Nichelle Nichols
As I talked about in another blog entry, Star Trek was a show that challenged the limitations of it's time in more ways than one. Aside from it's famous interracial kiss scene, Star Trek also broke the stereotype of black women playing almost exclusively subservient roles with the casting of fan-favorite Lieutenant Uhura, a translator and communications officer from the United States of Africa.
Nichelle Nichols was celebrated as "the first Negro astronaut, a triumph of modern-day TV over modern-day NASA" according to the January 1967 issue of Ebony magazine. She wanted to leave the show after one season since she wished to return to New York where she got her start singing, but her mind was made up after an interaction with none other than Martin Luther King Jr. He told her how important her role was to him and his family, and by extension, African Americans as a whole. He told her, “you must not leave. You have opened a door that must not be allowed to close…you changed the face of television forever…For the first time, the world sees us as we should be seen, as equals, as intelligent people.”
Nichols went on after Star Trek to take part in activism and encourage the inclusion of black women in intellectual pursuits. She inspired countless individuals and played a major role in the uprising of more equality in representation in scientific fields. She supported minorities in leadership positions. What started as a role in a science fiction television show turned into a role in a more equal and respectful world. Nichelle Nichols and Lieutenant Uhura are a perfect example of how important representation in media is.
Delmont, Matthew. "50 Years Ago". Smithsonian.com, Sept 5, 2018,
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