Apollo 11 and Prophetic Voices

Reverend Ralph Abernathy, flanked by associate Hosea Williams stand on steps of a mockup of the lunar module displaying a protest sign while demonstrating at the Apollo 11 moon launch site. Bettmann Archive/Getty Images

When Canadian astronaut Chris Hatfield spent months in space I followed him on Twitter so that I could enjoy his spectacular photos of our planetary home. We learned what a creative guy he is, a musician, writer, and photographer. Hatfield was inspired to become a space traveller by the lunar landing of Apollo 11 on July 20th 1969 when as a boy of nine he watched with his family.

As we approach the 50th anniversary of the moon landing I'm underwhelmed, although I've enjoyed exhibits about the moon. I'll confess that I'm not all that interested in actual space exploration, nor space-fi, whether its books or films. The Emperor Trump's notion of creating a "space force" should be an embarrassment to the American people, but they have a lot of cringe-worthy Trumpisms to choose from. 



For me there is so much that need to be addressed here on Earth, whether is issues of poverty and inequality, or making sure that the planet is habitable for humans and all other creatures. Why spend untold billions of dollars on space exploration?

It turns out that the American people weren't all that impressed with the space program of the Sixties, putting it near the bottom of priorities in national polls. People understood that it was a Space Race with the Russians which had more to do with Cold War rivalry here than the benefits from "out there."

I hadn't realized that there were protests at the site of the Apollo 11 launch on July 15th of  '69. Most of the 500 protesters were African-American  led by civil rights leader Ralph Abernathy, a close friend and colleague of the late Martin Luther King Jr. They arrived outside the gates of the Kennedy Space Center a few days before the launch. 

The administrator for NASA, Thomas Paine later recounted a conversation with Abernathy who said “One-fifth of the population lacks adequate food, clothing, shelter and medical care, [Rev. Abernathy] said. The money for the space program, he stated, should be spent to feed the hungry, clothe the naked, tend the sick, and house the shelterless.”

Abernathy told Paine that he had three requests for NASA, that 10 families of his group be allowed to view the launch, that NASA “support the movement to combat the nation’s poverty, hunger and other social problems,” and that NASA technical people work “to tackle the problem of hunger.”

Today there is still huge inequality in America and race is still an issue. Globally there are 70 million refugees and untold millions more could become displaced persons because of climate change. Perhaps Christians everywhere need to acknowledge those protests in 1969 and express prayerful gratitude for those who raised their prophetic voices.

Earth and the Moon -- Chris Hatfield