On Monday, more than 200 people gathered in the Opera Winfrey Theater in Washington, D.C.’s National Museum of African American History and Culture for one of many events celebrating the fifth annual Black Space Week. The daylong forum was filled with all-Black panels featuring current and former astronauts, high-ranking U.S. Space Force officers, actors, entrepreneurs, government officials, students, and scientists.
As the room filled, the buzz of laughter, excitement, and delighted recognition was akin to a family reunion.
“Black In Astro is not just for Black Americans. It’s for Black people around the world.”
“This year[’s forum] was just impeccable. I’m still floating,” said Ashley Lindalía Walker, founder and president of Black In Astro, the organization that started Black Space Week. Walker is an astrochemistry doctoral student at Howard University in Washington, D.C.
Black In Astro came together after the #BlackInAstro hashtag went viral in 2020 following the murder of George Floyd and the national reckoning with racial justice. The organization and Black Space Week have grown to span the globe and all sectors of space exploration.
This year’s Black Space Week included in-person events for only the second year. Partnerships with NASA, the U.S. National Space Council, and the White House helped it expand in scope and scale this year.
“Black In Astro is not just for Black Americans,” Walker said. “It’s for Black people around the world.”
Astronauts Sharing Experiences
Monday’s events kicked off with a panel discussion from current and former Black astronauts. To date, only 20 Black astronauts (out of more than 600 total) have flown in space. One of them is Jessica “Watty” Watkins, a planetary geologist who spent 170 days in space.
Watkins has studied the geology of Mars, and she said on the panel that “it’s been really interesting to me to come from that world, where we can use orbital cameras and orbital instruments as well as rovers on the surface of Mars to gain scientific insight, and then to be on the other side of the curtain on the human spaceflight, human exploration side of things.”
She added, “I really appreciate [geoscientists’] support. I’m carrying you with me everywhere I go.”
Other panelists talked about how flying in space provided unparalleled perspective on the importance of safeguarding Earth for humanity’s future and how meaningless borders and political divisions seem at that distance. The astronauts spoke to the importance of representation in relation to children seeing themselves as the future of space exploration and about how experiential learning and exposure to science can help students of all ages realize their potential.
At the end of the panel, the astronauts and audience gave a standing ovation to welcome Ed Dwight, the first Black U.S. astronaut candidate. Dwight completed astronaut training during the Apollo era but was not selected for the 1963 astronaut class. He left the service and became an artist. At 90 years old, Dwight finally reached space in May on a Blue Origin flight.
“Once I got up there and saw this Earth from that distance and saw how precious it looks…it was enough to understand this is worth the fight.”
When he first trained, “there was no conversation about Blacks in space,” Dwight said during the panel. “It was heretical to all these white giants that were designing space.” Despite not going into space as a young man, he felt that he had done his job in opening up opportunities for future Black astronauts, he said, gesturing to the group on stage with him.
After 60 years of waiting, the experience of being in space far exceeded his imagination. “After I went, I said, ‘I see what it’s all about now,’” said Dwight, who calls himself an Afronaut. “Once I got up there and saw this Earth from that distance and saw how precious it looks…it was enough to understand this is worth the fight.”
Afternoon panels at Monday’s forum featured Black women who are leaders in the space enterprise through work in the academic, government, entrepreneurial, and entertainment industries. Later, young leaders, educators, and scientists spoke about educational and career pathways that will shape space exploration for future generations.
Black Space Week events later in the week included discussions about the aerospace industry, the intersections of humanities and space exploration, and the roots and history of cultural astronomy in the African Diaspora, as well as a celebration of Afrofuturism.
Five Years Strong
This year, U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris congratulated Black In Astro for fostering a supportive and empowering space science environment. Harris is the chair of the National Space Council.
In her letter to the organization, which was read by the executive secretary of the National Space Council before the end of Monday’s forum, Harris wrote, “I am proud to stand alongside you as we work to make the incredible potential of space real for more people across America.” Harris continued, “Your efforts enrich the space community while also strengthening our nation’s position as a leader in this critical field.”
The letter from the vice president came as a surprise to Black In Astro leadership. “I’m elated,” Walker expressed. “I was talking to some folks after, and they were like, ‘Y’all know y’all legit now, right?’” she laughed.
—Kimberly M. S. Cartier (@AstroKimCartier), Staff Writer