Black Astronauts Bounding Beyond Barriers

On May 20th, CBS Mornings aired a story that reminded me of a documentary I watched on a flight to San Francisco last month for a JLP workshop at Google’s headquarters. Space Race, a 90-minute film on the history and legacy of Black American astronauts, began with the story of Ed Dwight, a top Air Force test pilot who, in 1961, became the first Negro American candidate to train to go into space. Whitney Young of the National Urban League made a deal with then-Senator John F. Kennedy to garner Afro-American election support. In return, Young wanted black folk to be considered for the space program.

Ed Dwight was the choice: that he faced an uphill battle is an understatement. “The white folks that I was dealing with, my peers and the leadership, were horrified at the idea of the President appointing me to this position,” he recalled to CBS reporter Jericka Duncan.

When President Kennedy was assassinated in 1963, the loss of his most powerful advocate doomed Dwight’s candidacy. He left the aerospace training program in 1966 and became a successful businessman and renowned sculptor of Black American historical and cultural themes. When Guy Bluford became the first Black American astronaut to go into orbit in 1983, with heroes such as Ronald McNair and Mae Jemison soon following, Dwight became recognized as a pioneer.

Ed Dwight in his sculpture studio

At the end of the documentary, which can be found on Hulu and National Geographic, astronauts Victor Glover and Jessica Watkins honor Dwight for paving the way during a virtual call. But the story does not end there: two weeks ago, at 90 years old, Dwight became the oldest man to fly into outer space, fulfilling a dream deferred sixty years ago!

You can see the CBS Mornings story of this incredible accomplishment here.

Dwight says that fulfilling this dream was important to him, but even more so “to satisfy all of the wonderful people who have showered me with love for all these years, because it’s those who have wanted me to go into space in the worst way. Because to them, it’s justice.”

Indeed, his call sign for the Blue Origin flight was “Justice.” “That was the appropriate word for my situation. I was mentally capable. I was physically capable of accomplishing it. The only thing stopping it was race and politics.”

We honor Ed Dwight and all Black American astronauts who have broken the barriers of dismissive doubt and rancid racism to soar to the highest heights of scientific, technological, and human achievement. Maya Angelou's words ring true: And still we rise.

Astronauts Victor Glover, Ed Dwight, and Leland Melvin

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