Page 60 - The 'X' Chronicles Newspaper - September 2021

60 Star Trek - TV’s First Interracial Kiss

Tv’s First Interracial Kiss

Launched a Lifelong
Career in Activism

Continued from Page 59

But by the end of June 1977, “just four months
after we assumed our task, 8,400 applications
were in, including 1,649 from women (a 15-fold
increase) and an astounding 1,000 from
minorities.”

Nichols’s campaign recruited several
trailblazing astronauts, including Sally Ride, the
first American woman in space, Guion Bluford,
the first African-American in space, and Mae
Jemison, the first African-American woman in
space.

Relentless Advocacy for Inclusion
JUST SOME OF THE MANY MORE THAN

Her advocacy for inclusion and diversity wasn’t 10,000 EPISODES OF
limited to the space program.
THE ‘X’ ZONE RADIO SHOW
As one of the first black women in a major
television role, Nichols understood the WITH
importance of opening doors for minorities and ROB McCONNELL
women in entertainment.
AT WWW.XZONEUNIVERSE.COM
Nichols continued to push for African-
Americans to have more power in film and Edgar Mitchell * Seth Shostak * Howard Bloom * Mitch Battros * Elizabeth Joyce,
television. Michael Horn * Kevin Randle * Gwilda Wiyaka * Rose Rosetree * Mike Farrell * Dreama
Denver * Peter Kling * David Brin * Tim Shurr * Mark McCandlish * Dr. Jean Logan *
“Until we Blacks and minorities become not Dr. Joe Marra * Jose Escamilla * Stanton Friedman * Len Kasten * Brian David Andersen
only the producers, writers and directors, but the * David Nabhan * Walter Bosley * Jonathan Gray * Judika Illes * Kooch Daniels * Jim
buyers and distributors, we’re not going to Moroney * Freddy Silva * Lloyd Hildebrand * Dr. Curtis R. Kuhn *
change anything,” she told Ebony in 1985. Mireille Torjman * Robert Lamar * Linda Backes * Cynthia Polansky * Terri Daniel *
“Until we become industry, until we control Master Lynn Nusyna * Dr. Bob Thiel * Dr. Louis Turi * Paula Commerford * Carol Taylor
media or at least have enough say, we will * Loyd Pye * Sherry Ward * Frank Ogden * Frank Joseph * Len Kasten * Laird Scranton
always be the chauffeurs and tap dancers.” * Pam Killeen * Glen Kriesberg * Tom Keller * Mary Bailey * Dr. Joye Ough * Cynthia
Kraack * David John Oates * Dr. Bernard Haisch * Dr. Melvin Kirschner * Meredyth Hunt
It’s an issue that, unfortunately, remains relevant * William Barnes * Randy Rogers * Connie Good * Thomas Pierce * Dr. Robert Piccioni *
today. In February of this year, UCLA’s annual Sam Cutler * Sirona Knight * Sir Richard Heygate * David J Pitkin * Chris Rutkowski *
Hollywood Diversity Report found that women
Eileen Duhne * Ishmael Jones * Doug Crowe * Robert W Morgan * Derrel Sims * Dr.
and people of color continue to be
Mitchell Gibson * Chris Flisher * Charlotte King * Tracee Dunblazier * David Brin * Jeff
underrepresented as directors and in studio
Woolwine * Dr. Daze Lisenkoff * Dr. David Clarke * Margaret Doner * Robert Barrows *
board rooms. It concluded that “Hollywood
Dakota Fransden * Coyote Chris Sutton * Mary-Beth Lawton * Brandy Stark *
studios are leaving money on the table by not
ShondaMariie Murillo * Mark Keyes * Dr. Frederick Woodward * Barry Ruggiero *
developing films and TV shows with more
Amelia Aeon Karris * Dan Terry * Ting Rappa * Bill MacGregor * Ellen Evert Hopman *
diverse casts.”
Paul H Smith * Dr. David Gruder * Richard Senate * Charles Hall * Mark Anthony *
Steve Bhearman * Margaret Dempsey * Corey Washington * Rick Borgia * Benjamin
Fifty years ago, Nichols’s kiss may have broken
Radford * Jana Hollingsworth * Robert Robinson * Kathleen Marden * Denise Stoner *
an important cultural barrier. But as Nichols
Lucia Mann * Michael Hall * Kal Korff * Robert Kiviat * Ellen Lieberman * Gary
well knows, the quest to secure opportunities for
women and minorities persists to this day – an Wimmer * Preston Dennett * Dale Kaczmarek * Sharon Lynn Wyeth * M.K. Davis *
effort that requires relentless pressure. [] Travis Walton * Tara Green * Dan Valkos * Dr. Audrey Irvine * Tim Whitmore * Hassan
Jaffer * Ken Ofeifer * Chrissie Blaze * Thornton TF Barnes * Calvin Parker * Ronny
Dawson * Dr. Craig Hogan * Silver Lynx * Ellen Mahloy * Paul Busch * Stephen Bassett
* Dr. Scott Kolbaba * Wilbur Allen * Barry Downing * Eddie Upnick * Bob Davis *
Deborah Blake * Mark Muncy * Jason Offutt * John Kachuba * Richard Sentes * Nicole
Strickland * Helen Rees * David Campione * Brad Bradley * Carolyn Ford * Dr. Susan
Shumsky * Doug Elwell * Dr. Irene Scott * Loyd Auerbach * Henry Herman Bauer *
Sharon Farber * John Le Bon * Ken Jeremiah * Bill Bean * Ronald Kolek * Maureen
Wood * Marie D Jones * Dr. Mark Carlotto * Rodney Cluff * George Hansen * Joshua
Black * Michael Wann * Dean Tong * Pamela Kinney * Brandon Massullo * Jane Kyle *
Mack Maloney * Chance Gardner * Robert Zimmerman * Kenny Feder * Ron Hatsis *
Ralph Ellis * Amelia Cotter * Larry Holcombe * Freeman Fly * Anthony Sanchez * Jim
Vieira * Nomar Slevik * Dr. Michael Masters * Mark Shaw * John Olsen * Sasha Klanott
* Jack Kenna * Eric Raines * Keven McQueen * Nick Redfern * Layne Dalfen & More!