Black History Month - Erased Heroes 2/22/21

Mae Jemison(1956 - Present Day)

Born in 1956, Jemison grew up with a love for the sciences. In high school, she decided to pursue biomedical engineering and graduated with a National Merit Award scholarship. She was the head of the Black Student Union while studying in Stanford and served in a Cambodian refugee camp while studying at Cornell Medical College. Jemison then worked as a general practitioner then spent two years as a medical Peace Corps officer in Sierra Leone and Liberia. In 1985, Jemison applied to NASA's astronaut program. In 1987, Jemison became the first African American woman to be admitted and after a year became the first African American female astronaut. In 1992, Jemison flew off to space aboard the Endeavor. She spent days in orbit, conducting several experiments. She has received several honors such as the 1988 Essence Science and Technology Award, the Ebony Black Award, several honorary doctorates, and many more. In 1993, Jemison left NASA and moved on to teaching. Today, Jemison runs the Jemison Group, an organization dedicated to improving African healthcare.