Capt. Kirk.
She was always interested in space travel. She flew aboard the C-141 Astronomy Observatory, which analyzed the atmospheres of Mars and Saturn on an eight hour, high altitude mission.
That interest and Star Trek role ultimately landed her a position with NASA where she worked to recruit the country's first female and ethnic minority astronauts. Her recruits included Sally Ride, the first American woman in (physical) space, and Charles Bolden, former NASA administrator.
As one of the first black women in a major television role, she’s also become an advocate for black representation in the entertainment industry.
“Until we Blacks and minorities become not only the producers, writers and directors, but the buyers and distributors, we’re not going to change anything.”
Nichelle, I met you at a Comic Con in summer 2018. They say we won’t remember exactly what someone does or says, but we will always remember how they made them feel. I can say with certainty that I’ll never forget how I felt after our brief interaction. You have a smile that could light up any room and you were incredibly warm, kind, and welcoming. It brought things full circle for me as you and the Star Trek series sparked my mother’s love for action and science fiction. She passed that down to me and it’s now a passion of mine that’s brought joy to my life. Thank you for being a pioneer for black representation on the small screen and in science.
