The Aspiring Black Astronaut Who Never Made It to Space

https://www.nytimes.com/2019/12/18/opinion/ed-dwight-astronaut.html

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In 1963, Ed Dwight Jr. was poised to be NASA’s first African-American astronaut. Until suddenly he wasn’t.

By Ben Proudfoot

Mr. Proudfoot is an Emmy-winning filmmaker and a former magician.

This is the story of Ed Dwight Jr., who was invited by his country to train to be the first African-American astronaut. Back in 1963, it was hot news. But the United States never sent Dwight to space. For decades, he has maintained that he was discriminated against during his time at the Aerospace Research Pilot School, a prerequisite to NASA run by the legendary pilot Chuck Yeager.

Dwight is now a prolific artist, building memorials and creating public art honoring African-American history. His footprints cannot be found on the moon. But his fingerprints can be found on sculptures across the country.

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Ben Proudfoot is a filmmaker and the founder and C.E.O. of Breakwater Studios.

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