Uhura

Nichelle Nichols is arguably the most mesmerizing, influential beauty of my childhood (probably only challenged by Wonder Woman). I can't remember... more

by Russell Boyle

Buy the Original Drawing

Price

$200

Dimensions

10.000 x 8.000 x 0.100 inches

Title

Uhura

Artist

Russell Boyle

Medium

Drawing - Mixed Media On Paper

Description

Nichelle Nichols is arguably the most mesmerizing, influential beauty of my childhood (probably only challenged by Wonder Woman). I can't remember life without her in it. Though I don't know her personally, she has somehow always been as pertinent to me as family and I was captivated by her strong, communicational calm on the bridge of the Star Trek Enterprise as the groundbreaking Lt. Uhura, one of the first African American females on American television not portrayed as a servant. MLK, Jr. personally praised her work telling her "she could not give up" when she considered leaving due to a conflict of interest. (Nichelle and Star Trek's creator, Gene Roddenberry, were involved romantically for years before he eventually married Majel Barret, (Nurse Christine Chapel) from the series. Before Star Trek, Nichelle sang with Duke Ellington and was also a star performer at the Chicago Playboy Club. After the original Star Trek was cancelled, Nichelle volunteered her time in a special project with NASA to recruit minority and female personnel for the space agency. She began this work by making an affiliation between NASA and a company which she helped to run, Women in Motion. She is also a member of the NAACP. Nichelle faced scrutiny sharing the first interracial kiss on television in a scene with William Shatner. Nichelle has cited a letter from a white Southerner who wrote, "I am totally opposed to the mixing of the races. However, any time a red-blooded American boy like Captain Kirk gets a beautiful dame in his arms that looks like Uhura, he ain't gonna fight it." During the Comedy Central Roast of Shatner on 8/20/08, Nichols referred to this letter and said, "Let's make TV history again—and you can kiss my black ass!" Uhura has been part of my life for as long as I can remember and I still admittedly cry when I have to say goodbye to her and the rest of that crew at the end of every movie.That vision of international / interracial unification made the largest impression on me as a little boy and remains my greatest hope and belief in what America can be. #nichellenichols #uhura #portrait

Uploaded

August 9th, 2017