Uhura never had another name during the series. One of the fan writers wrote “Upenda” - which means “peace” in Swahili, I understand — not officially, but in some of their fan writings. And it sort of took hold. But when they were going to do the official history of Star Trek in a published book, the writer called Gene and asked him was “Uhura” her first name or her last name? Gene said, “Well, Nichelle and I never decided.” We always leaned towards it being her last name because it’s taken from the Swahili “uhuru” which means freedom. So it would sort of be like the same as “Freeman.” So he said, “You can make it her last name.” The writer said, “What about her first name? I’ve come up with one in Swahili. It’s Nyota.” Gene said, “I can’t give you that permission because Nichelle and I named her together, and she has rights to that, so you’ll have to call her and get her permission.” So he gave him my number, and he called me and I laughed and was delighted. He said, “I have a name and it’s Nyota.” I said, “That’s quite beautiful. What does it mean?” He said, “It means ‘star’.” I said, “You can have my permission!” So I have since said that her name is Nyota Upenda Uhura, which would mean a free-floating star: “star of freedom and peace”. I like that.—NICHELLE NICHOLS
fuckyeahfeminists:
This is what the school-to-prison pipeline looks like. This is how black youth are criminalized.
- She was doing a science experiment
- She’s being charged as an ADULT
- She’s being charged with a FELONY
If this all goes the way the prosecution wants, this young woman will be LEGALLY discriminated against for the rest of her life. No voting, housing discrimination, employment discrimination (as if getting a job while black isn’t hard enough), etc. etc.
Perhaps instead of fighting about who is tougher, Batman or Iron Man, we could spend a little internet rage making sure this young scientist doesn’t go to prison?
From the comments section:
“To everyone commenting on this thread that is outraged by this chain of events: I am just as outraged as you. But it is not enough for us simply to vent on message boards because nothing gets accomplished. I strongly urge you to write a letter to the school district, local authorities, AND to the Principal. Or just pick one…but DO SOMETHING!!! And let us remember that in order to get our points across we must be INDIGNANT and DIGNIFIED! I am in the process of starting a petition, once I have gathered some more crucial facts. Please be on the lookout for this petition and be sure to sign it ( via Change.org ) in addition to your letter or letters to Polk County Law Officials, The school Principal, and the School Administration. Contact Info Can be found below:
Bartow High School Principal Ronald Pritchard / Address: 1270 S Broadway Ave Bartow, FL 33830 / EMAIL: Ronald.Pritchard@polk-fl.net PHONE:(863)- 534-7400 Fax: (863)534-0077
Polk County Superintendent: Dr. John Stewart /Address: 1915 South Floral Avenue, Bartow, FL 33831 Phone: (863) 534-0521 Fax: (863) 519-8231 Email: Dr. John Stewart
Polk Regional Juvenile Detention Ctr
ADDRESS: 2155 Bob Phillips Road, Bartow, FL 33830
TEL: 863-534-7090
FAX: 863-534-7024
EMAIL:
pio@polksheriff.org
If we can all take 5-10 minutes to read this story, comment, and read posts by others then surely we can take the same amount of time to act on this child’s behalf.”