Nichols to receive 'Weapons' award

Nichelle Nichols, who is most famous for her role as Lt. Uhura in the television series "Star Trek" and its series of movie sequels, has been named the 2009 recipient of the Gordon Parks Weapons of Choice Award. She will formally receive the award during the Gordon Parks Celebration of Culture and Diversity Oct. 7-10. (Publicity photo)

Noted actress, singer and activist Nichelle Nichols will be the recipient of the Gordon Parks Choice of Weapons award during the Sixth Annual Gordon Parks Celebration of Culture and Diversity Oct. 7-10.

The Gordon Parks Celebration, a component of the Gordon Parks Museum and Center, was created in 2004 by Fort Scott Community College to honor Parks, a Fort Scott native and noted photographer, writer, musician and filmmaker.

At the culmination of the first year's events, the Choice of Weapons award was established in Parks' honor to be given annually during the celebration. Named after his autobiography of the same name, the purpose of the award is to honor a recipient who has excelled in the areas that Parks did and exemplifies the spirit and strength of Parks' character.

Previous honorees include actor and musician Avery Brooks, photographer Howard Bingham, Elizabeth Eckford and Ernest Green, two of the "Little Rock Nine," and Richard Roundtree, star of the Parks-directed film, "Shaft."

Nichols is an actress, singer and voice artist. She sang with Duke Ellington and Lionel Hampton, touring the United States, Canada and Europe before turning to acting. Her most famous role is that of communications officer Lt. Uhura aboard the USS Enterprise in the popular television series "Star Trek," as well as the succeeding motion pictures where her character was eventually promoted to the rank of commander.

In 2006, she added the job of executive producer to her resume. She also voiced her cartoon self in an episode of the animated television series, "Futurama."

Nichols began her professional signing and dancing career in her hometown of Chicago at the age of 14. She was discovered by Duke Ellington who hired her to choreograph and perform a ballet of one of his musical suites. She went on to finish the tour as lead singer.

Nichols toured the U.S., Canada and Europe as a singer with the Duke Ellington and Lionel Hampton bands. On the West coast, she appeared in the musical "The Roar of the Greasepaint--The Smell of the Crowd," and garnered high praise for her performance in the James Baldwin play, "Blues for Mister Charlie."

It was in "Star Trek" that Nichols gained popular recognition by being one of the first black women featured in a major television series not playing a servant; her prominent supporting role as a female black bridge officer was unprecedented. During the first year of the series, Nichols was tempted to leave the show, as she felt her role lacked significance; however, a conversation with Martin Luther King, Jr., changed her mind.

Besides the TV show, she starred in six "Star Trek" motion pictures and is still in constant demand to appear before millions of "Trekkies" around the world, according to an FSCC statement.

After "Star Trek," Nichols volunteered her time in a special project with NASA to recruit minority and female personnel for the space agency, which proved to be a success. Those recruited include Mae Jemison, the first American female astronaut and U.S. Air Force Col. Guion Bluford, the first African-American astronaut, as well as Judith Resnik and Ronald McNair, who both flew successful missions during the space shuttle program before their deaths in the Space Shuttle Challenger disaster in 1986.

An enthusiastic advocate of space exploration, Nichols has served since the mid-1980s on the Board of Governors of the National Space Society, a non-profit, educational space advocacy organization.

Her film credits include co-starring with Cuba Gooding, Jr., and James Coburn in "Snow Dogs" in 2002. In 2008, she starred in the film "The Torturer," with Jasmine Guy, playing the role of a psychiatrist. In 2009, she joined the cast of The Cabonauts, a science fiction musical comedy that debuted on the Internet. Playing CJ, the CEO of the Cabonauts, Inc., Nichols is also featured singing and dancing.

In 2006, Nichols appeared as the title character in the film, "Lady Magdalene's." She also served as executive producer, choreographer, and sang three songs in the film, two of which she composed. She has twice been nominated for the Sarah Siddons Award as best actress and is an accomplished dancer and singer. Her first Siddons nomination was for her portrayal of Hazel Sharp in "Kicks and Co." and the second for her performance in "The Blacks."

She was cast in a recurring role on the second season of the NBC drama "Heroes." Nichols portrayed the character of Nana Dawson, the matriarch of a New Orleans family financially and personally devastated by Hurricane Katrina.

Nichols starred in the touring Broadway hit, "Horowitz and Mrs. Washington" and "Nunsense II." In her one-woman show, "Reflections," which opened to rave reviews, she portrayed 12 legendary female entertainers. She was awarded a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 1992.

In 1994, she published her autobiography titled "Beyond Uhura: Star Trek and Other Memories." She also wrote two science fiction novels; "Saturn's Child" and its sequel, "Saturna's Quest."

Nichols' son is actor Kyle Johnson, who played the lead role in the Gordon Parks-directed film, "The Learning Tree."

She will be honored during a tribute dinner on Friday, Oct. 9 in Fort Scott. The Parks celebration schedule will soon be available on the center's Web site, www.gordonparkscenter.org. Tickets for celebration events will be available for sale starting Sept. 15.

For more information, contact Gordon Parks Museum and Center Director Jill Warford at (620) 223-2700, extension 515, or visit the Web site.