Only last week civilization reached another monumental rung on the ladder of history.
As I am writing this, an American space rocket from NASA has passed from circling the Moon, including the so-called Far Side. The Moon, for your edification, is viewed from Earth on only one side. This fact has been true since anyone can recall. Flying around the entire Moon is important because it has never been done before.
Aboard this spaceship – Artemis II – is a gathering of four specially selected astronauts which, I’m guessing not by chance, appear to reflect the make-up of America. In this group is one white man, one black man, one white woman, and one Canadian. I know, I know, I didn’t identify the Canadian’s sex or race, but suffice it to say, someone at NASA is clearly paying back a debt or needed to convert Metric measurements.
In any case, this historic mission has generated an amazing amount of interest and hoopla throughout the world because it involves so many firsts.
During one of the many press group meetings between Earth reporters and the space capsule via teleconference, a reporter simply had to ask a question that was simultaneously both expected and cringe worthy. And that’s a hard feat to accomplish.
The aforementioned black astronaut, Victor Glover, was tossed a question with – what else? Diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI).
Without missing a beat, this reporter dragged race into this for all the tribalists watching and later reading the recaps of this significant accomplishment by not only Glover, but also the other three crew members. Were they already forgotten because they aren’t black?
The query took a path along these lines: ‘How does it feel to be the first black man to fly around the Moon?’
After
all, there is a woman seated alongside
this black man who happens to
be the first woman to fly around the Moon. Lest we forget there’s
a white man aboard plus a Canadian, who I would consider “firsts”
of each special category in which they neatly fit or identify.
But it seems as though Astronaut Glover is first and foremost an astronaut who realizes and enjoys his career as a team player. He quickly interjected his response by poo-pooing the racist reporter’s question by shifting the emphasis towards what this meant for humanity rather than race.
All four Artemis II occupants brought something special to their historic trip, traveling further into outer space than any other humans as yet. That, in and of itself, should be celebrated and held up as a monumental achievement for all of society to applaud and use as a barometer for future space exploration.
That being said, I offer accolades of ‘Job well done!’ and wishes for more inclusiveness rather than exclusions based on shallow, uncontrollable traits.
