Happy Birthday Dr. Mae Jemison!
Astronaut, doctor, philanthropist, innovator and the first African-American woman to go to space.
“Don’t let anyone rob you of your imagination, your creativity, or your curiosity. It’s your place in the world; it’s your life. Go on and do all you can with it, and make it the life you want to live.” — Dr. Mae Jemison
- On September 12, 1992 Dr. Mae Jemison became the first African-American woman to go to space on the Space Shuttle Endeavour.
2. Mae Jemison earned a doctorate degree in medicine from Cornell University in 1981 and was the Area Peace Corps Medical Officer for Sierra Leone and Liberia from 1983–1985 before going on to become an astronaut.
3. She logged over 190 hours in space and conducted experiments on bone cells, weightlessness, and motion sickness.
4. She became the first real astronaut to appear on her favorite show Star Trek: The Next Generation and meet “Uhura” who made her want to be an astronaut in the first place (remainder: representation matters).
5. Dr. Jemison currently researches and develops technology for the Jemison Group and the 100 Year Starship project. Jemison has said, ‘The 100 Year Starship will make the capability of human travel beyond our solar system to another star a reality over the next 100 years.”
6. She has 9 honorary doctorates and champions diversity in STEM education.
Editor’s Note:
First Lady Michelle Obama has said so well:“I wanted them [girls] to understand that the measure of any society is how it treats its women and girls. And I told them that they deserve to be treated with dignity and respect, and I told them that they should disregard anyone who demeans or devalues them, and that they should make their voices heard in the world.”
In response to this election cycle’s surfacing misogyny, Smart Girls will be highlighting the work and stories of remarkable women by whom we are inspired.
