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Shift Happens aka The Path to Belonging
My friend and I saw Black Panther together. As women of color, here’s why it was so important.
There’s a great story told by Nichelle Nichols, Star Trek’s original Lt. Uhura, early in her role. For those who don’t know, she was a musical theater actress and after the first season in space, she handed in her resignation, ready to go back to the stage. Gene Roddenberry asked her to think about it over the weekend and she ended up attending a fundraiser where she met a big fan who changed her trajectory. “This man says, ‘Yes, Ms. Nichols, I am that fan. I am your best, greatest fan, and my family are your greatest fans. As a matter of fact, this is the only show that my wife, Coretta and I will allow our little children to watch, to stay up late to watch because it’s past their bedtime.’”, the man was Martin Luther King, Jr. He admired Roddenberry for creating a dignified role for her. “For the first time on television, we will be seen as we should be seen every day, as intelligent, quality, beautiful people who can sing and dance, yes, but who can go into space, who can be lawyers and teachers, who can be professors — who are in this day, yet you don’t see it on television until now,’” Nichols recalled in a later interview.
