Race and the Space Race
PRX Radio ran an interesting piece over the weekend, narrated by former astronaut Mae Jemison, about race and the early space program. NASA and the civil rights movement came of age in the same decade, and by chance, the agency’s main centers were in places like Texas, Alabama, and Florida—the hear…
PRX Radio ran an interesting piece over the weekend, narrated by former astronaut Mae Jemison, about race and the early space program. NASA and the civil rights movement came of age in the same decade, and by chance, the agency's main centers were in places like Texas, Alabama, and Florida—the heart of the segregated South. The mandate to integrate the new space agency played a significant role in changing white and black attitudes.
Listen to the story here (you'll have to register, but it's free), read the transcript, or read a research paper by Steven Moss, one of the historians interviewed for the piece.