THE "FIRST" BLACK PERSON TO..., THE "ONLY" BLACK PERSON TO...

When I was preparing my response to the "TESTIFY" forum one thing stood out to me...that here...in this place... I am not alone. I look around me and there are Black people just like me. Of course I don't mean exactly like me. We all certainly don't agree 100% of the time. But here...in this place I am just one in the crowd. I look to my left and right and there are Black people who love Science Fiction, people who have for their entire lives lived in the world of "Improbability" and looked with hope toward a world of "Infinite Possibility." To that end, the vast majority of us at some time in our very improbable lives have been dubbed, "The 'First' Black person to..." or "The 'only' Black person to..." You know what I mean..."The first Black person to be in the gifted program" or "the only black guy in the advanced class, or the "First black female to be promoted to supervisor," "The only Black person to ever work here..."

We have been explorers all our lives which is probably why Science Fiction appeals to us. The concept of New Worlds or seeing old ones from a very different perspective is something we carry with us daily. We fellow travelers, we "Fiction scientists" whose stock and trade is in manipulating the DNA of our social existence to hybridize for success and survival are often at the forefront of change and dare we claim..."progress."

Here we can discuss our "First" and "Only" stories. We can discus the trials and tribulations of sometimes being the voice in the wilderness, being considered "the magic negro" and how being dubbed the "First" or "Only" has had an impact on our personal and creative lives.

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THE "FIRST" BLACK PERSON TO..., THE "ONLY" BLACK PERSON TO...

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