Nichelle, born Grace Dell Nichols, will of course be forever associated with her ground breaking role as Lieutenant Uhura in the original Star Trek TV series from 1966 to 1969. Slightly before my time but, following the series' cancellation, the BBC had repeats of Star Trek on regular rotation during the 1970s, so I grew up avidly watching the show.
Even without knowing the significance of the character in the show, Lieutenant Uhura was both a favourite and an early crush (I was not alone in this). Nichelle even got to sing in a couple of Star Trek episodes in the first season, Charlie X and The Conscience Of The King.
Prior to Star Trek, Nichelle appeared in stage productions of Carmen Jones and Porgy & Bess and toured the USA, Canada and Europe as a jazz singer with Duke Ellington's and Lionel Hampton's bands. Nichelle also broke into television, including an episode of Gene Roddenberry's first TV series, prophetically titled The Lieutenant.
Nichelle's role as Lieutenant Uhura in Star Trek was ground breaking, a Black woman as a central character in a high profile TV series at the height of the Civil Rights Movement in the USA. Nichelle intended to leave after the first series and actually handed in her resignation to Gene Roddenberry but a fateful meeting with Dr. Martin Luther King highlighted the cultural and political importance of her role and she stayed. Following the original series' cancellation, Nichelle went on to star in the animated series from 1973 to 1974 and the first six Star Trek films from 1979 to 1991.
Nichelle also had a significant relationship with NASA from 1977 to 2015, promoting the space programme and encouraging women and people of colour to become astronauts. What an incredible, inspiring woman.
Lieutenant Uhura's name can also be credited to Nichelle: when auditioning for the role, she had a copy of Robert Ruark's 1962 book Uhuru with her. Nichelle suggested it for the then-unnamed character, it was tweaked to Uhura and history was made.
Uhuru is a Swahili word meaning freedom and it would be remiss of me not to include a roots reggae favourite, Black Uhuru, performing What Is Life? with Sly Dunbar and Robbie Shakespeare at Yomiuri-Land Theatre East in Tokyo, Japan on 28th July 1984.
Nichelle has gone "to explore strange new worlds" but she will forever be remembered and loved for her impact on this blue-and-green globe, hanging in space.
An inspirational woman
ReplyDeleteGreat post Khayem
And then some! Many thanks for your comment, CC.
DeleteWhat a lovely tribute to an inspirational and very cool woman, Khayem. Like so many, I have fond childhood memories of watching her on Star Trek. Girl crush! Also I didn't know that about the roots of her character's name/word.
ReplyDeleteI didn't follow Nichelle's career closely and knew about the NASA collaboration, the conversation with Martin Luther King not at all. Given her impact and importance to so many, she seemed to wear it lightly. And I fell in love with the photos of Nichelle that I used for the post, absolutely wonderful.
DeleteA fine fine tribute Khayem. It's difficult to fully comprehend at this point just how revolutionary the character of Lieutenant Uhura was. Another little piece of my childhood gone. Rest easy Nichelle.
ReplyDeleteI completely agree with both points, TS. It was lovely to read so many of the tributes that came in from people who had been influenced and inspired by Nichelle's example.
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