You were the first… Twenty years after your activism and progress you made for African Americans, I saw you in your red uniform aboard the Enterprise. I was a child and you were intelligent, strong, beautiful, and in charge! I wanted to be you. Even in the 80s, I took note that you actually looked like me and I could indeed be you. You are the reason I read and write science fiction and I learned that a Black woman can be powerful on earth, in space, and beyond! The new frontier awaits…