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Hello, I am Leland Melvin, NASA Associate
Administrator for Education

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and a two-time Space Shuttle astronaut.

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Each February, our nation celebrates Black
History Month.

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It is a time to
reflect and appreciate the many contributions

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made by African
Americans.

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At NASA, we naturally think first about those
contributions

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that relate to aeronautics

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and space.

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Like the trailblazing achievements of the
Tuskeegee Airmen – the first

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African American military aviators in the
United States armed forces.

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They served during WWII – a time when racial
segregation was still

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prevalent.

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Or Guy Bluford, who in 1983 became the first
African American to fly in

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space.

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He went on to fly three subsequent space shuttle
missions

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before retiring 
in 1993.

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I was even fortunate enough to be part of
a “first” – in 2009 on my

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second shuttle mission aboard Atlantis.

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Astronaut Bobby Satcher and I
became the first two Black astronauts to fly

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on the same mission.

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All of these accomplishments instill a strong
sense of pride in how far

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African Americans have come and what many
have had to overcome.

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Remembering, reflecting, and honoring the
past is important, but I also

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want to challenge you to use Black History
Month as a springboard to

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the future.

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We’ve all heard of the concept of ‘paying
it forward” – that is

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a credo by which I live.

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Ask yourself, “what can I do what can I
do to help build on this incredible

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legacy we celebrate?”

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We all have inherent talents and gifts to
share.

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Let us do that now and
give the next generation more examples of