NASA’s Young, Gifted and Black Making Us All Proud

Black Americans go hard in the paint with 10 toes deep for the young Black employees of NASA on social media this week. Tyrone Jacobs (left) inspired other Black employees at NASA to post their official photos. The response has been overwhelming from the Black community and media as positive news is still indeed news. Photo from Essence.com.

Tyrone Jacobs was shocked at the reaction his photo got on social media last week. All he did was post his official photo from his job. But when you work for NASA, and you are a young Black male, the community is going to ride hard for you. Tyrone should have know better. You know Black mothers are notorious for bragging on their children’s accomplishments. When I became an Eagle Scout with the Boy Scouts of America in 1988, my mom notified the Mayor of Chicago, Governor of Illinois and President of the United States. I thought she was crazy until I received two letters with the actual signatures of Mayor Eugene Sawyer and Gov. James Thomspon congratulating me on my accomplishment, which I keep in a safe place today. In addition, I got a form letter from the White House, a letter signed by my congressman and former Chicago Ald. Keith Caldwell gave the Eagle Charge at my ceremony.

Black NASA employees have the freedom to wear their hair in any style they so choose. Somebody tell Barbers Hill School they might want to take a field trip to the Houston Space Center and learn a few things about modern society. A Texas judge ruled back in February that the school was not violating the state’s “Crown Act,” which makes it illegal to discriminate a person because of the the style their hair is in. Lawyers for the plaintiff in the case, plan to file an appeal.

So yeah Ty, we gonna plaster your picture all over the place young brotha. You and your cohorts are literially the best shot we have at humankind continuing to exist. Scientific research is one of the best tools we have to solve problems, yet there is a large, ignorant segment of humanity that hates science. Black people have been contributing to scientific fields since human life began in Africa. The 2016 movie “Hidden Figures” was the film in Ty’s generation that really highlighted Black women’s contributions to the field, but specifically at NASA. I surmise it inspired not only little Black girls, but Black boys and others to get into STEM research and build careers as well.

However, your picture points to another issue we have, especially here in the United States. Our social values are declining. Our ethics and character are constantly under attack. Racism, which never went away, has become less covert, bolder and more dangerous. Black scholars are under attack (see former Harvard President Claudine Gay). Black doctors are under attack, former U.S. Surgeon General Dr. Jerome Adams still gets nasty replies on his social media accounts because he insists on wearing a mask while flying and says COVID hasn’t gone anywhere and is still killing people. Humans are less kind to one another in 2024; even though we breathe the same air, drink the same water, bleed the same color and share the same space on earth.

That is why your picture went viral Ty. My entire family is made up of men who are members of Alpha Phi Alpha. It is how I was able to decipher very quickly from your X handle @tyisicecold06 all you were representing. You are continuing in the tradition of other great men of your frat like Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., Thurgood Marshall, W.E.B. Dubois, Lionel Richie, Hill Harper and hundreds of thousands of others.

The BMB Empower Network on X (formerly known as Twitter) posted this collage of Black NASA employees on March 16th. It has since gotten 1.4 million views.

As you are aware by now, it is not just you Ty. Your picture inspired other Black NASA employees to share their photos. Sometimes, we get so caught up in our own personal and community issues, that we forget there are Black people out here kicking butt and taking names. They are successful. They are committed to community and humanity and go to work every day trying to make the world a better place for all of us.

I gotta admit, I choked up a bit when the @bmbempower network on X posted the collage of current Black NASA employees, all inspired to post their photos because of you. They were of various genders, ages, beautiful Black complexions and from all over the world. I am sure they all had their personal obstacles they had to overcome to be hired at NASA. It made me pause for a minute. Being from Chicago, I know all about Dr. Mae Jemison. She attended Alexandre Dumas grammar school, named after the famous Black-French novelist and playwright, a school my uncle taught at for years. Dr. Jemison was the first Black woman to go into space. Once leaving NASA, she continued her ministry of getting more young people from our community into STEM study. Dr. Jemison’s “Look Up” project focused on girls, but she has inspired thousands with her work. I wish Godspeed to you and the next generation Ty. May you all have “Mission Success.”