In an epic conclusion to Black History Month, Bolles inclusion and diversity in STEM advocate Taylor Richardson ’22 was featured on “NBC Nightly News” February 24 alongside Mae Jemison, the world’s first Black woman to travel into space. Titled “Two Generations of Science Pioneers Inspire Future Astronauts,” the segment highlighted the history of Black women in STEM and the “importance of inspiring the next generation.”

Jemison has been Richardson’s personal inspiration throughout her advocacy journey, which has touched the lives of Black girls in STEM all over the world. Richardson, known as “Astronaut Starbright,” has been a featured speaker at STEM conferences across the globe and has received acclaim for her fundraising efforts. During the past few years, she has raised more than $100,000 for several high profile campaigns including funding ticket purchases for young Black girls to see movies “A Wrinkle in Time” and “Hidden Figures” and in recent weeks, raising more than $22,000 to purchase Fredrick T. Joseph’s book, “The Black Friend” for young people all over the country – including schools and organizations in Jacksonville.

Jemison made history when she served as mission specialist aboard the Space Shuttle Endeavor in 1992. Jemison was born in Alabama, where Richardson first attended Space Camp as a fourth-grader, before attending Stanford University and joining NASA’s astronaut corps in 1987. Richardson and Jemison have met before, an occasion Richardson once described as an “out of this world moment.”

The February 24 interview on NBC was via screen, but Richardson’s delight in the moment was unmistakable.

“There’s a lot of people who looked down on me and said I couldn’t do it,” Richardson said in the interview. To which Jemison replied, “We need all hands on deck.”

To watch the full segment, visit this NBC link.