When a major figure in the entertainment industry dies, I do research diverseTo find a person’s first appearance on our pages. The timing and context of the individual diverse Often the first appearance tells us about their career path.
I did my usual research after the sad news broke on July 31 that actor and singer Nichelle Nichols, Lieutenant Ora from the original “Star Trek” series and a true TV pioneer, passed away at the age of 89. What I found made me stunned. This trip back in time brought me back to my face To counteract the ugly history of racism and segregation in the entertainment business, as documented in our coverage.
It was upsetting to see just how common it was for the industry to make black performers of the ’60s and ’70s common. When Nichols started her career as a singer and actress.
The first mention of Nichols in diverse It came in a small ad in the June 20, 1960 issue of Ye Little Club, a nightclub on North Canon Drive in Beverly Hills (roughly where Wally is today). The trailer has been promoted for a number of upcoming artists, including “Sepia Sensation, Nichelle Nichols”.
First reference to Nichols in a diverse The story was no better. This came nine days after a positive review of her show Ye Little Club. The reviewer described it as a “dark brown thrush” and “a beholder who invigorates her role more by accentuating bad movements.”
During the late sixties, most of them were diverse References to Nichols refer to her race, always as a qualification for her work: she was a “Negro singer” when she signed to Epic. A “sepia singer” was on the topic about joining the cast of James Garner’s 1966 thriller film “Mr. Budding.”
By the early 1970s, as “Star Trek” made it a bigger name and cultural norms began to shift, diverse Nichols is no longer routinely classified by race. But those early references, while not outright disdain for the era, do so as a statement about how institutional Hollywood treats black industrialists with a racial asterisk.
In fact, Lieutenant Nichols Aura is the character who embodies the progressive, inclusive, and hopeful spirit that has kept Star Trek alive for nearly 60 years. Lieutenant Oora was a black woman who stuck out alone with William Shatner, Captain Kirk, Mr. Spock, Leonard Nimoy, and all the other Starfleet officers on the Enterprise Bridge.
Fortunately, there were no qualifiers for Lieutenant Aura in “Star Trek” creator Gene Roddenberry’s vision for the future. Fortunately, Nichols had the unquestioned talent and determination to make that character an enduring symbol of progress.
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