17 Shows That Changed the Game for Black Women on TV
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Star Trek: The Original Series (1966-1969)
When Whoopi Goldberg first saw Nichelle Nichols as Nyota Uhura on Star Trek, she says she exclaimed, “Momma! There's a black lady on television and she ain't no maid!” As Uhura, Nichols devised important mathematical solutions, spoke Swahili, sang, and loved herself some Spock. And thanks to her trailblazing role, Nichols would go on to champion diversity in STEM for years to come. "If you look at any of the shows prior to Star Trek, we were not there," Goldberg told Glamour in 2018. "[Nichols] was really instrumental in making me believe I could be on TV. So I did grow up having 'a me.'"
Courtesy Everett Collection
Girlfriends, forever.
Originally Appeared on Glamour
