Good-bye for Now, Nichelle

I remember when I first saw Star Trek. It was only a couple of months after Neil Armstrong walked on the moon. The thing I loved about the show was Lt. Uhura. Not only was she a lady astronaut, but she held her own with the guys, compared to the other shows of the time period. The only one who came remotely close to the lieutenant was Batgirl.

But Uhura? Oh, yeah, she was my hero. So much so. I insisted on a Malibu Christie for my birthday in 1972, much to my mother's chagrin. I didn't care though. With my rudimentary sewing skills, I created a red Starfleet minidress for the doll, and she became my Lt. Uhura.

That same year, Star Trek returned to the small screen in the Animated Series. Uhura even had to take over the Enterprise when the men were acting stupid.

But none of Nichelle Nichols' effects on me as child compared to her influence on the entire world. I'm not the only girl who looked up to her.

She influenced Martin Luther King, Jr. She changed the face of NASA. She acted. She sang. She danced. She inspired Whoopi Goldberg. She was the grandmother of Heroes. She gave millions of kids a chance to see themselves doing more than society expected.

I gave an Uhura Barbie as a Christmas present to a friend's newborn daughter Mya in 2009. By then, Zoe Saldana portrayed Uhura in the Star Trek films. Even Zoe acknowledged Nichelle's influence on her own career. But I wanted Mya to have the same positive experience Uhura and Nichelle provided to me.

A few years later, Mya's mom sent me the 50th anniversary edition of Uhura. Fifty years before a Star Trek Barbie doll with Nichelle's face as a model. Part of me is sad it took so damn long. Another part is happy she finally got the long overdue acknowledgement.

Ms. Nichols left this plane of existence on Saturday evening. I hope wherever she is, she's happy and still having awesome adventures.