You may know her as Sasha, the pragmatic badass, from The Walking Dead, Sonequa Martin-Green is making history as the first black woman lead on a Star Trek Series, starring as Michael Burnham on Star Trek: Discovery on CBS.
From the zombie apocalypse to a groundbreaking intergalactic role, Mrs. Green is making her mark, in more ways than one, gracing the cover of Essence she sat down to discuss her “otherness,” empowering young girls to embrace math, science, technology and more.
https://www.instagram.com/p/BvDsq4KFUFt/
“It’s kind of surreal,” says the Alabama native. “Parents tell me their girls are interested in math, science and technology after watching the show. That’s incredible. It makes me want to work harder. It makes me more grateful.”
“I saw this vision to humanize Star Trek in a way we hadn’t seen before. That’s the kind of stuff I love. That’s so challenging and fulfilling as an actor,” she shares. “Here we have this Black woman who is completely burst open. You’re seeing the inner workings of this Black woman being a human being. We need to see Black people and other people of color and women be human and be broken and be vulnerable. I think that’s a big part of how we move forward.”
Martin-Green has shattered the glass-ceiling so that future generations of aspiring black girls can soar with confidence, in knowing they too can shoot for the stars. Live long and prosper.
