To Boldly Go: How Nichelle Nichols and Star Trek Helped Advance Civil Rights

Even people who are well versed in Civil Rights might not know that Nichelle Nichols, aka Lt. Uhura on the original Star Trek, was greatly involved in the movement. It's not surprising, given the impact of the role of her character in changing the face of broadcast television in the 1960s, but it is interesting to see her acting career framed by her involvement in this movement.

I love how this is centered on the experience of the author, who as a little girl watched Star Trek and was mesmerized to see a Black woman have a major role in a popular show. Fifty years ago, this was something of a rarity, and is was fascinating to see how Nichols worked with show creator Gene Roddenberry to craft her character. It was heartbreaking to see that she had been interested in ballet, but was turned away because of her race. Including the anecdote about her conversation with Dr. Marting Luther King, who encouraged her not to leave the show, shows how important her representation was to young viewers and the Civil Rights movement as a whole. An afternote talks about the actress's work with NASA in the 1970s, as they strove to recruit young women of color to the space program.