From National Geographic Documentary Films comes The Space Race, an emotive and educational exploration of the experiences of the first Black astronauts. Featuring candid interviews from Ed Dwight, Guion Bluford, Charles Bolden, and Victor Glover, the documentary spotlights the oft-omitted racial injustice narratives and present-day realities of these pioneers.
This film weaves together archival footage of U.S. space expeditions, Afrofuturist cultural milestones, and stories told by Black astronauts into an enlightening dialogue about the expectations placed on trailblazers. Tackling defining moments of American history, from the Kennedy assassination to the Space Shuttle Challenger disaster to the George Floyd uprising, these dynamic discussions posit new meditations on the fight for equality. As the documentary transverses space and decades, it encourages a reclamation of the past as a way to create a limitless future.--Shakira Refos
T&T: I watched this doc twice during the festival, mainly because the first screening didn't have a Q&A, but I could have arrived just for that; instead I really wanted to revisit this enlightening doc. Asking who was the first Black Astronaut? Just never entered my mind all these years! Not even after seeing the movie "Hidden Figures" where we learned about Mathematician, Katherine Johnson's contribution to NASA. That's the insidious thing about Systemic Racism it's so good at suppressing the Black Race that it can make society forget to even look for inclusion in some spaces, like Space!
I'm thrilled to learn about these brilliant, trailblazing, American men and women who have devoted their lives to science and space travel. Making documentaries like this widely available is key in inspiring and reinforcing to black and brown children that they belong everywhere.
tinseltine.com/12th-annual-bl...
#nasaupdates #natgeo #disneyplus #GuionBluford #40thAnniversarySpaceFlight
#philadelphia