MLK Jr. Convinced Nichelle Nichols To Stay On The Show
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Star Trek: TOS aired in 1966 amid the Civil Rights Movement in the South, while Nichelle Nichols had the first major black female television role as Lieutenant Uhura. Nichols never faced discrimination on set, but she dealt with it in other parts of the studio, where she was sometimes even forced to use a different entrance.
At a fundraiser, Nichols ran into Dr. Martin Luther King, who happened to be a big fan. She told King that she wanted to leave the show, but he convinced her to stay, saying, “Don’t you realize how important your presence, your character is? This is not a black role or a female role. You have the first nonstereotypical role on television. You have broken ground.”
Soon you’ll find out why William Shatner upset many Star Trek fans…
