National Geographic Host the “The Space Race” Documentary at Tavern on the Green on August 15, 2023
On Tuesday, August 15, 2023, National Geographic held a reception at the legendary Tavern on the Green. This event was to celebrate “The Space Race documentary.” The film originally premiered at the 2023 Tribeca Film Festival.
THE SPACE RACE weaves together the stories of Black astronauts seeking to break the bonds of social injustice to reach for the stars, including Guion Bluford, Ed Dwight and Charles Bolden among many others. In THE SPACE RACE, directors Lisa Cortés and Diego Hurtado de Mendoza profile the pioneering Black pilots, scientists, and engineers who joined NASA to serve their country in space, even as their country failed to achieve equality for them back on Earth.
From 1963, when the assassination of JFK thwarted Captain Ed Dwight’s quest to reach the moon, to 2020, when the echoes of the civil unrest sparked by the killing of George Floyd reached the International Space Station, the story of African Americans at NASA is a tale of world events colliding with the aspirations of uncommon men.
The bright dreams of Afrofuturism become reality in THE SPACE RACE, turning science fiction into science fact, and forever redefining what “the right stuff” looks like, giving us new heroes to celebrate, and a fresh history to explore.
The documentary was directed by Lisa Cortés and Emmy Award winner Diego Hurtado de Mendoza.
After the reception all guests were lead to the Central Park lawn to watch the documentary. The directors on of the astronauts Leeland Melvin” who is also a producer for the film each spoke and introduced the film. For more information, check out the trailer here.
