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- Is space supposed to be
separated from politics at all?

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- Yeah, I mean, you know,
Ed's, Ed's whole journey

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was predicated by the Senator
Kennedy at the time wanting

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to win the election for president.

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And so Ed was kind of like
a political pawn to be

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that first black astronaut

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that would help him get the black vote

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after he won the election.

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You know, people were still saying, Hey,

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you gonna gimme my black astronaut?

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Where's my black astronaut?

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And then, you know, Kennedy
did follow his, his promise

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and, and stayed with it.

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But when he was assassinated
in 1963, you know,

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it was like Yeager went to Johnson

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and said, look, we don't need this

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in anymore in the program.

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And you know, and Ed basically re retired

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and was kind of kicked out,
kind of pushed out of being,

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you know, the first black astronaut.

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And so I think more people need

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to know about this history, this journey.

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But Ed set the foundation for
me, for Guy Bluford, for me,

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Jemison for all these people.

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And the movie also talks about
how Michelle Nichols came in,

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you know, post Apollo,
you know, starting out

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with the space shuttle to
give NASA a chance to own up

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to bringing in diverse people.

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So that 1978 class with, you
know, three black astronauts

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or candidates, guy Bluford, Fred Gregory

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and Ron McNair were all

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because of the work of, you
know, from science fiction going

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to science fact with
Michelle Nichols going out

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and canvassing the country
to find, you know, put

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that message out that
NASA's looking for women

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and minorities to be
part of the, the core,

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not just the right stuff,

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which were white male test
pilots with crew cuts.

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Yeah, the space race
is going to premiere on

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National Geographic
Channel February the 12th,

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then on the 13th will be
on Hulu and Disney Plus.

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It's a great journey

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and it tells you what's possible
when people believe in you

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and you keep the legacy going strong,

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- Be flying in space.

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I smitten to turn up there doing
all these wonderful things.

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- Black history is American history.