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Archive 1

Point of View Problems?

97.89.122.9 has put a tag on the article for POV and left the message that "Point of View problems. Biased towards the accomplishments of the person, but does not explain the reasons for dismissal from NASA Astronaut Corps."

I do not agree that there are POV problems.

The article contains both positive and negative information about Jemison. For example, the article talks about the failure of Jemison to be re-elected to the board of directors of Gen-Probe Inc. at the company's May 31,2007 annual stockholders meeting because she had missed several meetings.

The statement that the article "does not explain the reasons for dismissal from NASA Astronaut Corps" is factually incorrect. As the article notes, Jemison resigned from the Astronaut Corps on her own to pursue other interests including the formation of her own company, the Jemison Group, and the Dorothy Jemison Foundation for Excellence, formed to promote excellence in science education and named in honor of her mother. The article further states that Jemison NASA wanted Jemison to stay on. To quote from the article:

Although Jemison's departure from NASA was amicable, NASA was not thrilled to see her leave.[4] "NASA had spent a lot of money training her; she also filled a niche, obviously, being a woman of color," says Homer Hickam, a training manager for NASA’s space station efforts, and the author or Rocket Boys from which the movie October Sky was made.

Both these statements have citations.

I am removing the POV tag. If 97.89.122.9 thinks that there is something that the article is "covering up" about Jemison, then please add the information to the article with citations.

Best Regards,

Reservoirhill (talk) 14:03, 3 November 2008 (UTC)

Quotations

None of the quotations appearing in the article have references. They appear to be autobiographical and written in the third person specifically for the article itself. Name: spacefactchecker —Preceding unsigned comment added by Spacefactchecker (talk • contribs) 02:26, 3 November 2008 (UTC)

Please take a look at the article and point out to us which quotations in the article do not contain references. It appears that your assertion that "None of the quotations appearing in the article have references" is factually incorrect, and that, in fact, the exact opposite is true and all of the direct quotations in the article have references. Please show us which quotation(s) you are referring to so that we can correct the problem, if it exists.
Best Regards,
Reservoirhill (talk) 14:25, 3 November 2008 (UTC)

Hi. Thanks for writing an interesting article! I'm reducing the number of quotes from some sources to avoid copyright problems.

This link: [1] ("Gen-Probe" etc.) seems to be a broken link, and the bibliographic information is incomplete: only a title and date, no publisher or anything, so it isn't really an adequate bibliographic reference. I didn't find any copy of the article in Wayback. [2] ☺Coppertwig(talk) 23:06, 18 November 2008 (UTC)

An Archival Copy of the Story is Available as Well as Alternative Stories

An archival copy of the story is available on Peace Corps Online at: Yahoo Finance. "Gen-Probe Declines Director Resignation" July 20, 2007.
Another article that address Jemison's failure to be re-elected to the Board of Directors and the company's decision to reject her resignation is at: Microsoft Dynamics. "The Majority Doesn't Rule" July 20, 2007. This could be used as an alternative reference.
Another alternate reference is at: Compliance Week. "Resolved: A Question of Board Resignation" by Stephen Taub. August 14, 2007.
The official SEC Filing (8-K) is available at: Compliance Week. Form 8-K Gen-Probe Inc. - GPRO "Report of unscheduled material events or corporate change. Filed July 19, 2007.
Glad you like the article on Mae Jemison.
Best regards,
Reservoirhill (talk) 22:28, 19 November 2008 (UTC)

Recent African ancestry

What the heck is meant by 'woman of recent African ancestry'? Is this a reference to the fact that we all are descended from Africans ultimately?

We're not going to insert these absurd qualifications everywhere, so I object strenuously to this one. Do I get to say I have "distant Spanish ancestry" because my paternal line sheltered in the Pyrenees during the Ice Age, or "distant Middle Eastern ancestry" because my ancestors must have exited Africa by crossing the Red Sea? We don't say this in usual speech and so qualifications like "recent African ancestry" should not be necessary. --Saforrest (talk) 19:09, 2 September 2009 (UTC)

The "recent African ancestry" bit is a pathetic attempt by some white racialist, to either (1. obfusicate her ancestry to hoodwink some lesser intelligent readers into thinking that the woman is not black or African-American or (2. give whites or some other ethnic group credit for her being successful. They think her looks provide them with the opportunity to play their amateurish scientifically debunked race fantasies. Its quite sad how low self-esteem drives some whites to engage in such thought processes and behaviour. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 74.179.11.247 (talk) 14:36, 26 December 2009
I also think that 'recent African ancestry' is very ambiguous and controversial. How recent is recent? 200 years? 50? If she has other ancestry in her genes shouldn't we refer to them too. I think its better to just have it say first African American woman in space as she's generally referred to in other places. Gomez3000adams (talk) —Preceding undated comment added 19:41, 20 February 2010 (UTC).

Edit request

{{editsemiprotected}} in the sentence "Jemsion sometimes appears at charity events. In 2007, Jemison walked the runway" Jemison is misspelled. i can't change it, but can one of you? you'll see it right above the "Honors and Awards" section. Thanks! —Preceding unsigned comment added by Julius4567 (talk • contribs) 02:42, 21 February 2010

Done Welcome and thanks for pointing that out. Celestra (talk) 15:53, 21 February 2010 (UTC)

Edit request

{{editsemiprotected}}

I seem to have found another problem. this time, i don't know if it is an actual problem, but it doesn't sound right to me. in the sentence "The four-week residential program helps students build critical thinking skills and learn to solve solving problems through an experiential curriculum". the word "solving" sounds like it needs to be removed. again, i can't do it myself, but i'm sure one of you can! thanks! Julius4567 (talk) 20:08, 21 February 2010 (UTC)

Done Thanks again. I reorganized it a little further to present both skills the same way. If you'd like a different wording, just ask. By the way, please don't put the template into the section heading. It confuses the framework and makes it harder to service the request. Regards, Celestra (talk) 22:18, 21 February 2010 (UTC)

mae jemison

Jemison is a female engineer whose accomplishments in science need to be the center of attention on her wikipedia page. Women are underrepresented in STEM (science, technology, engineering, mechanical) fields, and Jemison’s work is an inspiration to all women and men alike. However, her page could use some tweaking to make it on par with other astronaut's pages. For example, While researching other male astronauts, I noticed that their pages were filled with photos of them while at work and headshots. There are just four photos of Mae Jemison on her wiki page. There are plenty of photos of Mae Jemison working in her field that would be a great addition to her wikipedia page. About.com features a great photo of Jemison under their Education: Space/Astronomy page. The picture features her working with another female scientist on experiments. [1] In the intro paragraph on Jemison’s page, is it really necessary to include that she was a dancer in the sentence, “ She is a dancer, and holds nine honorary doctorates in science, engineering, letters, and the humanities.”? In this sentence her greatest accomplishments in life are acknowledged, such as her honorary doctorates. However dancing seems like a random attribute of Jemison. Dancing, is a stereotypical female activity. And while it is important and interesting information about Jemison. The fact that women are not represented in STEM fields, makes her other accomplishments more important. Young women need role models in the STEM fields, and Jemison is a perfect example of woman that they could look up to. It would seem fitting that the fact that Jemison was a prominent engineer, scientist, astronaut, etc should be highlighted. And the fact that she was dancer should be assessed further down her wikipedia page. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 207.157.68.4 (talk) 15:18, 25 February 2010 (UTC)

Edit request from Makonick, 21 February 2011

{{edit semi-protected}} Please change "But when I think of Martin Luther King Jr. I think of attitude, audacity, and bravery. to "But when I think of Martin Luther King Jr., I think of attitude, audacity, and bravery. Makonick (talk) 23:40, 21 February 2011 (UTC)

Partially done, as after finding the original quote, she didn't say "Jr." at all there, just Martin Luther King. Courcelles 23:49, 21 February 2011 (UTC)

DARPA 100 year project

I don't have time to update currently, but it looks like she was chosen for a major project by DARPA PopSci article BBC article a13ean (talk) 22:14, 7 January 2012 (UTC)

Early Years revision

In the article under “Early Years” in the fourth paragraph, it states: ‘I did have to say, 'I'm going to do this and I don't give a damn'.’ She points out the unfairness of the necessity for women and minorities to have that attitude in some fields”. It would be more beneficial for people reading this to have more background in the racially offensive and sexist attitudes that existed for a young African American woman going to a prestigious college in the 1970s. There should probably be a reference to a scholarly article about the pressures she felt. This isn’t conveyed very thoroughly and someone breezing through this article who is misinformed about this time period will not understand the amount of scrutiny women faced during this time period. Brushing over a serious subject of racism and sexism in our history is irresponsible. We can not move forward if we forget to inform or brush it under the rug. It would also be helpful to include links to articles when Jemison “points out the unfairness of the necessity for women and minorities to have that attitude in some fields” to be expanded upon. There are plenty of research articles done by well-respected colleges and universities that show this sort of prejudice Jemison is addressing. None of that is included in the article. Including more truthful substance makes for a better article as people reading it can decide what to think. Please include more evidence especially in terms of inequality. Laughsinflowers (talk) 01:21, 15 October 2013 (UTC)

Women and minorities in STEM

I found it very interesting that this article focused a lot about people in her life that either encouraged or discouraged her away from her pursuit of becoming an astronaut. Her mother encouraged her to become a scientist while she has professors discriminate against her because she is a black woman. This article also describes the challenges she had to overcome in order to be successful. I also found it interesting that in the “Other News” section it describe her interactions with the police because she arrested for making an illegal u-turn, something non-threatening. It reveals discrimination by the police but also shows the extreme actions taken against people of color. I found it interesting that this was included because it reveals the stereotype of black people being associated with crime. However, this article did a great job at displaying the discrimination against women, especially minority women, in the STEM field. Much of this article was spent discussing her triumph over those hurdles and about her being the first African-American woman in space, even though that wasn’t her primary purpose. She was simply determined and extremely passionate about space. It is interesting to me that for women and minorities in the STEM field much is written about the challenges they faced in order to achieve their goals. However, for white males, that is not discussed at all mostly because they don’t have the same challenges and because of the privilege they have because of being white and also male. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 68.189.0.15 (talk) 21:36, 2 February 2014 (UTC)

Barriers/Obstacles

The article mentions some of the obstacles Mae Jemison had to face as an African American woman. However, it focuses on those obstacles mainly within her personal interactions with people. If the article is going to spend so much time on what she overcame, it should include any barriers in applying to programs, schools, jobs, etc based on her race or gender as well. Limiting the obstacles to teachers limits the extent of the barriers she faced. For example, in her NASA career section, it is mentioned that Mae Jemison was turned down for her first application to NASA. Is it possible that race or gender were a factor for this initial rejection? Although Sally Ride had broken down the barrier for women, that didn't mean that all women would be welcome in NASA; and although some African American men were working in NASA that didn't mean African American women were welcome. The fact that Mae Jemison was a woman and African American, may have worked against her in her application. Also I think it would be helpful and interesting to know what she found to be the hardest to combat, race or gender. Please let me know what you think? Liltessy27 (talk) 19:14, 21 February 2014 (UTC)

In writing any article here, we have to rely on reliable sources. If you're interested in writing about this, you can help out by tracking down reliable sources that discuss this. Thanks, a13ean (talk) 19:40, 21 February 2014 (UTC)

Obstacles

The article spends a lot of time mentioning obstacles that Jemison had to endure as an African American woman. However, it would be good to know more about her current life and not necessarily just about life for her as an African American woman but even things such as, what she does now and is she still dealing with many of the obstacles she went through back then now in her current field of work? Also it would be good to know about how such certain obstacles in her life helped her get to the point she is now and whether being African American or being a woman was the hardest obstacle to overcome in her life and with that how did she turn what many were trying to make negative into a positive so she could be successful. I feel like information like that could still be useful to women and people of color now. Amakaamy (talk) 03:10, 24 February 2014 (UTC)

Please see my response directly above. a13ean (talk) 05:23, 24 February 2014 (UTC)

she was an doctor scientist and a astronaut — Preceding unsigned comment added by 2601:3:600:327:F55B:F9B9:6546:C2E7 (talk) 13:30, 25 February 2014 (UTC)

Would somebody kindly fix this?

^ Jump up to: a b c d e "New York Times. " Woman in the News; A Determined Breaker of Boundaries - \\Xxx Xxxxx Xxxxxxx\\ by Warren E. Leary. September 13, 1992". New York Times. 1992-09-13. Retrieved 2011-09-14.

\\Mae C. Jemison\\

I cannot access 'reference' section to edit this unfortunate misnomering Cashthischeck (talk) 12:10, 10 March 2014 (UTC)

 Fixed. Please check & confirm. - Ninney (talk) 15:20, 10 March 2014 (UTC)

Thank you very much! Cashthischeck (talk) 03:53, 11 March 2014 (UTC)

Suggestions

While this article has many strengths, there is room for improvement in several areas. I agree with the changes other Wikipedians have proposed. First off, I think more images should be added of Mae Jemison working with others. In every picture she is depicted alone. This portrays her separately from others, not accounting for the teamwork she was involved in as an astronaut and scientist. I wonder if this has anything to do with her being a minority in a science orientated field? The article discusses the discrimination Jemison experienced in the classroom, so it is possible that she experienced it in the workplace, as well. In addition, I appreciate the Wikipedian, Liltessy27, comments. This user states how the article should include more of the barriers Jemison faced as a women of color in applying to schools programs and careers. As Liltessy27 mentioned, the article discuses more of Jemison’s personal struggles, and less of the struggles she faced in being a minority. Because women and people of color are underrepresented in the STEM field, it is important to talk about the struggles Jemison endured in this area, and how she overcame them. Jemison’s accomplishments are even more astounding when these struggles are factored in. Further, I was a little disappointed with how Jemison was portrayed in the “resignation” section. Even though I am sure the writer was trying to maintain a neutral point of view, it seems that Jemison is being blamed for her decision to leave NASA. A quote by Homer Hickam states that NASA had invested a significant amount of money in preparing Jemison and that, being a women of color, she filled a special place. This implies that Jemison should have stayed with NASA. In reality, she did not owe them anything. She could have done whatever she wanted. Also, it should not be Jemison’s duty to improve NASA’s diverse employees base. That is NASA’s job. This article has many strengths, but with these, and other changes it could be even better. Josiehoudini (talk) 04:35, 20 October 2014 (UTC)

Thanks for your review of this entry. I tweaked the resignation section a little bit and took out the part about NASA not being happy to see her go. An organization really isn't ever happy, sad or any other emotion. I left the Hickam quote. It's probably not essential, but I think it shows that people at NASA valued the diversity she brought to the agency. Readers should be able to discern that there is no blame to Jemison from Wikipedia for leaving NASA; we're just covering what was said at the time in published sources. Images are tough sometimes because of copyright restrictions. Generally, we either have to take pics ourselves or find other pics that have been released into the public domain. I wonder whether we can find public domain images of her time at NASA since that's a government agency and there is sometimes a public domain exemption from copyright for photos of people in their government roles. EricEnfermero HOWDY! 09:50, 20 October 2014 (UTC)

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African American/Black

The decision to use the terms 'African American' or 'black' can often be a controversial one, but in this case, to say that Mae Jemison "became the first African American woman to travel in space" is misleading. She is not just the first American woman of African decent, she is the first black woman of any nation to travel in space. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 2600hertz (talk • contribs)

Which other African American women have been to space? Regardless, sources use both black and African-American to describe her. Since the term African American is linked in the lead sentence, I don't think there will be any confusion as to what it means. EvergreenFir (talk) Please {{re}} 23:21, 19 February 2016 (UTC)

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She is also part Chinese

Although her Black identity is emphasized, it must be mentioned that she is also part (above 10% genetically) Chinese. 86.180.152.25 (talk) 01:34, 5 September 2014 (UTC)

There is no source given for that. Sminthopsis84 (talk) 17:30, 15 November 2016 (UTC)

over-protective center 2017

50.195.77.132 (talk) 14:32, 23 February 2017 (UTC)
Not done: it's not clear what changes you want to be made. Please mention the specific changes in a "change X to Y" format. DRAGON BOOSTER ★ 14:36, 23 February 2017 (UTC)

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Winston-Salem College honorary degree

I've done some preliminary research and have not been able to determine that there is a Winston-Salem College, even though NASA's webpage (the cited source in this article) does plainly state that — and this fact has been repeated elsewhere in many, many sources since that webpage's claim. There is a Winston-Salem State University, and Dr. Jemison delivered the 2004 Commencement Speech there. However, I note that this "Winston-Salem College" awarded the honorary degree is 1991... so I am hoping someone can shed some light on this. Could it possibly be Salem College, a women's college in Winston-Salem, North Carolina? --SidP (talk) 21:58, 12 September 2017 (UTC)

Semi-protected edit request on 7 June 2018

Adding on to the end of the career section adding a new paragraph. Jemison' time at NASA was spent doing launch support activities at the Kennedy space center in Florida. During her time in space she was the science mission specialist on STS-47 Spacelab-J. The STS-47 mission was a cooperation between Japan and the United States. The mission was eight days long and took 127 orbits to finish. Dr. Jemison was the co-researcher during bone-cell research. AntaveaG (talk) 03:42, 7 June 2018 (UTC)

 Not done: please provide reliable sources that support the change you want to be made. EvergreenFir (talk) 04:10, 7 June 2018 (UTC)

Honorary Degrees unnecessary in opening

Listing the honorary degrees in the opening is both redundant (they are all listed later in the article) and unconventional (it differs from how honorary degrees are handled in other pages, such as J.K. Rowling's page[1]).73.3.116.105 (talk) 17:59, 26 August 2018 (UTC)

References

  1. ^ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/J._K._Rowling

smiling

Short video of Mae Jemison smiling at NASA. => Is it because she is a woman that it is said "she is smiling"... is it an important information in wikipedia point of view ? She is preparing for something, she is working, in her space suit… I will suggest Short video of Mae Jemison working at NASA as a better description.

Sensible suggestion. I changed it to say "Mae Jemison at NASA." HouseOfChange (talk) 19:58, 7 February 2019 (UTC)

prodject

so i'm doing a project on you in class can you give me some pointers.24.159.133.56 (talk) 15:08, 14 February 2019 (UTC)

da — Preceding unsigned comment added by 170.235.204.41 (talk) 16:18, 26 February 2019 (UTC)

A project about Mae Jemison sounds interesting. Find out how long it needs to be, when it needs to be finished, and then do the best you can. You can copy photos from the article into your project. I don't think Mae Jemison reads the talk page of her article, but that is my best advice. If you want to see a shorter, less complicated article about Mae Jemison, there is an article about her in the Simple English version of Wikipedia. HouseOfChange (talk) 18:28, 26 February 2019 (UTC)HouseOfChange (talk) 18:13, 26 February 2019 (UTC)

Question about "from" categories

The Categories list Jemison as an "engineer from Illinois" and a "writer from Alabama." This seems inconsistent. Could somebody either explain this or else fix it? Thanks. HouseOfChange (talk) 02:53, 29 April 2019 (UTC)

GA push

There is a proposal for a space exploration theme on the main page to celebrate the 50th Anniversary of Apollo 11. A lot of nice work has already been done on this article and I think it is well positioned or GA status. I am wondering if any longtime editors of this article would be interested in nominating this article for GA stats so that it could be featured as a DYK on July 21. I would be happy to provide support throughout the process. Please feel free to discuss here or over at WP: Women in Green. Knope7 (talk) 01:29, 6 May 2019 (UTC)

@Knope7: It would be great to see Mae Jemison as a GA in time for July 21. I will nominate it for GA and welcome the participation of anyone interested in moving this forward. HouseOfChange (talk) 02:09, 6 May 2019 (UTC)
That sounds great! Knope7 (talk) 03:41, 6 May 2019 (UTC)

GA Review

GA toolbox
Reviewing
This review is transcluded from Talk:Mae Jemison/GA1. The edit link for this section can be used to add comments to the review.

Reviewer: Balon Greyjoy (talk · contribs) 06:17, 9 May 2019 (UTC)


Nice to see this article go up for GA nomination. I had been planning to improve her biography; glad to see someone else improve it! Balon Greyjoy (talk) 06:17, 9 May 2019 (UTC)

GA Progress

Good Article review progress box
Criteria: 1a. prose () 1b. MoS () 2a. ref layout () 2b. cites WP:RS () 2c. no WP:OR () 2d. no WP:CV ()
3a. broadness () 3b. focus () 4. neutral () 5. stable () 6a. free or tagged images () 6b. pics relevant ()
Note: this represents where the article stands relative to the Good Article criteria. Criteria marked are unassessed

I have completed my initial review, and will be placing the review on hold. This article is going to require a bit of work, but it is off to a good start, and is well-referenced (which I feel like is one of the hardest parts of writing a comprehensive article). Let me know if you have any questions. Balon Greyjoy (talk) 04:19, 11 May 2019 (UTC)

Thank you, Balon Greyjoy for your thoughtful comments. I think there are a few of us who are wiling to pitch in, so hopefully together we can successfully address your comments and make the necessary improvements. Knope7 (talk) 03:02, 14 May 2019 (UTC)

@Coffeeandcrumbs, Knope7, and HouseOfChange: I've been following along with the edits to the article. I'm assuming you guys will need longer than the standard seven days to finish improving the article. About how long would you anticipate improvements taking? Not trying to rush you, just hoping to get an idea of how long to leave the review open. Balon Greyjoy (talk) 19:27, 16 May 2019 (UTC)

My guess is maybe 2 weeks? I will try to devote some time to this in the coming days. Knope7 (talk) 02:54, 18 May 2019 (UTC)
Sounds good. I'll plan on leaving it open until the end of the month; let me know if you need more time. Balon Greyjoy (talk) 18:06, 18 May 2019 (UTC)
b 24.185.244.207 (talk) 00:35, 7 November 2022 (UTC)

Comments

References

Pictures

  • Are there any available pictures from Jemison's pre-NASA career? Those would be good to include in the early sections
I don't see any on Commons or with an appropriate license through a google image search. Knope7 (talk) 18:21, 18 May 2019 (UTC)
  • Are there pictures from her post-NASA career? The only picture currently on the webpage is just a picture of her face; are there pictures of her presenting or taking part in something?
  • I would cut down on the caption of the picture of her in the Spacelab Japan
  • The picture of her in 2009 should at least be in the later section of the article, as it doesn't make sense where it is in the "Early life" section.
  • I don't think the video on the page is necessary, as it is a brief clip that doesn't show Jemison doing anything work-related other than getting a cord/hose attached. A photo would be just as useful.

Prose/MOS

I haven't given it a thorough review yet (I should get to it in the next few days), but a quick review of the article shows that it is heavily reliant on quotes. While some of them are profound and important (such as Jemison's reference to MLK), there are a lot of quotes in the article that should be paraphrased instead (such as her talking about applying to be an astronaut, her agreeing to be an astronaut, her enjoying dancing).

Looking at Earwig, there are a lot of phrases similar to the sources. The YouTube source is likely the Wikipedia page being used as a YouTube description, and there are many direct quotes that Earwig has found, but there are also phrases that aren't quotes that have been directly used in other sources.

Lead

  • Combine the sentence about flying on STS-47 with the sentence about Jemison becoming the first black woman is space
  • Make Jemison the subject of the sentence about getting accepted into the astronaut corps
Reworded.
  • Be more specific on the company that she founded, as "application of technology to daily life" is vague

Early life

  • Did her mother teach at Ludwig van Beethoven Elementary School? I would use the school's full name
  • If it's available, put in the number of her siblings
  • I think the quotes in the second paragraph can be removed and paraphrased to say that she had early aspirations of getting into space. They don't say much about her, other than that she wanted to become an astronaut, which is evident from her applying later in life.
Done. I also moved the mention to Nichols to this paragraph since it was a source of childhood inspiration. Knope7 (talk) 02:07, 26 May 2019 (UTC)
  • "Jemison learned to make connections to science" What type of connections are you referring to? I would say that Jemison was interested in nature and biology.
Rephrased. Knope7 (talk) 19:10, 27 May 2019 (UTC)
  • When you mention that Jemison did a project on pus, what type of project are you referring to? It's not clear, and doesn't tie into if this was some brief project she did, a school science fair project, etc. My personal opinion is to remove these two sentences.
Removed. Knope7 (talk) 19:10, 27 May 2019 (UTC)
  • I would paraphrase the quotes about her teachers and her frustrations over the lack of female astronauts. There are fairly long quotes being used, and the information would come across better if it were text instead of quotes.
Changed so it is now mostly paraphrased. Knope7 (talk) 19:10, 27 May 2019 (UTC)
  • I would move the MLK quote to another section, as her quotes are looking back at MLK's accomplishments, but this section takes place during the late 1960s.
Removed. Knope7 (talk) 19:10, 27 May 2019 (UTC)
  • I would combine the sentence about beginning to dance at 11 and having aspirations to become a professional dancer.
  • What type of play was West Side Story? Was it the school play, or a larger production? If it's just a school play, I don't think it's a notable enough part of her childhood to be mentioned in the article.
I've been trying to get to the bottom of this. The cited souce sounds more like a professional production of some kind, but I can't find anything clear. It's definitely possible it was a high school production in which case I would agree it could be omitted or cut down to one sentence as an example of her love of dance. If someone else could clarify that would be great. Otherwise I'll come back to it. Knope7 (talk) 23:04, 27 May 2019 (UTC)
  • How seriously was she thinking about becoming a professional dancer after college? Was it just something she casually entertained, or had she made plans to turn down medical school and become a dancer She received a degree from Stanford in Chemical Engineering and was accepted to Cornell Medical School, which makes me think she had no serious intentions of giving that up to dance. I would remove those two sentences.
  • I would remove the quote about her being young and going to college. It doesn't add to the information about Jemison's time in college.
I removed most of it but left little that I think goes to being young for someone leaving for college. Knope7 (talk) 22:37, 1 June 2019 (UTC)
  • Did she get a BA in African and Afro-American Studies? It's not clear; it just says that she fulfilled the requirements.
Removed. The source used the "fulfilled the requirements" language, which I agree is unclear. Knope7 (talk) 22:37, 1 June 2019 (UTC)
  • I would combine the second-to-last paragraph with the previous ones, and cut out the quotes and state that Jemison experienced racial bias while at Stanford. The quotes themselves are either very long, or are more representative of her view points in interviews, not the story of her youth.
  • Is there more information about her time in medical school? Or at least applying to it? It's all captured in 2 sentences.
  • I would move the building a dance studio to a personal life section, as that is more of her later life, and doesn't apply to her early life.
Done. Knope7 (talk) 02:21, 26 May 2019 (UTC)

Peace Corps

  • The first sentence has a lot of information in it; I would break it into 2 sentences.
  • Make Jemison, not her work, the subject of the sentence about what she specifically did
  • I changed "a doctor diagnosed" to "was misdiagnosed with"
  • Couple issues with the paragraph about saying the volunteer's life. 1). It's pretty wordy, and several parts (how long she was up, that the patient survived) can be removed/combined into other sentences. Also, the pushback from the embassy should be attributable to some person or office at the embassy; the embassy itself wasn't causing any delays. Furthermore, while Jemison was empowered to make the call for the medical evacuation, the paragraph makes it seem that she was the sole approval authority for a plane to launch from Germany, fly to Sierra Leone, pick up a patient, and fly them out, which certainly required approval and work from other individuals. I would shorten the paragraph about her saving another volunteer's life, and just say that she properly diagnosed meningitis, and evacuated the patient, who survived.
  • Is there any more information about her time in the Peace Corps? The section is mostly a quick introduction into her roles and responsibilities, and then one anecdote.

Career

  • This should be something like "NASA Career" as it only captures a portion of her total working career (albeit the most notable part)
Agreed and changed. Knope7 (talk) 03:02, 14 May 2019 (UTC)
  • Sally Ride (and several other female astronauts) were selected in 1978; it doesn't make sense that Jemison would view her flying in space as evidence that women were accepted into the program.
The source cites the 1983 flights of Ride and Bluford. I've tweaked the wording a bit. If you still object, please let me know and I can remove it. Knope7 (talk) 03:02, 14 May 2019 (UTC)
  • Earlier the article lists MLK Jr. as an inspiration, and also that Jemison had wanted to go into space from a young age. While I'm sure she looked up to Nichelle Nichols for her role on Star Trek, the word "inspiration" implies (at least to me) that Nichols was the cause that she applied to become an astronaut.
  • When did Jemison first apply to become an astronaut? There was a class accepted in 1985, and then her class in 1987. Was she rejected in 1985, and then reapplied? How was her selection delayed by the Columbia disaster?
Good question. I added the answer to this: October 1985 was her first application. That would have been after the 1985 class was chosen. Knope7 (talk) 02:54, 18 May 2019 (UTC)
  • I would shorten the part about her selection, and just stated that she reapplied and was selected as one of the 15 candidates in 1987, and then link her astronaut class. I would remove the quote, as all it states is that Jemison agreed to become an astronaut.
Done. Knope7 (talk) 02:54, 18 May 2019 (UTC)
  • Is there any information about her time as a candidate? What about press coverage/attention for the first black female astronaut?
Found some sources in Newspapers.com and added them. Hope it's what you're looking for. Can add more later if it's all good. Megalibrarygirl (talk) 23:34, 26 May 2019 (UTC)
  • Is there more information about what she did for launch support activities?
  • I would remove the quote of her supporting launches, as that is no new information from the previous sentence.
  • minus Removed. --- Coffeeandcrumbs 23:04, 1 June 2019 (UTC)
  • I would include more information about the STS-47 mission, such as when she was selected for it, 2-3 sentences about the mission itself, and any other astronauts that she worked closely with. Also, since you mention that it was a joint US-Japan flight, mention the coordination that occurred.
  • I would remove the quote about her looking down at Chicago, as almost every astronaut would view their homes as they flew over, and it's not a particularly notable event.
  • Reword the "Hailing frequencies open" sentence. Was she broadcasting this, or just saying it throughout the mission. Also, it should say something like "Star Trek-inspired quote "Hailing frequencies open." Saying "a salute on a Trekkie could appreciate" is a colloquialism and conversational tone.
  • I would shorten the paragraph about stuff she brought into space. I would remove "Because of her love of dance and as a salute to creativity" as the personal effects that people bring all have some sort of personal significance.
  • I would remove her quote about "connection between science and dance" as that is indicative of Jemison's world view and personal opinion, not her actual time during the mission.
  • "to ever fly an airplane" should be shortened to "pilot"
  • Is there any more information about what work she accomplished in space? There is very little about the science that she conducted.
  • I would remove the quote about why she left NASA, as it is pretty long, and doesn't contain much new information. It could just state that she resigned from NASA with the intention of starting her own company.
  • I would remove the Hickam quote. It's nothing profound, and just states that NASA spent a lot of money training astronauts, so he wishes that they wouldn't resign.
  • I would also remove the quote from her 2008 interview, as that is more of a retrospective of her feelings, not biographical data. Additionally, while she would've wanted to still go to space without being the first black woman, she understood the historical significance of her going.

Science and technology

  • I would rename this section to something like "Post-NASA career"
  • Make this section have more of a chronological flow. It starts out with an event in 1999, then jumps to events in 1995, 1990, 1993, and so on.
  • I would remove the sentence "She sees science and technology as being very much a part of society, and African-Americans as having been deeply involved in U.S. science and technology from the beginning" as that is her motivation for working, but this sentence about what she is accomplishing, which is explained in the previous sentence.
  • Expand on what the Jemison Group does, as "which researches, markets, and develops science and technology for daily life" is very generic
  • I would remove the quote about her calling her parents the best scientists she knew, as that is more praise that she was giving them, rather than objective truth. Nothing against her parents, but neither were professional scientists, and Jemison worked at NASA, which employs a lot of accomplished scientists.
  • The multi-sentence description of The Earth We Share reads like an advertisement.
  • The BioSentient Corp paragraph also reads like an advertisement
    • I removed some advertorial descriptions. The rest seems notable since it is connected to what she did during STS-47.

Writing

  • I would paraphrase the Book Report review
  • Is "True Book Series" a textbook, workbook, activity book, etc.? What is the "Find the Truth" challenge?
  • Is there anything more descriptive for a review of the True Book Series? The quote "properly tantalizing surveys of our local stellar neighborhood and its ongoing exploration" doesn't really say anything about the quality of the books.

Media appearances

  • I would combine the sentences about Burton learning about Jemison being a fan, and her accepting it. It doesn't require a one-word quote, and should just state that Burton contacted her, and she agreed to be on the show.
  • Back to a previous point, how did Uhura inspire Jemison?
  • Is there anything more about her genetic makeup, other than East Asian (which leaves 87% unaccounted for)
  • I would remove the Wait Wait Don't Tell Me appearance, as that is not a significant interview, and I'm sure she has given numerous interviews of a similar caliber.

Other public appearances

  • This section should be removed, and the information moved into other appropriate sections (Awards and honors, mostly).
  • The first few sentences read like an advertisement for her public speaking. It should just say that she is works as a "public speaker who appears before private and public groups promoting science and technology"
  • I removed the sentence that she appears at charity events
  • I would remove the interview about her feelings for "role model" It's her personal opinion; not an honor she's received or an event she attended.
  • Was she the commencement speaker at Western Michigan University in May 2017?

Other news

  • Similar to the previous section, this is all information that can be in other parts of the page. It seems like there are sections for the sake of sections with titles that begin with "Other"
  • Is Gen-Probe the only board she sits on? This is the only mention of the company in the article; it doesn't seem significant enough to merit an entire paragraph about her board seat
  • I rewrote "a "Women of NASA" LEGO set went on sale featuring (among other things) mini-figurines" to "In 2017, LEGO released the "Women of NASA" set, with minifigures of Jemison"
  • Is there any information about her personal life (family, hobbies, etc). Most biographies have that, and would be a good place to put information such as her in-home dance studio.

June 3 updated comments

Not sure how close the article is to being completed, but I wanted to provide some feedback, as a lot of edits have been made. The article has definitely been substantially improved so far. Nice work! Balon Greyjoy (talk) 15:12, 3 June 2019 (UTC)

  • The article is still overly reliant on quotes, and still has a mix of retrospective information with biographical information. The Early life section is the part that is most quote-heavy
  • Is there more information about her time in medical school?
  • Is there more information about her time in the Peace Corps? Are you planning on shortening the paragraph about the incident with the injured patient?
    • Correct me if I am wrong but the paragraph on the Peace Corp is sufficient. A separate section for the 2 years she was in the Corps was not necessary. I folded it into a new section on her Medical career which includes the paragraph that preceded it about her time in medical school. --- Coffeeandcrumbs 08:18, 4 June 2019 (UTC)
    • The anecdote is just another excuse to complain about discrimination which there is enough of in this article. I removed it. It is not a particularly notable event in her life. --- Coffeeandcrumbs 08:18, 4 June 2019 (UTC)
  • Can you expand upon the research she conducted on STS-47?
  • The Earth We Share description still reads like an advertisement
  • Has BioSentient accomplished its goal yet? It comes across as still a work in progress after 20 years.
    • My original research through archives of the company's websites indicates the company died in infancy. It appears the only goal was to offer AFTE for commercial use. The technology was already well developed, used in space, and patented in 1997. I could not find any information indicating that it went into commercial use on Earth. --- Coffeeandcrumbs 00:42, 4 June 2019 (UTC)
  • Is there more information about her personal life?
  • I would cut down on the paragraph about her police brutality complaint. It's important information, but the entire paragraph is far too long and detailed, especially when the Personal life section is otherwise so short.
    • Can you suggest some things you think is extraneous? I have to admit I am biased on this subject. I find the whole incident personally offensive and can't find myself able to reduce it. --- Coffeeandcrumbs 00:42, 4 June 2019 (UTC)
    I removed the part about the interview and the quote, as it doesn't add to the narrative of what Jemison experienced. Stylistically, I would've said it in fewer sentences, but I have no arguments with how it is currently written.
Break

@Balon Greyjoy: I have done what I can. Please don't hesitate to ask if there is anything else I can do. --- Coffeeandcrumbs 08:18, 4 June 2019 (UTC)
@Coffeeandcrumbs: Nice work on the article. I made an edit to her arrest paragraph, and made a few minor edits to the NASA career section. I am passing this review and look forward to working with you on future reviews. Balon Greyjoy (talk) 23:21, 4 June 2019 (UTC)

Speaking engagements

The below is a relevant edit that keeps getting removed. I have edited it to remove emotion/bias. There is nothing inaccurate about this post and it needs to stay so that others are aware.

“On May 18, 2019, Jemison delivered the commencement speech to Bryn Mawr College’s graduating class of 2019. In her speech, she used the word “unborn” to refer to an undeveloped fetus in a woman’s womb, which is a term often used by far right conservative Christians and those who are anti-choice.” VicWOODHULL (talk) 23:02, 19 May 2019 (UTC)

Thanks for bringing this here. To move the discussion along, could you list some reliable sources that covered these comments? See WP:UNDUE. Larry Hockett (Talk) 23:06, 19 May 2019 (UTC)
I agree, reliable sources would be needed to show any reason to include this material. Also, this is a WP:BLP issue. We don't include everything in an encyclopedia article. Receiving an honorary degree might be worth including but unless this speech garners a significant reaction, I don't think it should be singled out. Let's see what types of sources appear. I will also caution that while the intent appears to be to criticize her views, because this is a BLP we would need to balance the criticism with Jemison's perspective or response. Knope7 (talk) 23:24, 19 May 2019 (UTC)

I think the article could benefit from more information about her post-NASA career.Jayjay Ugbe (talk) 18:07, 24 June 2019 (UTC)

@Jayjay Ugbe: Is there something in particular you can point to about her post-NASA career that is notable and not mentioned? --- Coffeeandcrumbs 20:39, 24 June 2019 (UTC)

As general practitioner

@Alanscottwalker: I believe Jemison worked as as a general practitioner before and after her time with the Peace Corps staff. I could be wrong though. --- Coffeeandcrumbs 12:33, 15 July 2019 (UTC)

Coffeeandcrumbs, Thx. I got rid of "before" and "after" . Alanscottwalker (talk) 14:35, 15 July 2019 (UTC)
Sorry, I did not notice that. --- Coffeeandcrumbs 14:39, 15 July 2019 (UTC)

Semi-protected edit request on 19 February 2021

Write that she is a excellent person. 2601:285:400:EB:C01A:C5AF:3053:B760 (talk) 02:21, 19 February 2021 (UTC)

 Not done: MOS:OP-ED. —KuyaBriBriTalk 02:59, 19 February 2021 (UTC)
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