Martin Luther King Jr.

===Television===
Actress [[Nichelle Nichols]] planned to leave the science-fiction television series ''[[Star Trek: The Original Series|Star Trek]]'' in 1967 after [[Star Trek: The Original Series (season 1)|its first season]].<ref name="nprcode">{{cite news| title= Zoë Saldaña Climbed Into Lt. Uhura's Chair, Reluctantly | url= https://www.npr.org/blogs/codeswitch/2013/04/08/176594781/zo-salda-a-climbed-into-lt-uhuras-chair-reluctantly | first= Gene |last=Demby| date=April 8, 2013| work= Code Switch (blog) | publisher= NPR| access-date= April 10, 2013}}</ref> She changed her mind after talking to King,<ref name="25th">{{cite video | people=Beck, Donald R. (Director) |date=1991| title=Star Trek: 25th Anniversary Special}}</ref> who was a fan of the show. King explained that her character signified a future of greater racial cooperation.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.openculture.com/2013/01/nichelle_nichols_tells_neil_degrasse_tyson_how_martin_luther_king_convinced_her_to_stay_on_star_trek.html|title=Nichelle Nichols Explains How Martin Luther King Convinced Her to Stay on Star Trek|work=Open Culture|date=January 21, 2013}}</ref> King told Nichols, "You are our image of where we're going, you're 300 years from now, and that means that's where we are and it takes place now. Keep doing what you're doing, you are our inspiration."<ref>{{cite news | url=https://www.huffpost.com/entry/gene-roddenberry-son-star-trek_n_1119119 | title=Gene Roddenberry's Son Reveals Unhappy 'Star Trek' Family Life | first=Lee | last=Speigel | work=[[HuffPost]] | date=November 30, 2011}}</ref> As Nichols recounted: <blockquote>''Star Trek'' was one of the only shows that [King] and his wife [[Coretta Scott King|Coretta]] would allow their little children to watch. And I thanked him and I told him I was leaving the show. All the smile came off his face. And he said, 'Don't you understand for the first time we're seen as we should be seen. You don't have a black role. You have an equal role.'<ref name="nprcode"/></blockquote> The series' creator, [[Gene Roddenberry]], was deeply moved upon learning of King's support.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://o.canada.com/entertainment/nichelle-nichols-on-playing-star-treks-lt-uhura-and-meeting-dr-king|title=Nichelle Nichols on playing Star Trek's Lt. Uhura and meeting Dr. King|last=Strachan|first=Alex|date=August 5, 2010|website=Canada.com|language=en|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200216223502/https://o.canada.com/entertainment/nichelle-nichols-on-playing-star-treks-lt-uhura-and-meeting-dr-king|archive-date=February 16, 2020|access-date=February 16, 2020|quote=Now, Gene Roddenberry was a 6-foot-3 guy with muscles. ... And he sat there with tears in his eyes. He said, 'Thank God that someone knows what I'm trying to do. Thank God for Dr. Martin Luther King.'}}</ref>