In 1961, Air Force Captain Ed Dwight became the first black astronaut trainee, assigned directly by the Kennedy Administration. As a candidate, he faced discrimination but was able to overcome adversity until the assassination of John F. Kennedy, after which government officials created a hostile environment and reassigned Dwight to a non-existent test pilot school in Germany. He resigned from the Air Force in 1966. 

In 1967, Robert Henry Lawrence became the first black man to complete astronaut training, but died later that same year while instructing an Air Force flight test trainee.

A U.S. Air Force officer, Guion Stewart Bluford became the first black astronaut to enter space. Guion was chosen by NASA out of thousands of applicants, and his space career spanned 24 years. He spent a little more than a total of 28 days in space.

In 1985, Frederick Gregory became the first black astronaut to pilot a space craft and later to command a mission. In 1992, Mae Carol Jemison became the first black female to travel in space. Two years later, Bernard A. Harris, Jr., made history as the first black astronaut to walk in space.

According to a 2012 informational sheet, NASA states a total of 321 astronauts have been selected for the intensive Astronaut Candidate training program. At that time, the number of black astronauts totaled 16, or roughly 5 percent.   [Read more…]

Politico has published a devastating article about Republican Congressman Duncan Hunter based on more than a dozen interviews with lawmakers, congressional aides, former staffers, and sources close to a Justice Department investigation.

According to the account, Hunter had problems with alcohol and a predilection for what appear to be inappropriate relationships with a female staffer and lobbyists, in addition to growing suspicions that his financial misdeeds were more widespread than has already been reported.  

The bottom line is this: while Hunter still has some fans in Washington, GOP insiders fear his legal and financial problems will cost the party what should be a safe seat in the House of Representatives. The deadline for filing to run in the 2018 elections is March 9. The timing of this story and the number of sources willing to come forward tells me party elders want Hunter gone.   [Read more…]

Marvel Comics’ Black Panther was America’s first African comic book superhero, debuting in 1966 — 32 years after Mandrake the Magician, who is believed to be America’s first ever superhero. It would be 50 years before Black Panther would be introduced in live-action, appearing in 2016’s Captain America: Civil War. Black Panther is the T’Challa (politician) turned Prince turned King of the fictional African nation Wakanda.

In 1969, Marvel’s Falcon was introduced as the first African-American superhero. He would later become Captain America’s partner and is the first black superhero to not have the word “black” in his title. He wasn’t introduced on the silver screen film until Captain America: The Winter Soldier in 2014.

Luke Cage, or Power Man, followed in 1972, also with Marvel Comics. Originally, Cage sported an afro; however, his modern appearance has a shaved head. In 1973, Blade was introduced. Initially hailing from London, England, his on-screen portrayals depict him as being from Detroit, Chicago.   [Read more…]

In 1951, Henrietta Lacks was admitted to Johns Hopkins Hospital, one of the few hospitals to attend to black patients at the time, for treatment of cervical cancer.

After a biopsy, it was soon discovered that the young mother of five had cells that differed from any others previously studied: where other cells would die, Lacks’ cells doubled every 20 to 24 hours. The cells were nicknamed HeLa and are still used to study the effects of toxins, drugs, hormones and viruses on the growth of cancer cells without experimenting on humans.

Lacks died on October 4, 1951, at the age of 31. Lacks was never informed that her cells had been harvested and her family was never compensated for the incredible scientific breakthrough she inadvertently provided to modern medicine. The issue of compensation is still ongoing.   [Read more…]

By Michael-Leonard Creditor

For those of you around SoCal, and especially here in San Diego, who got excited last summer about the “Great American Eclipse” of the sun, your next eclipse is coming up this very month.

What? Another eclipse? Didn’t hear anything about it? Relax, it’s not your fault. Media doesn’t make nearly the same noise for an upcoming lunar eclipse (they are much more common) as for a major event like the one last summer. A Total Lunar Eclipse (TLE) isn’t nearly as spectacular as a Total Solar Eclipse. They are totally unlike each other. But TLEs, as they are known, have a special beauty of their own.
  [Read more…]