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Civil
rights
pioneers
Bill
Russell
and
Nichelle
Nichols
pass as
they
approach
90 yrs. |
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(AP
Photo/Matt
Slocum,
file)
Bill
Russell
redefined
how
basketball
is
played,
and then
he
changed
the way
sports
are
viewed
in a
racially
divided
country.
The most
prolific
winner
in NBA
history,
Russell
marched
with
Martin
Luther
King
Jr.,
stood
with
Muhammad
Ali, and
received
the
Presidential
Medal of
Freedom
from
President
Barack
Obama.
The
centerpiece
of the
Boston
Celtics
dynasty
that won
11
championships
in 13
years,
Russell
earned
his last
two NBA
titles
as a
player-coach
— the
first
Black
coach in
any
major
U.S.
sport.
Russell
died
Sunday
at the
age of
88, with
his
wife,
Jeannine,
at his
side,
his
family
said in
a
statement
posted
on
social
media.
No cause
of death
was
immediately
available;
Russell,
who had
been
living
in the
Seattle
area,
was not
well
enough
to
present
the NBA
Finals
MVP
trophy
in June
due to a
long
illness.
(Photo
by Barry
Brecheisen/Invision/AP,
File)
Nichelle
Nichols,
who
broke
barriers
for
Black
women in
Hollywood
when she
played
communications
officer
Lt.
Uhura on
the
original
“Star
Trek”
television
series,
has died
at the
age of
89.
Her son
Kyle
Johnson
said
Nichols
died
Saturday
in
Silver
City,
New
Mexico.
“Last
night,
my
mother,
Nichelle
Nichols,
succumbed
to
natural
causes
and
passed
away.
Her
light,
however,
like the
ancient
galaxies
now
being
seen for
the
first
time,
will
remain
for us
and
future
generations
to
enjoy,
learn
from,
and draw
inspiration,”
Johnson
wrote on
her
official
Facebook
page
Sunday.
“Hers
was a
life
well
lived
and as
such a
model
for us
all.”
Her role
in the
1966-69
series
as Lt.
Uhura
earned
Nichols
a
lifelong
position
of honor
with the
series’
rabid
fans,
known as
Trekkers
and
Trekkies.
It also
earned
her
accolades
for
breaking
stereotypes
that had
limited
Black
women to
acting
roles as
servants
and
included
an
interracial
onscreen
kiss
with
co-star
William
Shatner
that was
unheard
of at
the
time.
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